TUCSON, Ariz. - A new program in southern Arizona is helping local businesses implement an array of cost cutting strategies.
The program, which is called the Green Business Alliance, was started by Local First Arizona.
“We started it to make a more resilient southern Arizona, and a more sustainable one," said Michael Peel, the statewide sustainability director with Local First Arizona and the Local First Arizona Foundation.
Within the Green Business Alliance there are three subset groups. The first is the Green Leaders, which "is a certification program that provides local and non-local businesses with an entry point to learn about, evaluate and adopt cost-saving sustainability practices through an easy-to-use checklist," according to the Green Business Leaders website.
The second subset is Scale Up, which is a "seven-week workshop series on sustainable project planning offered through Local First Arizona," according to the site.
Finally, the third subset is Tucson 2030 District, which "is part of a North American network of 22 cities whose vision is to establish high-performance building districts and unite communities to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Commercial, institutional or multi-family building owners that would like to participate pledge to reach a 50% reduction in energy, water, and transportation-related emissions by 2030," according to the website.
Through these programs, locally owned businesses in Tucson can save money in different ways they operate their business.
“Energy efficiency, water conservation, transportation reductions and strategies in the workplace as well to increase sustainability and reduce the carbon footprint," said Peel.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Peel said lots of businesses are struggling to make ends meet, and getting involved in the Green Business Alliance could help some save money in the long run.
“We’ve been able to help businesses realize significant monthly savings with all their energy bills, their water bills, their gas bills," said Peel.
If you'd like more information on the Green Business Alliance, click here.
