Going green has a new perk for business in Santa Monica, with the launch of a brand new Green Business Certification Program this month.

This GBC program's a way to recognize -- and to help customers recognize -- green businesses. Approved green businesses will be given a GBC window decal that will hopefully lure environmentally-inclined consumers. In addition, businesses can use the GBC logo on promotional materials.

Interestingly, this GBC program's launching right on the heels of a separate green business decal program started by Greenopia, a for-profit business that publishes a "green guide" listing environmentally-friendly businesses in the Los Angeles area (the guide plans to expand to other cities). Greenopia rates green businesses between one to four leaves; businesses that achieve the four-leaf distinction can sport a four-leaf Greenopia decal.

Greenopia's criteria for reviewing companies, however, seems somewhat nebulous and difficult to pin down for the lay consumer, while the GBC program has very specific criteria. In fact, the GBC program has 3 different sets of criteria, all of which are avaliable online, differentiating between Office/Retail, Restaurant/Grocers, and Motel/Hotel businesses.

To get the GBC decal, businesses have to implement green purchasing, solid waste and recycling, energy efficiency, water efficiency, pollution prevention and transportation practices. Then, businesses have to conduct energy, water and waste materials assessments, and pay a fee -- between $175-$500, depending on the type and size of the business -- for an onsite visit.

The GBC program was put together through the joint efforts of the City of Santa Monica, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, and Sustainable Works, a city-funded nonprofit that will run the GBC program.

If your Santa Monica business needs help going green, Sustainable Works runs a Business Greening Program, free for Santa Monica businesses, .