City of Longmont recognizes businesses that have adopted sustainable practices

As the topic of climate change becomes more commonplace, patrons to Longmont businesses will be able to identify which is participating in sustainable practices. A list of 2021 was just released by the city. 

According to Lisa Knoblauch, city of Longmont sustainability program manager, the city looks three areas known in the business community as the Triple Bottom Line when determining if a business is successful in practicing sustainability.

Those areas include:

• Environmental: Employing energy and water conservation techniques, increasing waste diversion, and encouraging sustainable transportation.
• Social: Participating in volunteering and community opportunities, donating to nonprofits, implementing diversity and inclusion strategies, and offering an employee wellness program.
• Economic: Implementing fair labor practices, mentoring local entrepreneurs, buying local, hiring members of the local workforce and paying livable wages.

When the program began in 2019, 18 businesses participated in the program. That number has since grown to 44 certified in 2021. According to Knoblauch, 77 Longmont businesses have been certified since the program's launch in 2018. 

The Sustainable Business program is a self-reporting program. It is designed to align local business sustainability practices with city of Longmont sustainability goals, according to Knoblauch. Once a business reports its practices through the city’s GreenBiz Tracker platform, the application is reviewed by a department representative.

The measures taken by businesses are assigned points which later result in gold (greater than or equal to 60% of all points earned), silver (greater than 40% of all points earned), and bronze (0-40% of all points earned), awards.  

Each award winner will receive a decal noting their level of certification that can be displayed in their windows, Knoblauch said. The top winner in each category received an additional prize.

The Sustainable Business program also provides marketing information for businesses to better promote their success and initiatives.

“It’s important for people to support sustainable businesses because the benefits extend out into the community – not only do sustainable practices provide … benefits to businesses, they help improve the well-being of employees, create a healthier natural environment, and support greater quality of life for the community as a whole through a variety of sustainable practices,” Knoblauch said.

The city recognizes that many small- to medium-sized businesses are often too busy with daily operations to focus on sustainability. The program is designed to help businesses begin integrating more sustainable practices into their operations.

“Sustainable business practices help save businesses money while contributing to the advancement of sustainability goals in resource conservation and community well-being and helping to achieve the city's Sustainability vision,” Knoblauch said. 

The following is a list of the 2021 Sustainable Business Awards sorted by the certification they were awarded.