Green Business Bureau Announces Certification for Health Clubs and Fitness Facilities

Online, December 9, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The Green Business Bureau (GBB) today announced the latest addition to its best-in-class green business certification platform. GBB Eco-Industries Program for Health and Fitness (E-IPHF) features initiatives and information to help members gain an edge in the competitive health and fitness industry.
"The desire for green gyms and health clubs is growing like every other area of green consumerism," Marcos Cordero, GBB CEO and co-founder. "The proof lies in the steady industry growth of health clubs and fitness facilities and the proliferation of green gyms and health clubs worldwide."
Green consumers represent one in five US adults and are powering a green economy that is growing at an average of 20% per year and currently amounts to over $350 billion. Now known formally as LOHAS (lifestyles of health and sustainability), these consumers are the most influential demographic in the US today.

Cordero says that, because of the strength of the LOHAS demographic, and the fact that personal health account for more than 50% of green consumer spending, health and fitness businesses cannot afford to ignore this growth opportunities going green presents.

"This is an industry that stands to benefit significantly by incorporating sustainable business practices both in the exercise rooms and the back office," says Cordero. "At the Green Business Bureau, our mission is to help these businesses realize the economic and environmental benefits of going green."
The E-IPHF features the standard menu of GBB initiatives designed to help businesses become more sustainable, and adds industry-specific initiatives for health clubs and fitness facilities. The E-IPHF includes initiatives that:
•Address exercise room and office operations.
•Offer a wide range of approaches for amenities purchasing to reduce waste.
•Guide the management of resource consumption - such as an optional towel and linen reuse policy for guests.
•Improve customer satisfaction in addition to increasing environmental efforts.
•Adapt green initiatives to the size and location of facilities.
"We are excited to expand our Eco-Industries program to include health and fitness businesses, " says Cordero. "This is an industry that stands to gain enormous ground in terms of cost savings and revenue growth through the implementation of green practices."
For more information about the E-IPHF, visit the GBB at www.gbb.org.