One of the themes that has emerged over the past several years among Sedona residents is finding the balance between the community’s continued economic health, driven largely by tourism revenues, and the attributes that brought so many citizens to Sedona: its natural beauty and livability. One of the Sedona City Council’s newer priorities is the concept of “sustainable tourism.”

Sustainability in Sedona is not just about preserving our stunning natural landscapes for residents and visitors alike. It’s also about creating a vibrant and ‘green’ economy that provides meaningful jobs paying a living wage. And, it involves fostering a thriving community that offers our residents a high quality of life.

Sustainability involves making decisions such that the economy, community and environment all get better, not trading one against another. The Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau is proud to be certified as a Sustainable Business at the Bronze/Conservationist level by the Sustainability Alliance.

Sustainable business

Over the last 10-15 years, the number of businesses pursuing sustainability as a strategic initiative has mushroomed. It helps them:

• Save money through eco-efficiencies (conserving water and energy, reducing waste)
• Attract and retain talented employees (especially the Millennials)
• Spur innovation (creating new products or services)
• Reduce risks and associated expenses (like health and safety, insurance)
• Differentiate their business from competitors (benefiting from the ‘first mover advantage.’)
• If you are not certified, read more here to see how you too can be sustainable.

Chamber Supports Sustainability

The SCC&TB regularly develops new initiatives and supports ongoing programs that contribute to the longevity and character of our beautiful city, its residents and business community. Read more.

Non-Profits related to sustainability

Following is just a partial list of area non-profits that support sustainability work:

• Friends of the Forest Sedona – dedicated to assisting the U.S. Forest Service in maintaining, protecting and restoring the scenic beauty and natural and cultural resources of forest lands for the enjoyment and use of present and future generations.
• Gardens for Humanity — uses gardens and art as a basis of environmental education and food security.
• Healthy World Sedona – support a healthy, humane and sustainable community and world by promoting plant-based nutrition.
• Keep Sedona Beautiful — manages litter lifters, advises on land use policies, led the Dark Sky certification, offers an annual Native Plant workshop and presents awards to leading businesses.
• Oak Creek Watershed —focused on watershed stewardship and preserving the integrity of Oak Creek.
• Sedona Recycles — provides high quality recycling services for a wide array of materials and provides environmental education to the community and schools.
• Sustainability Alliance — coalition of non-profits working across disciplines to identify major opportunities to move toward sustainability including a business certification.
• Friends of the Verde River (Friends) works to ensure a healthy, flowing Verde River and tributaries that support our unique environment, vibrant economy, and quality of life for future generations. We collaborate with many partners to restore habitat, sustain flows, and promote community stewardship to for a healthy Verde River system.

Education for sustainability

Many schools are implementing elements of sustainability into their curriculum. Verde Valley School is becoming a model.

• Verde Valley School — In addition to offering a sustainability-focused “International Baccalaureate plus Dirt” education for high school students from around the world, VVS hopes to become a food hub to help feed our hungry.
• Yavapai College — Has worked to make its campuses more sustainable (including couple LEED-certified buildings) and is spearheading education on low-water wineries at its Southwest Wine Center. In addition, they offer affordable lifelong learning programs through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Sedona (OLLI).