WHAT: The State of the City is held every January and will be hosted in 2012 by SGI-USA at the World Culture Center in Santa Monica. The Office of Sustainability and the Environment will host this year's breakfast reception and program that addresses concerns regarding the impact of the current global and state economic situation at a local level. 

WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 7:30am-10am
WHERE: SGI-USA World Culture Center, 525 Wilshire Santa Monica, Map
WHAT ELSE: For prices and to purchase tickets Register Here 

COST: $40 for Members, $50 for Non Members, $10 for Students (with ID), $10 for Seniors. Group Rates Available! For Discounted tickets, please call 310-393-9825 x14 

Green Living Workshops

                              

              

Contact Gina Garcia with any questions
Sustainable Works supports the City of Santa Monica Sustainable City Plan
Sustainable Works is a project of Community Partners

 

Santa Monica Green Business Certification Program 

The Green Business Certification Program is a voluntary program that encourages businesses to implement proactive actions that are good for their bottom line and the environment. The Santa Monica Green Business Certification Program is a collaboration between the City of Santa Monica, Sustainable Works, the Chamber of Commerce, the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Santa Monica College Small Business Development Center, to recognize businesses that meet the City of the Santa Monica's resource efficiency standards in the areas of Waste Reduction, Energy and Water Efficiency, Pollution Prevention, Sustainable Procurement, and Transportation Management. For details of the required and optional measures businesses must achieve, visit www.smgbc.org.   

Featured Green Business:  

Back on the Beach Café 

445 Pacific Coast Hwy

310.393.8282

www.backonthebeachcafe.com 

Nestled on a wide stretch of sandy beach, Back on the Beach Café offers meals featuring local and seasonal cuisine with breathtaking views of ocean, mountain, pier, and Catalina Island since opening its doors in 1989. Both indoor & outdoor seating is available, along with catering services and event planning. After a recent and extensive restaurant remodel in 2010, Back on the Beach Café re-opened its doors to a greener more efficient operation.    

Back on the Beach Café regularly sources certified USDA organic canned tomatoes, seasonal veggies and coffee. In 2011, they participated in SoCal Edison's FREE Direct Install program available to small medium sized businesses, and received FREE efficient lighting upgrades. They have an eco-procurement policy to give preference to post-consumer recycled content office and janitorial supplies such as business cards and tissue paper, and locally sourced products when feasible.  They stock the bottle box containers made from 100% plastic bottles and take-away paper containers that are made in the USA. Tables are set with reusable silverware, plates and placemats.

Their biggest green business successes is diverting over 70% of their waste from landfill via composting their food waste via the City of Santa Monica's Restaurant Food Waste program and recycling cans, plastic, glass, paper and cardboard. Additionally, they go the extra green mile by stocking Green Seal Certified Ecolab Oasis line of institutional cleaners.

Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. 

www.downtownsm.com 

Downtown Santa Monica Inc. (DTSM, Inc.) is a public-private management company that oversees Downtown Santa Monica and the world famous Third Street Promenade. Downtown Santa Monica is the area defined by Wilshire Boulevard on the north, Broadway on the south, Ocean Avenue on the west, and Seventh Street on the east. The Central Business District is a larger area defined by Wilshire Boulevard, Colorado and Ocean Avenues and Seventh Street.   

DTSM, Inc. oversees the day-to-day operations in Downtown Santa Monica on behalf of the City of Santa Monica, to promote economic stability, growth and community life within Downtown Santa Monica through responsible planning, development, management and coordination of programs, projects and services designed to benefit the community as a whole; which includes Downtown businesses, property owners, residents and visitors, Ambassadors and Enhanced Maintenance programs, management of capital improvements, marketing, events, film shoots and special projects. 

Downtown Santa Monica, Inc's mission includes promoting and incorporating sustainability - economic stability, growth and community life -within Downtown Santa Monica. In line with their mission - they practice what they preach - by integrating sustainable practices into their own business operations. Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. provides only reusable glasses, mugs, silverware and plates for meetings in-house. Water refills are provided by an onsite filtration system- eliminating delivery or purchase of bottled water. They exclusively stock non-toxic green cleaning products purchased from their office supply company or local stores- including automatic dishwashing detergent and Gojo Green Seal Certified Foam Hand Cleaner. Eco-procurement policies list giving preference to supplies containing minimum 30% post-consumer recycled content and refillable pens. As a public-private management company in line with the City of Santa Monica's Sustainable City Plan, they promote and try to encourage downtown businesses to engage in city programs, such as,  Green Business Certification via their e-newsletters.

For more information on the Green Business Certification Program and a full list of certified businesses visit www.smgbc.org.

Solar Santa Monica is now an information hub for the Energy Upgrade California program. EUC is offering up to $8,000 for Santa Monica homeowners who make qualified energy efficiency upgrades through a Participating Contractor. 

Want to know what a typical experience through the EUC program is like?  Watch testimonial videos and read through example home assessments at solarsantamonica.com/energyupgrade/

Green Garden Academy 2012

WHAT: Learn about the City of Santa Monica's sustainable landscape design program, Green Garden Academy. The class covers the basic principles of sustainable landscaping, local landscape and irrigation requirements, rebates, and grant programs. Green Garden Academy meets monthly with different topics.

WHEN: Saturday January 21 2011, 10:30am-1:30pm

WHERE: Multipurpose Room at the Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Map 

WHAT ELSE: For more information and 2012's monthly class schedule, visit www.sustainablesm.org/landscape or call 310-458-8972                    

Green Rebates

SLOLA 

Garden Sharing - A Winning Partnership   

Green Business Networking

WHAT: On the second Tuesday of every month, you're invited to the only pure networking event for owners and decision-makers of LA's green businesses. Delicious organic snacks, wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available. 

WHEN: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 6pm-9pm

WHERE: TBD

COST: Space permitting, the door charge on the day of the GBN  is $15. You may secure your spots at a discounted contribution of $10 when you pre-pay online no later than December, 10th

WHAT ELSE: For further event information, please contacts us at  greenbusinessnetworking@gmail.com. 

AND: Did you know GBN events are also recycling collection points? Bring your old batteries, cell phones, clean, dry and empty plastic shopping bags, dry cleaning bags and newspaper wrappers, and we will properly dispose of them for you!