Green Business Program Gets Backing of City Council

The Los Angeles City Council approved moving forward with the Los Angeles Certified Green Business program, granting a contract to the Los Angeles Community College District to administer the initiative, according to Councilmember Richard Alarcón. “This gives us the opportunity to close the loop and show the profitability of being green,” said Alarcón in a telephone interview. The L.A. City Council chose the Community College District through a competitive bid process. Details of the contract are still being worked out. The program will provide certification to companies that meet standards of environmental sustainability related to recycling, water conservation, reduced electrical usage and providing programs that encourage employees to participate in environmental stewardship. The L.A. initiative is based on the Bay Area Green Business program. Businesses that are certified will receive a “certified green business” seal, may promote themselves as “certified green businesses” and can be listed on a Los Angeles City website. Initially, the Community College District’s effort will involve three business sectors including auto repair, restaurants and office-retail. A lodging/hotels category will be administered by LA, Inc, through the nonprofit Green Seal. A $150,000 grant from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will help the program develop standards, enabling certifications of green businesses to begin in about six months, said the Community College District. Workshops for interested businesses will begin in March. There will be no charge for the workshops or, in the first year of the program, for the certification process. “Not only do we have the benefit of the Community College District administering the program, but they also have the capacity to build more green educational programs,” said Alarcón. The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites is one company that has already initiated changes similar to the ones proposed in the Los Angeles Certified Green Business initiative. The company expects to save about $250,000 a year because it incorporated green practices such as composting food waste and installing energy efficient lighting. Green Seal and L.A.’s Environmental Affairs Department shepherded many of the changes at Westin Bonaventure. Alarcón said 73 businesses in the greater Los Angeles area have already expressed interest in being certified, and about 10 of those businesses are based in the San Fernando Valley.