Locals recently broadened their horizons on the intersection between business and environmental sustainability, taking part in the "All Shades of Green" mixer event at the HGA Architects and Engineers building December 5.
Throughout the two-hour get-together, multiple city officials and HGA representatives provided pointers on how businesses can get involved in eco-friendly activities. One of the guest speakers was Santa Monica Assistant City Manager Susan Cline, who walked local business owners through the processes of safe recycling and water habits, including several rebates and free offerings on water-wise endeavors.
Rebates for landscaping are available for application on the City’s website, encompassing a variety of water-safe practices. The "Cash for Grass" rebate applies for businesses that remove lawn space and replace it with a low-water landscape, and is worth $3.50 per square foot up to $20,000. Converting sprinklers to drip in existing non-lawn areas like hedges and planters come with a $2 per square foot rebate up to $10,000. Rainwater harvesting, using rain barrels and cisterns to capture rainwater for landscape irrigation, can earn a rebate anywhere from $200 to $2,000.
Device rebates also apply for water conservation devices, such as commercial premium high-efficiency toilets, ultra-low water or zero water urinals, ice-making machines and dry vacuum pumps. The City is also able to be contacted for free conservation offerings like onsite water use consultation, shower heads and faucet aerators for bathroom and kitchen sinks.
Santa Monica Economic Development Manager Jennifer Taylor also spoke at the mixer, emphasizing the importance of "thinking local first during the holidays" through the Buy Local Santa Monica initiative. The campaign that began in 2010 encourages local buying to raise awareness about the "economic, environmental and community benefits" of purchasing from Santa Monica businesses.
Another collaboration between local government and business is the Santa Monica Green Business Certification Program. Under the guidelines of the California Green Business Network, the certification recognizes excellence in steps that businesses take to incorporate sustainable practices into operations. Signing up for the program as smgbc.org provides cost savings such as free consultations with sustainability experts, up to $1,000 in rebates for costs incurred to achieve a certification, accelerated priority enrollment in utility efficiency programs, and free tools in water conservation along with eco-preferred product samples.
Officials kept with the city’s "pillars of sustainability," those being environment, economy and equity; and asked businesses who met that criteria to be nominated for the 2024 Sustainable Quality Awards. Nominations can be submitted at smsqa.com and the annual SQA Grand Prize is given for combined efforts in the fields of Sustainable Economic Development, Social Responsibility and Stewardship of the Natural Environment. Awards are also given to businesses with "outstanding achievements" in each of those separate areas. Nominations, either for one’s own business or another’s, will be available through January 11, 2024.
Sustainability projects in the city aren’t just reserved for the economic end, as HGA Senior Sustainability Specialist Sierra Dennis walked the mixer through the architectural firm’s John Adams Middle School (JAMS) performing arts center project. The 35,000 square foot venue, shared by JAMS and Santa Monica College for performing arts and educational programming, was designed with the environment in mind. Specifically, the outdoor courtyard space was created due to the city’s temperate climate, creating a spot for both informal gathering and improvisational performance. The project earned several honors for HGA, including an AIAILA Design Merit Award in the educational realm.
