NORTHAMPTON — The Center for Ecological Technology (CET) in Florence has launched a Carbon Conscious Business Accreditation program to encourage businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, handing out its first accreditation to fellow Florence organization the Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity.

Ashley Muspratt, the president and CEO of CET, said the new accreditation program was an opportunity for business to be able to “publicly celebrate their climate action.”

“A lot of the steps they [businesses] take are relatively invisible, like separating food scraps, insulating your walls or swapping out your fossil fuel heating system for heat pumps,” Muspratt said. “This accreditation is a way for a third party to recognize those steps and give customers a way to know they’re supporting a carbon-conscious business.”

The Carbon Conscious Business Accreditation works on ranking system similar to a Michelin guide, with businesses receiving one star if they demonstrate they have cut carbon emissions by 15%. To earn a second star, business need to show they have cut their emissions by 65%, according to Muspratt, and cutting emissions by 90% is good for three stars, the highest rating available.

Businesses can work with CET to build a “comprehensive decarbonization roadmap” on how they can achieve such goals.

“When we put together the road map, we sum the total potential emissions reductions, and then the number of stars they get depends on the extent of the actions that they take,” Muspratt said. “We know that most are not going to be able to have the time or money to do everything all at once, so Bombyx is typical that they kind of did these first initial measures.”

Bombyx, which received one star in the program, was accorded the accreditation for its food waste separation program, as well as for insulating pipes and building interiors. Bombyx Executive Director Cassandra Holden said the nonprofit community and arts performance center at the Florence Congregational Church building has been working with CET since opening in 2021.

“As Bombyx is a historic property, it’s really important for us to be thinking about how we’re managing resources as we renovate and move into the 21st century,” Holden said. “We’re looking at what choices we make that continue to make the property sustainable for the next 160 years.”

Holden also said the center was planning additional insulation work and replacing kitchen appliances with more energy-efficient ones, as well as installing a heat pump in the center’s basement.

“We’re doing these gradual mitigation projects, so that every year we’re hoping to reduce our footprint just a little bit more,” Holden said.

Muspratt said other businesses across western Massachusetts are queued up to receive accreditation in the coming weeks, and there are plans to expand such accreditation across the commonwealth in the future.

“One of the things that is unique about the Carbon Conscious Business Accreditation is that there are other accreditations out there, but they tend to be industry specific,” Muspratt said. “We really tried to design something that’s universally applicable.”

Founded in 1976, CET works to reduce carbon emissions by working with homeowners and businesses to reduce waste and improve energy efficiency.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.