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Bite Communications
FAQs About The Standards
1 I am not sure if my business qualifies as an office. Which businesses are eligible to use the office checklist?
2 Some of the practices listed on my checklist are not applicable to my business and I am finding it hard to implement the minimum required measures. What should I do?
3 Do all these measures apply to my business? Are there any exemptions?
4 My business does not meet all the required standards. Does that mean we cannot get recognized?
5 The requirements have changed since I submitted my checklist. Is my application still valid?
6 I need help filling out the checklist and do not understand what some measures mean. Can someone help me?
7 Do I have to implement all the minimum practices before submitting the checklist?
8 I submitted the checklist. How soon will someone contact me? What happens next?
9 I am tenant of a building. My landlord is responsible for the lighting and toilets as well as the cleaning contract. Can I mark these practices as Not Applicable, since I do not pay utility bills and have no control over the space?
10 I am a tenant; the kitchen and bathrooms are not in my office and are shared with other tenants. Is it necessary for these spaces to meet the requirements?
11 What is an Environmental Policy Statement? Do all employees have to agree to follow it?
12 What are Green Business metrics?
13 WATER: I am tenant of a building; am I exempt from installing low flow toilets and energy efficient lighting?
14 WATER: How do I know if my facility has low-flow toilets?
15 WATER: Are there any retrofits I can use to regulate the flow of the current toilets instead of installing new ones?
16 WATER: How can I prepare for my water assessment?
17 ENERGY: Are rebates available for installation of energy efficient lighting?
18 ENERGY: I have no control of the HVAC maintenance. Does this section still apply to me?
19 ENERGY: I am tenant in a building. Am I exempt from installing T-8/T-5 bulbs and LED exit signs?
20 RECYCLING: How can I prepare for my recycling assessment?
21 RECYCLING: If my building does not have composting or I am a single-person office and do not have anything to compost, will my business be exempt?
22 RECYCLING: Can we be exempted if the printers leased by our office are not set up to print double-sided, or if we need to print single-sided for the majority of our printing?
23 RECYCLING: All my paper products (copy paper, letterhead, envelopes, etc.) are not up to Green Business standards. How should I proceed?
24 RECYCLING: My building provides toilet paper and paper towels for my office. Is the recycled janitorial paper requirement applicable to my business?
25 RECYCLING: We have permanent kitchenware in my office, but we have disposable/compostable kitchenware for special occasions. Is this allowed?
26 RECYCLING: We have switched from disposable kitchenware to compostable kitchenware. Are we still required to buy permanent kitchenware?
27 CLEAN AIR: Do I need to sign up for commuter benefits, emergency ride home and the Spare the Air program if I work in a home office or if I am a small business and all my employees bike or walk to work?
28 POLLUTION: My office does not have a pest problem and we do not contract with a pest control operator. Am I correct in assuming that this measure is not applicable to my business?
29 POLLUTION: What it is a Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and how can I obtain it?
30 POLLUTION: I am a tenant and do not have control over the cleaning products used by the janitorial service company. Am I exempt from providing the inventory of cleaning products?
31 POLLUTION: Our building already contracts with a green janitorial service provider; do I still need to submit the MSDS’s?
32 POLLUTION: How can I prepare for my toxics assessment?
33 POLLUTION: How much time do we have to use up our non-green cleaning products? When do we need to show receipts for green cleaning products?
34 POLLUTION: If we have unused bottles of chemicals we can't return, do we have to get rid of them?
35 POLLUTION: How many non-green products are we allowed to keep?