On Feb. 21, the City of Redmond, Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce, Waste Management and Eastside Sustainable Business Alliance (ESBA) will sponsor a brown bag workshop and training session for businesses and nonprofit organizations.

The free workshop will provide tools for cost-effective, resource-efficient business practices and is the launch of the Eastside Green Business Challenge (EGBC), a friendly competition among businesses, nonprofits and seven Eastside cities to see who can save the most money and natural resources in 2012.

The workshop will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Sammamish Room of the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) Resource Center, 16250 N.E. 74th St. in Redmond. There will be a panel moderated by Dr. Karl Ostrom, co-director of the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS), and will feature local perspectives from several business sectors and a brief case study. An EGBC overview and scorecard training by program administrator Paul Andersson will follow. Informational resource tables will also be available after the formal program. Workshop components will include energy, waste, transportation, water, employees and community.

To register for this free event, email Andersson at PAndersson@BellevueWA.gov. Walk-ins are welcome, but RSVPs are appreciated. For other questions, contact Tom Hinman, ESBA’s Redmond coordinator at tom@thinmanassoc.com.