Sustainability Alliance Update
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
Three More Organizations Certified; Another wins award
Cottonwood Business Assistance Center (Bronze)—The Cottonwood Business Assistance Center, which supports local entrepreneurs, earned Bronze. They got rid of single-use water bottles and instead provide pitchers of filtered water and glasses. Reducing miles traveled is an important way they can be more efficient and also lighter on the planet. Casey Rooney, president of the Cottonwood Economic Development Council said, “As a business assistance center, we have many meetings per week with multiple numbers of people in attendance. Often times we use conference calls (technology) as a means of attending a meeting. I am also required to attend meetings in Phoenix. I can attend many of these meetings via teleconference saving a 200-mile round trip drive.”
Tlaquepaque (Bronze): Tlaquepaque sends their recycling to Sedona Recycles, the operation with one of the best recovery rates in the Verde Valley. Their tenants have recycling bins, and staff goes through the public trash cans to pull out what should be recycled. Jared Hawley who manages the facilities said, “All of our seasonal plant material is recycled into mulch for the trees. We mulched the newly planted mulberries in wood chips from trimming our own existing trees.” They following Integrated Pest Management practices, using the most benign methods first. Jared said, “One of the more common issues we deal with is powdery mildew. The most effective way I deal with it is by spraying with a simple mixture of dish soap and baking soda.”
Spirit Winds Farm and Store (Bronze): Spirit Winds is both a farm and a store in The Collective. They source products, mostly from tribal areas within 50 miles. Selling indigenous food products promotes economic development for the tribes. To be more sustainable at the store, they have Energy Star appliances and LED lighting. Their own farm is biodynamic, which means among other things they use natural methods to control pests. They compost 100 percent of organic materials which then return nutrients to the ground. Joseph DeNardo and his wife, Ann, are working on replacing plastic pots with soil blocks.
Clear Creek Winery, one of our certified businesses, has been awarded a Small Business Development Center award, in part because of the recognition they got from our certification.
DONATE TO OUR EFFORTS: Like what we’re doing? Our work is all volunteer but we have expenses to cover. Click to donate here and be sure to specify your donation is for the Sustainability Alliance.
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY
Celebrate Earth Day
Earth Day weekend is April 20-22, 2018. The Sustainability Alliance had collected a wide range of fun, educational events in the region.
Community events
Sustainable home tours
Workshops/Presentations/Demonstrations
Special offers/discounts (eg, special menu, discount off sustainability-related products/services)
Volunteer opportunities
Go to VVEarthDay.com to find events near you!
You can also use this link to post something you’d like to offer. Perhaps you know how to build a worm bin or want to show off your permaculture garden or provide a discount on your natural soaps. Be part of the celebration!
Learn how to improve your brain health. Healthy World Sedona is hosting the Healthy Brain Community Forum on April 9 in Sedona. Learn about the latest research in the prevention and treatment of degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Stroke and Parkinson’s Disease. The forum is a collaboration between Healthy World Sedona, a local non-profit organization, and Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, co-founders of the Healthy Minds Initiative. Click for more info.
SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION
SUSTAINABILITY IN SCHOOLS SYMPOSIUM
Our third annual teachers conference is planned for June 11, 2018 at Verde Valley School. We have two award-winning teachers coming to speak: a kindergarten teacher that taught her students how to create a worm bin and then the kindergarteners taught the rest of the elementary school. Another teacher helped high school students create an aquaculture business. Click this link for the full schedule.
Don’t wait to register. Last year, we sold out.
The Sustainability Alliance is an inter-disciplinary coalition of non-profits seeking opportunities to make the Verde Valley a model of sustainability.
– Darcy Hitchcock,
Co-Founder, Sustainability Alliance