Santa Cruz Harbor is Going Green

Announcement from the City of Santa Cruz:

As a partner in the Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program, the City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department recently awarded “Green Business” certificates to Save Our Shores and the Coastal Watershed Council. Both organizations are located at the Santa Cruz Harbor. The certifications were incentivized through a partnership with the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County’s “Go Green” program for nonprofit organizations.

Green Business certification means that Save Our Shores and the Coastal Watershed Council are in compliance with regulatory agencies and go beyond this to meet program criteria for conserving resources, preventing pollution and minimizing waste.

Save Our Shores created a complete environmental program for greening their space with policies that included asking employees to dress in warm clothes during the winter to keep heating to a minimum. The Coastal Watershed Council posted reminders around their workspace to help employees do the right thing including turning off lights when exiting a room.

Representatives for both organizations say that they could not have achieved their green certification without Santa Cruz Harbor support.

“Save Our Shores is proud to announce that we have been fortunate to work with our landlord, the Port District, to become a Green Business,” says Save Our Shores Executive Director Laura Kasa. “It would not have been possible without the cooperation of Harbor staff and our neighbors in this process.”

The City of Santa Cruz appreciates the efforts of other Harbor tenants Backcountry Medical Guides, Estriatus Law, the Crow’s Nest and O’Neill Sea Odyssey for continuing their Green Business certifications. Within the next year, these four Harbor businesses altogether

will be saving 13,190 kWh in energy and 1,145,523 lbs. of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. An additional 5,489 kWh and 4,319 lbs. of CO2 will be saved given the new Green Business certifications of Save Our Shores and the Coastal Watershed Council.

There are currently 127 businesses that have been awarded the “Green Business” certificate by the City of Santa Cruz as part of the Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program. These businesses strive to be environmentally responsible by reducing waste, conserving water and energy, and using less toxic alternatives to traditionally used chemicals. The program assists businesses to go above and beyond environmental compliance by providing free technical assistance on environmental stewardship, and then recognizes and promotes their efforts to the community.

To learn more about the Santa Cruz Green Business Program, please visit www.cityofsantacruz.com/greenbusiness or contact Green Business Coordinator Hannah Hodgson at (831) 212-5252.

About the City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department

The Public Works Department provides the City of Santa Cruz with a variety of services including engineering design, traffic engineering and maintenance, storm water management, street maintenance, resource recovery management, waste reduction programs, wastewater management, flood control and parking control. The Public Works Department is committed to bringing the Santa Cruz community the highest possible quality of life.