About Us

The EnviroStars program was created in King County, Washington as a service of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in 1995, and has since been adopted across the Puget Sound region, with programs now offered in Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Pierce and Whatcom counties.

This consortium of county programs is called the EnviroStars Cooperative. We share expertise, leverage resources, and work to ensure consistent implementation of the program across the region.

CoStar partner organizations act as supporters and advocates of the EnviroStars Program and the spread of environmentally responsible practices in business.

The EnviroStars Program was honored with a Washington Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention & Sustainability; and the prestigious Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Program award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, in Washington, D.C.

In fact, EnviroStars certified businesses have received hundreds of additional awards acknowledging their environmental achievements.

Many of us are looking for opportunities to make lifestyle and work-related choices that align with our values. 

EnviroStars was designed to give small businesses incentives and recognition for reducing hazardous materials and waste, in order to protect public health, municipal systems, and the environment.

EnviroStars program representatives work with businesses to evaluate and improve hazardous waste management practices that minimize environmental impact, and may also lead to a range of economic benefits. 

EnviroStars provides the public with an easy way to identify and support businesses using environmentally responsible practices, based on an objective third party assessment.

Discussions are underway with Washington's Department of Ecology about taking the program statewide - so that all of Washington's businesses can have the opportunity to become EnviroStars certified, and all of the state's residents can support these environmentally responsible businesses in their own communities.

Over 600 businesses, from car repair shops, colleges, dental offices, dry cleaners, landscapers, marinas, printers, government facilities, and manufacturers, to zoos, have taken the steps to become EnviroStars certified – with more businesses applying all the time.

These EnviroStars currently represent 60 cities in five counties.

EnviroStars represents a proactive way to enhance the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest, where residents and businesses place a high value on protecting natural resources and want to contribute to healthier communities.

Smart Choice. By using these businesses, you are helping to reinforce better business practices, and creating economic value for businesses who make the commitment to "go green".