Students in Dr. Dale Fitzgibbons’ “Seminars in Corporate Social Responsibility” class recently consulted with four twin-city businesses working towards their Green Business certification.

The consulting groups worked with Alamo II, Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works, Vitesse, and Integrity Technology Solutions.  The four firms are the first local businesses to seek Green Business Certification from the Champaign-based Illinois Green Business Association.  Three firms in the Champaign area have been certified, with 10 others on the way.

“The businesses volunteered to be certified.  The students did in-person consultations with the owners, in what became a final project for a four-week summer seminar on corporate social responsibility,” said Dr. Fitzgibbons.

Companies seeking certification are judged on energy conservation and eight other areas of sustainability.  Students from Illinois State University, which supports many local green initiatives, presented each business with their own unique action plan to meet IGBA’s criteria, a key first step.

Read more in The Pantagraph about these students’ projects and local business’ green certification efforts.