Santa Monica Prizes Sustainable Ventures

By Ann K. Williams
Staff Writer

April 4 -- Equity, economics and the environment – these are “three legs of the tripod of sustainability” the City and the Chamber of Commerce say they’ll recognize when they award the 11th annual Sustainable Quality Awards to deserving local enterprises on May 2.

Businesses and organizations that have shown excellence in economic development, social responsibility and stewardship of the natural environment will be honored at a luncheon at the Le Merigot Hotel, where they’ll be treated to a keynote address by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, Inc.

Chouinard is the author of “Let My People Go Surfing,” a book about the rock-climbing equipment mail-order business he started in the late 1950s and developed into a $240 million a year concern, setting standards for social responsibility and having fun at the same time.

Like Patagonia, the competing local enterprises exemplify a variety of strengths, all necessary “pillars of sustainability,” according to Shannon Parry, Environmental Programs Analyst with Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Program.

"Versatile, dynamic, responsive and profitable businesses are required as the driving force for sustainable communities,” said Kathy Dodson, president and CEO of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.

And, judging from the list of finalists for the awards, Santa Monica has a wide array of model ventures from which to choose.

They represent the gamut of entrepreneurial possibility, from the UnUrban Cafe to the RAND Corporation from Allen’s Janitorial Supply to the Waldorf Early Childhood Center.

“You get a really wide range of businesses applying,” Dodson said, adding that the awards for sustainability are unique.

“Other cities look to these awards as a model,” she said.

Past winners have included the Santa Monica/UCLA Medical Center, noted for its model medical waste recycling program and employee benefits packages, and the Library Alehouse, which was recognized for combining excellent business practices with outstanding environmental stewardship, according to Dodson.

This year’s finalists will be judged on April 12, when representatives from the community, local businesses and the City will evaluate the contestants’ in-depth applications.

Organizations that show outstanding achievement in any one of the three areas being judged will receive “excellence awards,” Parry said, while those that succeed across the board will receive the “grand awards.”

Winners will be chosen from:

• Allen Janitorial Supply
• The Ambrose Hotel
• Boys and Girls Club
• California Recycles
• EDSA
• Euphoria Café
• Koning Eizenberg Architecture
• Patagonia
• RAND Corp.
• UnUrban Coffeehouse and
• Waldorf Early Childhood Center

They will be honored at the Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on May 2 and at the Santa Monica Festival on May 13. The Sustainable Quality Awards Luncheon will be held on May 2 from 11:30am to 1 pm at the Le Merigot Hotel in Santa Monica, CA. Tickets can be purchased at www.smchamber.com/events.