CHAMPAIGN – A University of Illinois senior and two 2008 UI graduates have dedicated themselves to making sure Champaign-Urbana businesses are really and truly "green."

They've formed the Illinois Green Business Association, a nonprofit group that helps businesses become certified as environmentally sustainable.

"Other programs just go in and assess the business and say they need to do all these things," said Anthony Santarelli, one of the group's cofounders. But the Illinois Green Business Association goes beyond that.

"We walk them through the checklist and help them achieve certification if they can – write grants for them, act as a liaison to environmental agencies, provide turnkey services," he added.

Santarelli and the other cofounders, Mara Eisenstein and Cassie Carroll, have laid the groundwork for the association for the last year-and-a-half.

They hope to launch a pilot project this year involving 15 or so area businesses. Already, the effort has picked up support from campus and community leaders.

"We're really excited to make businesses leaders in the community in terms of sustainability," Carroll said.

Body N' Sole Sports is one of several businesses interested in taking part in the project, said Jed Bunyan, one of the owners of the athletic-wear store in Savoy.

"As I understand it, they would come into our business, do a survey looking at different ways we use energy, and suggest ways to conserve," Bunyan said.

The project has the potential to save the store money and make customers feel good about patronizing a sustainable business, he said.

Bunyan said he also hopes the student group can help Body N' Sole put together an ongoing program to collect and recycle used athletic shoes.

Santarelli, a UI senior majoring in environmental economics and policy, said the association has drawn up a checklist covering nine general areas, including solid-waste reduction, energy conservation, chemical use and buying products with recycled content.

Among the things the association plans to ask:

– Do you use refillable toner cartridges?

– Do you provide incentives for employees to carpool, and shower facilities for those who walk or bike to work?

– Do you plant vegetation native to Illinois and apply mulch to prevent soil erosion?

The cost of getting certified will likely range from $220 to $550, depending on the type of business and square footage, Santarelli said. Initially, the association will focus on offices, retail businesses and restaurants.

One thing the group aims to do is draw the distinction between businesses that are truly environmentally sustainable and those that engage in "greenwashing."

That's the term applied to companies that brand themselves "green" even though they're not. Santarelli and Eisenstein cite the case of a restaurant that called itself "green" simply because it had a vegetarian dish on its menu.

There are practical reasons a company might want to be certified as green, Santarelli said. Often, conservation practices lead to decreased operational costs and an increased bottom line.

"A lot of business practices were formed when energy was cheap and no one gave a second thought to it," he said.

The origins of the group date back to when the students were involved in Community Organized Recycling Efforts, an offshoot of Students for Environmental Concerns that sought to improve Champaign's recycling program.

Later, the students responded to a request from UI Facilities & Services' environmental compliance office for proposals on how to make Green Street more "green." They ended up getting a grant for that project and decided it should include getting Green Street businesses to adopt sustainable practices.

The students later decided the program should be extended to businesses throughout Champaign-Urbana.

After Carroll and Eisenstein graduated in 2008, they went to California to examine green business certification programs in San Francisco and Santa Monica.

"We wondered, why can't a model similar to this be adapted for Illinois?" Carroll said.

They didn't allow graduation to get in the way of the project.

"If Cassie and I were to up and leave Champaign-Urbana, we'd have to pass this project off to other students, and we didn't see other leaders, people like us, to make this happen," Eisenstein said. "We got part-time jobs to support ourselves."

Meanwhile, they worked on the project in their spare time.

The three have been working closely with Mike Royse of One Main Development, Don Schlorff of Busey Bank, Dave Wilcoxen of the UI's environmental compliance office and Dick Warner of the UI Office of Sustainability.

They've also involved council members from both cities and representatives of the county chamber of commerce, Urbana Business Association and Champaign Downtown Association.

"So many different entities have been helpful and supportive," Carroll said.