By Daily Press staff
Dozens of local restaurants will get a lesson in water usage and how to conserve it, as well as reduce waste.
Over the next nine months, “Sustainable Works,” a project of Community Partners and the City of Santa Monica, is currently offering free turn-key programs for 75 local restaurants and businesses in Santa Monica.
The programs are designed to save valuable resources by reducing water usage and diverting water through retrofit and recycling programs.
Called the “Santa Monica Direct Install program” it’s expected to save about 130 million gallons of water city wide over the next 25 years. Participating restaurants receive a free water usage assessment, a list of recommendations that they can implement and a wide array of free water-conserving devices with little or no cost to install. The restaurants can expect an annual savings of up to $300 in utility costs and $150 in water and wastewater costs.
The “Santa Monica Recycling and Food Scraps” program offers local restaurants free infrastructure and the services necessary to start a comprehensive recycling program, including bins for cans, plastic, glass, food scraps, free employee training on new recycling procedures and follow-up support.
According to the California Waste Management Board, Californians throw away more than five million tons of food scraps each year. That amounts to 16 percent of all disposed materials going into already overcrowded landfills.
Sustainable Works also offers a comprehensive “Business Greening” program that looks at a business’s energy, transportation and chemical use. They provide businesses with the tools needed to implement environmental policies company-wide. They also assess current policies, recommend new options, help to implement selected options, follow-up to track success and make adjustments when necessary.
If you are a restaurant or business located in Santa Monica and are interested in saving money by saving resources, contact Sustainable Works at (310) 458-8716, ext. 2.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 22, 2003. Read the original PDF.