These are the rules every article, guide and data page on The Green Industry Report follows. They apply to staff work and to work done with AI tools in the same way.
Primary sources for every number
A number appears on the site only if we can link it to a primary source: a government agency, a statute or administrative rule, a licensing agency record, a trade association’s own report, a manufacturer’s spec sheet or published price list, a peer-reviewed study, or, for software, the vendor’s own pricing or feature page.
Cost-guide websites, home-improvement marketplaces and vendor blogs can point us toward a source. They are never the source we cite. If a figure can’t be traced to a primary source, we cut it.
Each statistic links inline to its source and names the data period, such as “BLS OEWS, May 2025”. Each article ends with a numbered source list.
We describe what we actually did
We don’t claim testing, site visits or first-hand experience, because our work is research, not fieldwork. Pages say what was done: “we compiled published prices from”, “we analyzed BLS wage data”, “we read the state’s licensing statute”.
We use “licensed”, “verified”, “certified” and “insured” only when the page says exactly what was checked, against which record, and on what date.
Estimates are labelled as estimates
We don’t have our own job-invoice data. Cost ranges are built from cited inputs (material prices, manufacturer coverage rates, BLS wages, permit fee schedules), the arithmetic is shown on the page, and the range is labelled as an estimate with its assumptions. Our methodology explains how.
Legal, tax, safety and pesticide topics
Pages about licensing, contracts, employment law, taxes, equipment safety or pesticide use are general information. They carry a notice saying so and link to the agency that sets the rule, so readers can confirm the current requirement before acting.
Nothing on this site is legal, tax, safety or financial advice. Rules change and vary by state and city; confirm with the agency linked on the page.
Independence from money
- Sponsors, advertisers and employers who post jobs don’t see, review or approve editorial content before or after publication.
- Editorial coverage, including software coverage, is not paid for. We don’t sell rankings in comparisons, mentions, or links inside articles.
- Paid content carries a visible “Sponsored” label, and its links carry
rel="sponsored". - A future paid “Featured” directory placement will be labelled and will never change a business’s license data or its place in the editorial order.
Every revenue line is listed on how we make money.
No invented credibility
We don’t publish testimonials, reader or subscriber counts, awards, partner logos or “as featured in” claims. Bylines are a single team byline, The Green Industry Report Editorial Team, with no named staff, headshots or credentials.
Honest dates
A page shows a Published date and, when its content actually changes, an Updated date. We don’t refresh dates to make a page look current. Data dates (the period a statistic describes) appear in the text next to the number.
Links
We link out to primary sources so readers can check our work. We don’t sell links, and we don’t link to competitors’ articles except where one is the primary source of a fact, such as a software vendor’s own pricing page.
AI tools
AI tools assist with finding and reading sources, drafting and checking. Every number is traced to its primary source and checked against it before publication. The full policy is on our AI use page.
Mistakes
Report errors to editorial@greenindustryreport.com. We aim to review reports within five business days and note corrections at the end of the page, with a date. See the corrections policy.