Local First Arizona expanding green business program to Mesa

PHOENIX — Local First Arizona and the City of Mesa are teaming up to promote sustainable business practices.

The organization and city announced the launch of Local First Arizona’s sustainability drive, called the Arizona Green Business Program, on Thursday. The program’s aim is to help local small businesses add sustainability into their companies.

The new program has a checklist of questions about a variety of sustainability topics, ranging from waste diversion to water conservation and pollution prevention.

From there, Local First Arizona performs a site visit to determine a company’s sustainability practices and a plan is implemented so the company can hit its goals.

Businesses enrolled in the program must reach a given number of goals to achieve certification, according to the release.

The organization’s drive toward sustainability in business is a net positive to Mesa councilmembers, like Francisco Heredia.

Heredia, who represents the third district, expressed confidence that the city and organization’s partnership is great news for the region as a whole.

“The positive impact to our environment is substantial and helping businesses maximize their efforts to go green will save them money and help them to stand out in the marketplace,” Heredia said in the press release.

“I look forward to many more Mesa businesses taking advantage of this program and earning their certification.”

The program has already been implemented by Local First Arizona in Tempe and Tucson.

“This program is a model of sustainability best practices due to significant collaboration and strong partnerships,” Mike Peel, Local First’s statewide sustainability director, said in the release.

“The involvement of local businesses is a proven strategy to create a stronger local economy with sustainability operations leading to larger cost-savings opportunities.”

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