By Daily Press staff
Do you clean with recycled cloths and print with soy ink? The City of Santa Monica and Chamber of Commerce announced this year’s winners of the Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA). The SQA program, an outreach effort of the Sustainable City Plan, is celebrating its 10th anniversary and honoring local organizations and businesses that make extraordinary contributions to our community. This year there are two grand prize SQA winners.
One grand prize winner is Heal the Bay's Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, a nonprofit organization that provides an educational experience for children, families and anyone interested in marine life. Through interactive exhibits and hands-on experiences with tidepool animals, visitors learn the importance of protecting and preventing pollution from entering Santa Monica Bay. Heal the Bay took over management of the aquarium in 2003 and has since served 21,000 students from Los Angeles County and beyond. Heal the Bay’s recycling efforts include: Staff and volunteers bringing in reusable mugs, handing out materials that are laminated and loaned to visitors, and using recycled and reusable cleaning cloths. Heal the Bay offers an excellent benefit package that includes matching employee contributions to an IRA. Heal the Bay encourages staff to contribute to the community by allowing them to volunteer for organizations during paid work hours.
The other grand prize winner is Urth Caffé. Established in 1989, Urth Caffé only
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 28, 2005. Read the original PDF.