Green Business: Inspired Giving for Our Shared Prosperity

May 2, 2018 9:25 AM
by Andrew Basmajian

LAcarGUY Santa Monica Employee and family beach clean up.

The Santa Monica business community has a long history of giving back, generously and creatively. For the last quarter century, the City of Santa Monica has worked with the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and Sustainable Works to channel that desire to give, in order to build a sustainable city. When Patagonia Santa Monica recently hosted a panel of young environmental activists as part of the launch of the company’s online Patagonia Action Works (a platform for networking locals with environmental groups), another business-led sustainable community building tool sprang to life.

This type of giving is defined by policy makers as sustainable economic development: going beyond green, or the stewardship of the natural environment, to include social responsibility and the bottom line. What’s more, most of our business community, including those involved in the Buy Local campaign, the Green Business Program and those awarded a Sustainable Quality Award, do not see it simply as giving back, but also as a way of doing business. Like the Albright on the Santa Monica Pier, Bareburger on Main Street, Santa Monica Place or Apogee Electronics. These business leaders wouldn’t have it any other way. Sustainability is baked into their mission and culture.

Santa Monica Place/Macerich Employee event for the Special Olympics (Photo credit: Mathew Tucciarone)

What are some of the ways sustainable businesses give back? They invest in their employees with work-life amenities, training, and growth opportunities. Some offer summer jobs and internships to mentor the next generation. They partner with charities and get involved in local volunteer efforts. They look at policies to promote locally produced goods, they reduce energy and water consumption and recycle everything in between.

The challenge is how to incrementally build connections in a way that all our businesses have a chance to contribute beyond the bottom line. Also, how do we get our residents to choose our businesses first, among all the alternatives? When we succeed, we all benefit and the community becomes more resilient, successful and prosperous.

Authored By

Andrew Basmajian
Sustainable Outreach Coordinator