Sustainable Quality Award Winners
Presented in alphabetical order. Click on a letter below for a listing of winners.
Grand Prize, 2019; Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment, 2017
Operating since 1989, Back on the Beach (BOTB) offers meals featuring local and seasonal cuisine with breathtaking views of ocean, mountain, pier, and Catalina Island. Sustainability is featured prominently in their mission statement. They have been a foodservice leader in eliminating all plastics from food to-go-ware products as per Santa Monica's revised Disposable Food Service Ware ordinance. Back on the Beach offers indoor & outdoor dining along with catering services and event planning.
Social Responsibility - They offer employee health insurance at half cost, in addition to sick pay. BOTB provides employment opportunities for local students during the summer peak season. They celebrate staff birthdays and other special occasions, and sponsor employee fundraising efforts for charities. Free shift meals and discounts to family / friends are Back on the Beach policy. Owners demonstrate above and beyond commitment to Santa Monica by donating food to community events, giving financially and assisting as needed.
Economic Development highlights include offering a “Meatless Monday” meal special, participating in Santa Monica’s Meatless in March campaign, and being an active Buy Local Santa Monica member.
Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment, 2017
Beautycounter’s mission is simply to get safer products into the hands of everyone. They demonstrate their commitment to go beyond what is required by U.S. law by banning the use of more than 1,500 harmful chemicals through their "Never List”—while ensuring their products perform as any other luxe shampoo, lipstick, or oil in the market.
Beautycounter offsets both energy and water consumption through Renewable Energy Certificates and Water Restoration Certificates. In 2015, they offset 100% of their energy consumption and 120% of their water footprint. Beyond that, Beautycounter increased their energy efficiency by switching to LED lighting facility wide. As a certified B Corporation, they work with suppliers to improve packaging materials and perform a Life Cycle Assessment for all our packaging options, using the LCA software COMPASS.
Excellence in Economic Development, 2019
Bezian Bakery has been specializing in sourdough breads for 53 years. Their unique nutritious breads are aged with slow fermentation up to thirty days before they are sold - exclusively at Farmers Markets. They have been a highly acclaimed SMFM vendor for 25 years (since 1994) winning MOST LOVED SANTA MONICA FARMERS MARKET PREPARED FOOD VENDOR for the last 5 years since the contest began - a title holder!
Their mission goes beyond just baking bread - and includes core values “to learn and teach about living a healthier and longer life through nutrition education and supporting local farmers and agriculture”. Jack Bezian’s commitment to consumer education is above and beyond. Bezian Bakery contributes to the the local Santa Monica economy by buying local, donating bread to numerous charities and community events, and keeping their prices low.
Excellence in Social Responsibility, 2014
Bike and Park Santa Monica’s mission is to inspire people to ride bicycles for the benefit of one’s health, spirit, and planet. They set themselves apart from competitors by offering product diversity, such as unique bicycle models and accessory products. They focus on providing customer service beyond their direct business operations. Bike and Park has a profit-sharing policy in place for all staff members. On high grossing days, like busy weekends and holidays, employees are paid an increased hourly amount.
Binder Minardos Builders
Special Recognition, 1996
No additional information at this time
Grand Prize Winner, 2020
Bird is a clean energy, micro-mobility company, managing fleets of shared electric vehicles in 100 cities across the globe. Its mission is to make cities more livable and reduce the number of cars from the road by providing communities with clean, affordable, and fun, non-vehicular transportation options. Bird is committed to improving the local environment from their core mission down to their facility operations. Some of their most notable Santa Monica Green Certified Business accomplishments (prior to COVID) include instilling a reusable cup program (for hot & cold beverages) facility wide for over 500 employees and introducing “Less-Meat Monday” menu specials into their in-house cafeteria. Bird is doing a good job at staying competitive, by being innovative, remaining flexible and forward thinking with its business model. They value innovation, data, and partnership. Bird offers a variety of employment opportunities - including some entry-level positions to expand opportunities. Bird organized a Earth Day Rider Pledge, allowing riders to donate a portion of their ride to environmentally-focused organizations across the United States. They purchase carbon offsets and offer employees $1000 a month in Bird credit as an incentive to ditch their cars. For employee work/life balance they offer pet insurance, unlimited vacation, paternity leave, assistance for new parents, work remote options and legal insurance, a wellness stipend, among others. They do an annual survey to solicit feedback from employees rather than simply saying they have an open door policy. Bird provides annual cash donations to charities like OPCC and Westside Food Bank in addition to daily edible food donations. They organized a clothing drive with Safe Place for Youth.
Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment and Economic Development, 2009
Blair Graphics has been offering printing and digital services for over fifty years in Santa Monica. They demonstrate excellent Sustainable Economic Development by keeping up with innovative printing and graphic design services. Blair Graphics took an aggressive role in responding to customer needs by initiating a 'Green Program'. This service works with clients on identifying sustainable solutions for their presentation and marketing materials such as printing on both sides of posters and making scratch pads out of draft printed paper. They were amongst the first printers in Los Angeles to invest in new large Format Color Toner Based equipment to enable good quality prints on recycled content paper. Blair Graphics is a participant in Sustainable Works Business Greening Program.
Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment, 2008
The Border Grill, featuring authentic Mexican cuisine, is a women-owned restaurant of celebrity chefs, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. Their environmental stewardship includes purchasing only locally grown ingredients, including certified organic rice, beans and avocados and fair-trade coffee. In efforts to reduce the use of plastic bottles, they purchased a water purification system that provides chilled sparkling and still water and serve in reusable glass bottles and / or jugs.
Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment, 2008
Jesse Bornstein Architecture has been a leader in environmental design since 1989. Their "Green on 19" project in Santa Monica is the first market-rate multi-family green-build project on the Westside of Los Angeles. They strive to make all their projects as environmentally sound as possible. More than 60% of construction and demolition waste generated by their projects is diverted from landfill through recycling and reuse of materials. Their office landscaping demonstrates drought-tolerant xeriscaping, including a mixture of native species that resist pest infestation.
Bravo Cucina and Pizzeria
Excellence Awards in Stewardship of the Natural Environmental, 2004
Excellence Awards in Stewardship of the Natural Environmental, 2012
Bridgid Coulter Design (BCD) is a residential and commercial interior design firm specializing in full service residential, boutique hospitality and interior design consultation. Sustainable practices are implemented in their design projects as well as the studio in which they work. Contractors salvage materials from demolitions to reuse in other projects. For example, the company repurposed a concrete driveway, cutting the slab into stepping stones throughout the project, eliminating almost 50 concrete pads from being hauled. In addition, BCD donates or repurposes any unused furniture for charity projects. For furniture and shipping deliveries, they hire local companies to wrap items in reusable blankets and eliminate the use of disposable packaging. In their own office, BCD procures all sustainable products from 100% post-consumer recycled copy paper to ZERO VOC paints on their walls. Bridgid Coulter Design’s mission states; “We believe great design enhances the health, mood and wellbeing of all who experience it and will innovate and adjust at every opportunity to create designs that inspire conversation, demand reflection, bring delight and respect the planet.
Excellence in Stewardship of the Natural Environment, 2013
Bru's Wiffle is a cozy, Waffle Joint where everything is made from scratch, using only the freshest and finest ingredients. Bru's Wiffle practices zero waste by composting food scraps, reusing empty cleaning chemical containers and recycling used cooking oil for SMMUSD buses. They participated in Sustainable Works' Business Greening Program and achieved Green Business Certification in 2011. A member of the Buy Local Santa Monica campaign, Bru's Wiffle donates to the Santa Monica Fire Department, local schools and charities.
Excellence in Social Responsibility, 2014
SQA Grand Prize, 2009
Bryan Cave LLP, employing 135 people in their Santa Monica office for 25 years, is a full service international law firm. For seven years they have been voted one of the “Best Places to Work in LA” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. They provide many family friendly policies such as paid parental leave with same privileges for domestic partners. They host an annual Staff Appreciation Week. They give back to the community by donating to many charitable causes and events.
Bubble Beach Laundromat
Excellence Awards in Economic Development and Environmental Stewardship, 2005
This creative business offers "Wash and Walk Service" where customers was and they do the drying and folding; this innovative service supports the local economy by allowing time to shop on Main Street. They are also a head of the game for selling eco-friendly detergents - even in bulk!
Excellence in Social Responsibility, 2009
Business.com is the leading business search engine, directory and pay-per-click advertising network, targeting over 40 million online business buyers. Business.com demonstrates excellent social responsibility by having an open-door policy among all management, offering excellent employee benefits including but not limited to tuition assistance up to $1k/ year, referral services for family assistance programs and Lunch N' Learn opportunities ranging from "How to be greener at home and in the office", to "First-time homebuyers' workshops". Leftover foods are donated weekly to Santa Monica West Side Food Bank. The company pioneered an employee 'Green Team' in 2006, consisting of roughly a dozen employees with a mission to introduce and sustain efficient business operations in order to obtain Santa Monica Green Business Certification (www.smgbc.org).
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