Culver City Observer -

On June 1, 2022, Culver City Mayo Daniel Lee commended 12 newly certified sustainable businesses as part of Culver City's Sustainable Business Certification Program (Certification Program) at Temple Akiba in Culver City.

The awards ceremony was hosted by project managers Sustainable Works and Balanced Approach as well as Temple Akiba, who received its own certification. These 12 businesses mark a total of 58 certifications since the program's inception in 2017.

"We are pleased that Culver City businesses are taking advantage of this opportunity to receive hands-on assistance to become certified as sustainable," said Lee. "The Sustainable Business Certification Program is helping Culver City reduce its carbon footprint and improve the wellbeing of workers, customers and the entire community."

Culver City's Sustainable Business Certification Program Honorees

• Temple Akiba

• Co-Opportunity Market

• Jag Gym

• Schmidli Backdrops

• Village Well Books & Coffee

• OsteoStrong (renewed its certification for another three years after achieving certification in 2019)

New "Certified Innovators"

• Green Dinosaur, Inc.

• KFA Architecture

• Servicon Systems, Inc.

• Hi-Lo Liquor Market (renewed certifications this year, this time achieving the higher "Innovator" level)

• Reformation Culver City Headquarters and Store (renewed certifications this year, this time achieving the higher "Innovator" level)

This year, the Certification Program focused its outreach to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color), certified minority and diversely-owned business and joined the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAACC) and the Latin Business Association (LBA), which helped certify two of the five BIPOC-owned businesses that enrolled in the Certification Program this year.

Culver City is one of 48 local governments in California that offer a Certification Program to their business community. On June 27, 2022, a report highlighting the success of the Certification Program was presented to the City Council. Since its inception in 2017, the 58 businesses that have been certified have collectively reduced their annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 246 metric tons, decreased their water use by 4.6 million gallons each year, and saved 343,000 kWh of electricity.