The Bluegrass Youth Ballet cleans with reusable cloths and finds new homes for shoes and leotards instead of tossing them out.

Everburn Manufacturing installed motion-activated lighting to cut energy costs and planted a pollinator garden.

The International Book Project gives books a second life in communities worldwide and reduced their electric bill by 40% during June and July.

These are just a few of the ways six Lexington businesses are embracing sustainability as part of joining the city's Green Check certification program this year. In all, 20 businesses either joined or recertified for this year at a recent ceremony.

The city's Division of Environmental Services launched the Green Check program as a pilot in 2016 — more than 80 local businesses and other organizations have signed on since. Certification lasts three years, and can be achieved at levels from Bronze to Gold. As part of participating, members commit to make concrete changes in areas like waste reduction, such as printing double-sided and having a recycling program. They'll also receive assessment and support from the city on their sustainability efforts.

Changes don't have to be big to have a big impact. For instance, how did IBP reduce its energy costs by so much?

"One of the things that made the biggest difference was we started doing a closing routine where we unplugged all electronic devices — computers, the toaster, the TV — so they wouldn’t drain the power at night," said Marilyn Hosey, development and communications coordinator. "We also set our A/C one degree higher than we had before."

Businesses, nonprofits, or others looking to join the program next year can get the greenlight by applying now through January 31, 2027.