It’s only natural that an organization that helped the Santa Barbara County Green Business Program gain a foothold in Santa Maria earned its own green certification to post in the window.
After five years of introducing businesses to the greening process, the Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce recently became Green Business Certified, and will be honored at a Feb. 5 luncheon at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott in Buellton.
“They have been a big supporter of this effort since the beginning, and it’s really great that they’re willing to sort of walk the walk,” said Frances Gilliland, program director of the Green Business Program.
The program has about 2,000 partners that put money into the budget so its business greening services can be offered for free. Gilliland describes it as a public-private partnership, with folks from both the public and private sectors chipping in.
She said one of the great things about the organization is that it can help a business save money by cutting electricity and water bills. For instance, the Chamber of Commerce put in a low-flow toilet, which will immediately lower water costs.
Not only will it help the chamber’s bottom line, but that toilet also pulls less water out of the community water pot.
“We’re talking about precious resources here. You know we’re in the middle of a drought,” Gilliland said.
More than 80 businesses have been green certified by the program since it started. Woody’s Butcher Block will be honored as Green Business Certified at the Feb. 5 luncheon as well.
The process entails more than replacing toilets and cutting down on electricity usage, though. The chamber called the requirements stringent in a recent press release.
It involves promoting alternative modes of transportation for employees, buying recycled and environmentally safe products, replacing all water fixtures for water conservation, upgrading energy fixtures, and installing motion sensitive devices, among other steps designed to promote sustainability.
“This shows that we lead by example,” Bob Hatch, the chamber’s president and chief executive officer, said in the press release. “We want all businesses to become more energy efficient and focused on sustainability.”
For more details on the Santa Barbara County Green Business Program, visit greenbizsbc.org.
This article appears in Jan 16-23, 2014.
