Getting Ready for more FY22 Planning with Council
A VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE APPEARS IN THE RED ROCK NEWS
April 9, 2021
And NonProfits Gain Sustainability Certification. You can, too.
We meet with the City Council at the end of Earth Month to continue FY22 budget planning in support of executing the Sedona Sustainable Tourism Plan. It’s fitting we meet during Earth Month, as environmental sustainability is first among equals in the Plan, alongside quality of life for our residents, the visitor economy and the overall visitor experience.
Welcome Back, Jon!
Jon Thompson is back on Council, selected to replace the seat vacated by Bill Chisholm. Jon has served before, from 2014 to 2018, and was a sustainability champion – advocating for a City sustainability coordinator, pressing for sustainability as a Council priority, backing the sales tax that is helping pay for transportation improvements, and seeking City action to address affordable housing. I look forward to hearing Jon’s sustainability ideas for FY22.
If they Can Do it, You Can Do it
As Earth Month gets rolling, I want to share how a few of our ( more than 100) certified-sustainable businesses achieved that distinction from the Sustainability Alliance. There are many inspiring stories; and I randomly selected just a few from our nonprofit members.
Verde Valley School uses an anaerobic digester to turns organic waste into electricity and fertilizer. Their retrofit of campus buildings has already reduced propane use by 50 percent. The school reupholsters used furniture rather than throw it out, recycles scrap metal from their shop and saves evap cooler parts for reuse. The student-run garden grows much of the produce staff and students consume; what’s left is sold or donated. They also compost food waste and are developing a watering system that uses collected rainwater.
Healthy World Sedona hosts the annual VegFest. The 2020 event achieved 91% waste diversion, meeting the international standard for ‘zero waste.’ They did it by following Sustainability Alliance Zero Waste procedures and training cooks, staff and volunteers. Founders Don Fries and Bev Bow work out of their home, customized to be nearly net zero in energy consumption.
Sedona Community Food Bank reduces waste through a network of grocery stores and restaurants that donate surplus food and “ugly” fruits and veggies. The Food Bank shares excess resources with other food pantries and an animal sanctuary.
Nonprofits? More Like Force Multipliers
More than a dozen nonprofits joined in the inaugural Nonprofit Leadership Roundtable March 31. What a turnout! My aim is to find ways we can integrate resources, magnifying our sustainability impact. The excitement is palpable; we readily agree all of Sedona can benefit from unity in our nonprofit community.
Big Park Loop THANK YOU!
I want to close with a big thank you to the Sedonans and Sustainability Alliance staff who joined me for my April 7 Walk & Talk at Big Park Loop Trail. Stay tuned for news about our next hike together in May.
-Candace Carr Strauss,
President/CEO