Help
How do I get a Greening our Business Score?
To get your Greening our Business score, you need to complete both the Energy & Transport module and the Circular Economy module and achieve a passing score of at least 50% in each. Your score will then be displayed on the Modules tab of the home page. A score of 50-79% entitles you to become a Partner in the Greening our Business program, while a score of 80-100% highlights you as a Leader.
You can improve this score by completing actions from your Action Plans and updating your answers.
How do I start a module?
The modules appear on the Modules tab of the home page. If you haven’t started a module yet, it will have a large Start Module button displayed below the title. Click this to go to the Module Timeline page.
Here you should see a Start Your Module button. Click this to get started.
How do I complete a module?
Once you have started a module, you’ll be taken through a series of questions. Select or enter your answers for each and press the Next Question button.
The questions are grouped into Sections, based around topics such as Lighting, Hot Water etc.
You can jump between Sections by clicking on the Content / Progress button at the top left. This will drop down a list of the Sections, with a progress bar showing whether they are complete or not.
You can jump to any Section by clicking on it, then navigate back and forth between the questions in that section with the Next Question and Previous Question buttons.
Can I leave a module and come back later?
You can leave the module at any time by clicking on the icons at the top of the screen. It will automatically save your progress for when you return.
How do I go back to an incomplete module?
Click on the Continue button on the Module, then select Continue your Module on the Module Timeline Page.
You can jump between Sections by clicking on the Content / Progress button at the top. This will drop down a list of the Sections, with a progress bar showing whether they are complete or not.
You can jump to any Section by clicking on it, then navigating back and forth between the questions in that section with the Next Question and Previous Question buttons.
What is my Summary Report?
The Summary Report is a list of all the questions you responded to, your answers and a quick response from us indicating whether we think you are on the right track or there might be an opportunity for an upgrade.
The Summary Report is generated automatically after you have completed all the questions in a Module. A link will be emailed to you, or you can download a copy from the Modules page. You should save it as a record of your progress over time or to include in reporting.
What is my Action Plan?
Your Action Plan is your shortlist of selected actions, chosen from the list of recommendations presented to you after completing a Module. It explains why and how to go about implementing these actions, with links to relevant information and resources.
We deliberately kept it short so it looks achievable, rather then being an overwhelmingly long to-do list. When you’ve completed your selected actions (or if you change your mind) you can revisit the list and select new actions.
How do I generate my Action Plan?
After you’ve completed the questions in a module and clicked the Submit Module button, you’ll be taken back to the Module Timeline page. Click the Choose Your Actions button.
You will be given a list of recommended actions, based on your answers. They are ranked in order of what we think is highest priority, based on the average impact of taking that action weighted by the answer you selected at sign up (whether you wanted to save money, reduce your greenhouse footprint or find things that were easy to implement).
The top three recommendations have been automatically selected for you and you can simply create the report using them. Alternatively, you can select other actions from the list if you think they are more relevant to your business and current situation, or remove unwanted actions by un-selecting them.
You must have at least three and not more than four actions selected.
When you are happy with the final selection, click the Save and Finish button at the bottom and it will be generated, with a download link sent to you and a link in the Module.
How do I update my answers in a module?
After you have completed a module, it is possible to revisit it to update your answers. This might be because you have completed some of the actions and want to improve your Score and update your Action Plan, or because you have further information e.g. you were unsure what type of hot water service you have.
A completed module will have a View Module button on the Modules home page. Click this and it will take you to the Module Timeline page, which shows you a chronological list of actions you’ve taken in this module.
Click on the Review / update your answers button and it will take you back into the questions, where you can navigate using the Content / Progress drop-down and the Next Question / Previous Question buttons.
When you are done, keep clicking the Next Question Buttons until it reaches the end and the Submit Module button appears. Your Score should update to reflect the updates.
How do update my Action Plan and choose new actions?
To update your Action Plan and select new actions, for example after completing your previous ones and updating the answers in the module, go back to the Module Timeline page and click the Update your Action Plan button.
It will again give you a list of recommended actions you can choose from. Click the Save and Finish button when you are happy with your choices.
What if my business isn’t located in one of the participating Council areas?
We’d love to welcome the new owner or manager into the Greening our Business platform and help you them to continue the sustainability journey. For them to take over your account you need to change the account contact details and password (using the Forgot Password prompt at login) and give them these details as part of the handover. Otherwise, they will need to create a new account and fill in the required modules again to create a new Score and Action Plan.
What do I need to be able to complete the modules?
For the basics, you need a good familiarity with the details of your business, especially the appliances, equipment, vehicles etc and how they’re used and the operating procedures for purchasing of materials and equipment and waste disposal. You shouldn’t need any paperwork like energy bills etc. Most small to medium business managers will have most of this information in their heads or readily to hand. If you don’t, you may need to have some of your staff handy to be able to ask them questions. You can always fill in the questions you know and come back to the others later.
If you want to document and share more in-depth information, we recommend you have copies of your sustainability policies, details of any other significant upgrades you have completed (e.g. the invoices or quotes for a solar system you have installed) and ideas for upgrades you are planning. These are not mandatory for getting a basic score and generating an Action Plan though.