Sustainability Equals an Increase in Profits: Accelerating Revenue Generation for Businesses in Santa Monica
City of Santa Monica joins the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Santa Monica College (SMC) to ramp up the growing demand from consumers for transparency in validating local businesses as leaders in environmentally-friendly business practices.
Santa Monica, CA, April 25, 2012 --(PR.com)-- On May 2nd, 2012, Santa Monica College’s Small Business Development Center will launch a partnering platform fostering the integration of environmentally-friendly business operations, promoting sound business practices, and cost-effective strategies that lead to increased profit generation around modeling sustainability. The combined forces joining this expansion venture are evoking and inspiring businesses in the local community to leverage green business certification opportunities.
Studies on business growth, demonstrate that the green economy is growing ten times faster than the general economy. Today, 55% of consumers look for labeling that indicates whether a company or individual product exhibits environmental sensitivity. Currently, 20% of consumer’s endorse green businesses. This speaks volumes to more staggering statistics that show by 2015, 60% of consumers will buy from businesses that are certified as green.
Sustainability is not exclusive to the environment alone. It takes a finance expert, like Steve Sedlic, with a background in cultural and social anthropology, to reveal the bottom-line approach on sustainable entrepreneurship. As a Business Advisor, at Santa Monica College’s Small Business Development Center, Sedlic helps local community businesses evaluate their marketplace viability and resources available to implement sustainability as their business model. According to Sedlic, “Flourishing societies are created under the concept of sustainability where the economy, environment and culture are strengthened through joint efforts and patronage. These businesses deserve to be celebrated and recognized, since they are truly inspiring success stories of local businesses, doing the right thing, sourcing from conscious suppliers, and running their business to minimize environmental impact while giving back to the community.”
“Green practices define smarter business, where operational costs are leaner and profit margins are higher,” affirms Sedlic. Businesses experience incentives with cost savings through the green business program with learning effective methods for lowering utility bills and resource usage. The direct impact for businesses awarded green business certifications leads to an increase in company value and net revenue. Sedlic warns, “Businesses wishing to market and promote themselves as green face an increasingly skeptical consumer that looks for third party validation of improved environmentally-friendly operational efficiencies. That is why developing an expansion for green business certifications has been in the forefront of local city planning officials.” Certified green businesses are recognized as transparent in their policies and procedures of day-to-day operations. Essentially, these businesses protect the environment and public health, prevent pollution, improve the wellness and productivity of employees, and build a motivated community around the success of their company as a brand leader.
“These are lofty goals that we are undertaking, and we’re just getting started” states Sedlic enthusiastically. “Give your business some time and patience and you won’t believe the possibilities of what your business can accomplish.” Through collaboration with existing certifications from City of Santa Monica Sustainable Works and their Green Business Certification team, Sedlic has identified ways of making the green business certification simple for businesses. Due to the impact that this certification has for the overall health of Santa Monica’s constituency and business community, the first ease of accessing the green certification is that local businesses gain free assistance from start to finish. This includes rebate information, hands-on training from a team of sustainability experts, marketing assistance to help promote the business, and advertising the awarded validation logo of Santa Monica City’s and SBDC’s Green Business Certification decal.
The groundbreaking event on May 2nd will include presentations from Sustainable Works Green Business Certification founder and Director of Business Greening, Susy Borlido, as well as Founder of Sustain L.A, Leslie VanKeuren Campbell around the topic of “Greening Your Restaurant and Food Service Business,” at Santa Monica College’s Bundy Campus located at 3171 S. Bundy Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
For more information contact 310-434-3566 or visit www.smcsbdcgreen.org.
Santa Monica College, Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides individualized consulting and training to new and growing businesses. The Green Business Certification of the SBDC helps businesses integrate environmentally-friendly business operations in fostering sound and cost-effective sustainable business practices.
Studies on business growth, demonstrate that the green economy is growing ten times faster than the general economy. Today, 55% of consumers look for labeling that indicates whether a company or individual product exhibits environmental sensitivity. Currently, 20% of consumer’s endorse green businesses. This speaks volumes to more staggering statistics that show by 2015, 60% of consumers will buy from businesses that are certified as green.
Sustainability is not exclusive to the environment alone. It takes a finance expert, like Steve Sedlic, with a background in cultural and social anthropology, to reveal the bottom-line approach on sustainable entrepreneurship. As a Business Advisor, at Santa Monica College’s Small Business Development Center, Sedlic helps local community businesses evaluate their marketplace viability and resources available to implement sustainability as their business model. According to Sedlic, “Flourishing societies are created under the concept of sustainability where the economy, environment and culture are strengthened through joint efforts and patronage. These businesses deserve to be celebrated and recognized, since they are truly inspiring success stories of local businesses, doing the right thing, sourcing from conscious suppliers, and running their business to minimize environmental impact while giving back to the community.”
“Green practices define smarter business, where operational costs are leaner and profit margins are higher,” affirms Sedlic. Businesses experience incentives with cost savings through the green business program with learning effective methods for lowering utility bills and resource usage. The direct impact for businesses awarded green business certifications leads to an increase in company value and net revenue. Sedlic warns, “Businesses wishing to market and promote themselves as green face an increasingly skeptical consumer that looks for third party validation of improved environmentally-friendly operational efficiencies. That is why developing an expansion for green business certifications has been in the forefront of local city planning officials.” Certified green businesses are recognized as transparent in their policies and procedures of day-to-day operations. Essentially, these businesses protect the environment and public health, prevent pollution, improve the wellness and productivity of employees, and build a motivated community around the success of their company as a brand leader.
“These are lofty goals that we are undertaking, and we’re just getting started” states Sedlic enthusiastically. “Give your business some time and patience and you won’t believe the possibilities of what your business can accomplish.” Through collaboration with existing certifications from City of Santa Monica Sustainable Works and their Green Business Certification team, Sedlic has identified ways of making the green business certification simple for businesses. Due to the impact that this certification has for the overall health of Santa Monica’s constituency and business community, the first ease of accessing the green certification is that local businesses gain free assistance from start to finish. This includes rebate information, hands-on training from a team of sustainability experts, marketing assistance to help promote the business, and advertising the awarded validation logo of Santa Monica City’s and SBDC’s Green Business Certification decal.
The groundbreaking event on May 2nd will include presentations from Sustainable Works Green Business Certification founder and Director of Business Greening, Susy Borlido, as well as Founder of Sustain L.A, Leslie VanKeuren Campbell around the topic of “Greening Your Restaurant and Food Service Business,” at Santa Monica College’s Bundy Campus located at 3171 S. Bundy Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
For more information contact 310-434-3566 or visit www.smcsbdcgreen.org.
Santa Monica College, Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides individualized consulting and training to new and growing businesses. The Green Business Certification of the SBDC helps businesses integrate environmentally-friendly business operations in fostering sound and cost-effective sustainable business practices.
Contact
Small Business Development Center Santa Monica College
Monica Rayes
310-434-3566
www.smcsbdcgreen.org
Monica Rayes
310-434-3566
www.smcsbdcgreen.org
Contact
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Sustainability Equals an Increase in Profits: Accelerating Revenue Generation for Businesses in Santa Monica
City of Santa Monica joins the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Santa Monica College (SMC) to ramp up the growing demand from consumers for transparency in validating local businesses as leaders in environmentally-friendly business practices.
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