SUSTAIN SEDONA 

•  Water Efficiency Checkup: A water efficiency checkup is one of the first steps to recognizing water inefficiencies and identifying opportunities to conserve. Arizona Water Company offers free checkups for its Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) customers on an annual first-come, first-served basis. For businesses that get their water elsewhere, Friends of the Verde River offers small grants to businesses in the Verde Watershed to support projects that improve water efficiency.

Arizona Water Company CII Water Efficiency Checkup Program

River Friendly Living Grant Program Information

River Friendly Living Grant For Businesses

• No current leaks: Any water-using devices at the property should not have any active leaks.
• Conservation-oriented water use policy: Businesses serving food and beverages can participate in a water conservation policy in which water and water refills are only provided upon request. This will be indicated by a table card provided by Arizona Water Company that clearly communicates this information to customers and can also be communicated by staff upon customer arrival.
• Landscape irrigation operating efficiently: Upon inspection, any landscape irrigation watering system on the property should be operating without any leaks or inefficiencies. An example of inefficiencies is mismatching sprinkler heads or drip emitters, non-pressure-regulating drip emitters, not using high-efficiency sprinkler heads, etc.
• Irrigation schedule updated quarterly: Adjusting the irrigation system schedule seasonally (four times a year instead of just twice) can save up between 30%-50% on landscape watering.
• Extra Green for Water Conservation
  • 70% or more of landscaping is native or low-water use: An approved list of native and adaptive plant species can be found within Sedona’s Design, Review , Engineering, and Administrative Manual (DREAM) at 4Chapter 4.1 Appendix A. Utilize this reference to determine whether your business achieves the 70% minimum of approved landscaping.
  • Sponsored or volunteered at the Annual 4th Grade Sedona Water Festival: The Sedona Water Festival is an outdoor, interactive learning event that aims to teach 4th grade youth about water concepts. Volunteers will assist in teaching students about a water-related topic and help set up and break down the event area. The 5-hour long event is typically hosted in September of each year at Posse Grounds Park. To learn more about an upcoming event and how to register, contact sustainability@sedonaaz.gov. 

•  Recycling program in place: For general information on kick-starting a recycling program for your business, check out ADEQ’s Recycling Toolkit for the Workplace. Does your business produce a lot of recyclables? Consider ordering a private recycling dumpster from either Sedona Recycles or Waste Management. Does your business produce a lot of recyclables? Consider ordering a private recycling dumpster from either Sedona Recycles or Waste Management:

Recycling Toolkit for the Workplace by Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

Sedona Recycles Commercial Recycling Dumpster Information

Waste Management Commercial Waste Disposable & Recycling Pickup

• Minimal to no contamination of the recycling bin: It is important to have clearly labelled recycling bins to reduce contamination in the workplace. Labels must align with the local recycling infrastructure. They can be created in-house or ordered online. The City of Sedona offices adopted labels from Recycle Across America. These can be customized, too!
• The city of Sedona offices adopted labels from Recycle Across America: These can be
  customized too! Here are some examples of those labels:

https://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/standardized-labels

• Opportunities to change materials to recycled options: There may be opportunities to evaluate current operational purchases and find alternative materials that can be recycled with Sedona’s current infrastructure vs tossed in the trash.Review Sedona Recycles acceptable materials list to understand how to find materials that can be recycled later down the road.

Materials Accepted – Sedona Recycles

• Extra Green for Waste Reduction
• Sustainable procurement policy in place: A sustainable procurement policy should include written goals to integrate environmental, social, and economic considerations into purchasing decisions. This could be as simple as dedicating to only purchase products for business that can be composted, recycled, or reused after the products end of life. This could also include only purchasing products that have specific certifications, such as B-Corporation or Forestry Stewardship Council certified products. Templates and examples of written policies can be found online. Here is one of those policy templates.

• Maintaining records of pre-treatment for at least 3 years: Staff must have accurate pre-treatment records available on-site to review from the past 3 years.

• Grease trap/interceptor installed: Upon inspection, the grease trap/interceptor should appear to be functioning, and staff should be able to report on cleaning procedures/processes. Grease traps are often cleaned weekly or bi-weekly. Grease interceptors are cleaned monthly or quarterly, depending on usage.

• Mop sink in place: Property must have a mop sink properly installed in a location that can be viewed and inspected. Mop sinks are used for filling, emptying, and cleaning mop buckets and other cleaning supplies, thereby reducing water waste and providing a sanitary method for staff to dispose of dirty water.

• Education signage in restrooms: Upon inspection, the male and female restrooms have educational signage provided by Arizona Water Company indicating what should and should not be flushed in the restrooms. 

City of Sedona’s Sewer Safe Guidelines: for information on what should/should not be put down the drain in Sedona.

• Feminine hygiene product disposal in place: Upon inspection, the female restrooms should have separate receptacles for disposing of feminine hygiene products in each restroom stall.
• Extra Green for Wastewater Protection
  • Switched over to all eco-friendly cleaning products: Sustainably certified labelling can help businesses understand which cleaning products are truly environmentally friendly. Visit the American Cleaning nstitute to learn about certified labelling in the US and understand how to read cleaning products.

• Properly storing and managing hazardous chemicals on site: Hazardous waste can come in many forms, including liquids, solids, or gaseous states. Common hazardous waste in businesses can include batteries, pesticides, cleaning agents, vehicle fluids, etc. To learn more about proper storage and management of hazardous waste, check out the EPA’s guide:

EPA Guide to Small Business Hazardous Waste Management

• Erosion protection measures in place below gutter and roof lines: Place stones (larger than gravel) or other heavier pervious materials below drip lines of roofs, or use splash guards at gutter downspouts to reduce erosion from rain.
• On-site storm drain system let free from litter or other blockage: Ensure your drainage system is in good working order by unclogging or removing debris from swales, ditches, drains, gutters, catch basins, oil/water separators, retention/detention basins, and other stormwater facilities. Ensure to maintain historic drainage patterns as runoff enters and exits your property.
• Opportunities for improved rainwater/stormwater capture identified: Learn about how to capture rainwater through passive and/or active rainwater harvesting systems. To achieve this category, create a plan for how this could be done at your business. Information can be found here:

Green Infrastructure Information by Arizona Department of Environmental Equality

• Company-owned/fleet vehicles are regularly checked for leaks and repaired: Regularly check for and maintain vehicle leaks, improve stormwater runoff quality, and ensure transportation safety.
• Extra Green for Stormwater Management
  • Business leadership and selected staff have participated in a water-quality focused professional development or volunteer opportunity: There are a variety of stormwater and water quality trainings and volunteer opportunities ottered through various organizations in Arizona. Examples can include attending or hosting a watershed (or highway) cleanup event, attending or a stormwater related conference, presentation or event, or joining/working with a water related work group or non-profit.

https://verderiver.org/get-involved/volunteer/

https://web.cvent.com/event/ba72a251-0274-4c0d-b9b1-43cfbbf21ee7/summary

https://azdot.gov/business/programs-and-partnerships/adopt-highway/volunteer-program-adopt-highway

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Training OSHA

• Dark sky compliant lighting installed: As part of an International Dark Sky Community, Sedona values its dark skies. Therefore, all businesses are required to update lighting fixtures to Dark Sky compliant lighting by the end of 2027. The city of Sedona’s Land Development Code§ 5.8. sets standards for exterior lighting. Using narrow spectrum amber LEDs further reduces the impact of light pollution. Stay ahead of the city code and earn an extra point by making sure all exterior lighting is dark sky compliant! For more information, contact City of Sedona Planners:  planning@sedonaaz.gov

• Received fire-wise compliance assessment & approval from fire department: Fire-wise assessments can be facilitated by a certified Firewise Community Assessor member or member from the fire department. The final approval must come from the fire department. Contact Sedona Fire’s Community Risk Reduction at CRR@sedonafire.org.

• Regularly maintaining fire-wise compliance: This achievement can be achieved after initial fire-wise compliance assessment has been completed. Next, a written record of continued maintenance practices with approval from a fire assessor ensuring compliance should be included. Contact CRR@sedonafire.org.

• Obtained River-Friendly Living Business Certification from Friends of the Verde River: The River-Friendly Living Business Certification is a program offered by Friends of the Verde River to encourage businesses to protect the watershed. More information about this certification process can be found here: Businesses – Friends of the Verde River

• Participated in and certified through Local First AZ’s Green Business Bootcamp: Local First’s Green Business Bootcamp is an award-winning program that offers a comprehensive planning series for locally-owned and operated businesses and nonprofits throughout the state. Each cohort meets for seven sessions – once each week- to hear from experts, share and learn about cost-saving resources, and learn about unique opportunities for businesses to go from education and collaboration to planning, financing, benchmarking and implementation – all in one accessible package. https://localfirstaz.com/green-boot-camp