In 2020, thirteen Culver City businesses achieved Sustainable Business Certification, six of whom achieved Certified Innovator status.
Collectively, these businesses save 97,603 kWh of electricity and 884,319 gallons of water each year, for a total annual cost savings of $24,730. They also divert 15,312 lbs of solid waste from landfills
and eliminate 69 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
A virtual awards ceremony was held October 15, 2020
to recognize these business.
Businesses achieving Certified Innovator status:
- Actors’ Gang, Inc
- Boschan Corp
- Happyland Preschool
- Kirk Douglas Theatre
- Mithun | Hodgetts + Fung
- Zooga Yoga
2019-2020 Sustainable Business Certification Awards Event
Sustainable Business Certification Awards virtual event held October 15, 2020
Sustainable Business Certification Awards virtual event held October 15, 2020
Sustainable Business Certification Awards virtual event held October 15, 2020
Sustainable Business Certification Awards virtual event held October 15, 2020
Sustainable Business Certification Awards virtual event held October 15, 2020
"It is remarkable that 13 businesses achieved certification this year despite facing the extreme challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. They deserve commendation for their environmental stewardship and for helping our entire community become more sustainable and resilient."
Culver City Mayor Göran Eriksson
“The Certification Program demonstrates this City’s commitment to the environment and promotes growth of commercial energy efficiency and water conservation.”
Vice Mayor Alex Fisch
The Actors’ Gang was founded in 1981 by a group of young actors looking to build a theater that would present relevant and vibrantly entertaining plays. Over the past 38 years, The Actors’ Gang has performed for audiences throughout the world, on five continents, and in 40 US States. Their groundbreaking Prison Project is currently in twelve California prisons, serving incarcerated women, men, and children in rehabilitation programs.
The Actors' Gang has been committed to environmentally friendly practices for years. They were already serving patrons with washable plates, glasses, and utensils, using green cleaners, and had installed LED lighting facility-wide.
The Actor Gang’s program accomplishments include further reducing their carbon footprint by encouraging the use of public transportation and car-pooling, and by joining the Kimberly-Clark program for collecting and recycling used latex gloves. They qualified as Certified Innovator by offering “Pay-What-You-Can" performances every Thursday, Free Shakespeare-in-the-Park Series every weekend during the month of August in Culver City Media Park, Free Reading Series held at Culver City’s Julian Dixon Library, In and After School Theatre Programs, and the Prison Project Alumni Advocacy Programs.
Blankspaces is a co-working community of entrepreneurs and freelancers sharing space, collaborating, and networking. They provide a personal, boutique experience for members to grow their businesses at multiple Southern California locations that feature WorkCafé open seating, dedicated desks, private offices, virtual office mail services, meeting rooms, and event spaces. Their downtown Culver City location sits across the street from Arclight Cinemas and Amazon Studios, with Sony Pictures, Culver Studios, City Hall, and the Culver City Steps nearby.
Blankspaces’ program accomplishments include retrofitting close to 100 lights to LEDs and reducing water flow levels from sinks, saving up to 2.259 kilowatt hours of energy and 11,821 gallons of water per year. They improved their recycling separation practices, switched to sustainable cleaning supplies, and increased the purchase of eco-friendly paper products made with post-consumer recycled materials. They also created an environmental company policy to support the company’s newly established Green Team.
Boschan Corp. specializes in innovative royalty audits of music companies. With 14 years of experience, their professionals have recovered many tens of millions of dollars from record companies and publishers for their clients, who have included composers, publishers, producers, recording artists, independent labels, estates, trusts, heirs, band members, ex-spouses, and music libraries.
Boschan Corp. program accomplishments include introducing an organics composting program serviced by Culver City Public Works, which then expanded to all the other tenants in their office building, a small measure that had a big impact. They replaced all halogen lights with LEDs and adopted a company-wide policy preference for green-rated products. Boschan Corp. qualified for Certified Innovator by introducing an employee commuter transportation stipend and comprehensive healthcare benefits. They also created a Sustainable Holiday Best Practice Guide for their client roster.
Branches Atelier is a Reggio inspired center founded in 2007. They offer classes for parents and infants, toddlers through preschool, and specialized workshops. Their environmental efforts are driven by the belief that all children need clean air and a safe place to grow and flourish and that it’s our work to heal the environment and fight climate change.
Branches Atelier’s program accomplishments include accomplishing a comprehensive LED lighting retrofit, upgrading all of their water fixtures to high efficiency flow rates, and adopting an environmental purchasing policy. They proudly obtain 100% renewable power from the Clean Power Alliance through Southern California Edison and they track their greenhouse emissions in an effort to further reduce their energy demand.
Branches Atelier leads the way in waste reduction among area schools by hosting zero waste lunches and zero waste events, both on-site and off campus. They eliminated all paper mailings - replacing them with online newsletters and digital parent communications. Their environmental stewardship efforts include educating parents on composting and waste reduction and hosting clothing repair and sewing workshops. Owner and School Director, Patricia Hunter McGrath received a Culver City Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Leadership Award in 2020.
The mission of Echo Horizon School and its Echo Center is to educate children in a collaborative environment that is academically challenging and developmentally appropriate. They actively promote mutual respect, individual responsibility, and ethical action.
Echo Horizon School program accomplishments include composting all food waste generated by the school, retrofitting their water fixtures to high efficiency flow rates, and replacing all fluorescent fixtures with energy-efficient LEDs. They were able to take advantage of LED Partnership’s rebate incentive program with Southern California Edison, which was valued at $5,000 initially, and which, going forward, will save them an estimated $10,000 annually in energy costs. Echo Horizon School also adopted an environmental policy that guides actions ranging from maintaining insulated water heaters to a robust recycling program, including battery, electronic-waste, and proper disposal of hazardous materials. They are phasing in using green cleaning products, serving with reusable kitchenware at school events, and replacing school coffee machines that use individually packaged k-cups with a drip coffee machines. Echo Horizon School also purchases staff and faculty commuter metro passes at a pre-tax cost.
Enervee delivers the world's most advanced suite of applications and services to energy providers, helping engage residential customers in energy-smart purchase decisions for their homes. Sustainability considerations were the driving force behind Enervee. So, while working hard to make it simple and compelling for all of us to buy energy efficient consumer products and clean, electric vehicles, Enervee also does its best to "walk the talk" in its internal business decisions.
Enervee’s program accomplishments include ensuring their office has LED lighting and energy efficient equipment facility wide. Enervee is close to operating a paperless office - encouraging staff to minimize all paper use. Each employee is provided with reusable bamboo utensil kits, reusable mugs, and water bottles to minimize waste. Enervee tracks the company’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, including business air travel, with the goal of carbon neutrality by 2025. Daily employee lunches are offered with a large selection of organic, locally farmed vegetarian and vegan options. Employees are also encouraged and paid to volunteer for mission-aligned volunteer opportunities, such as tree planting for local nonprofits.
When Margot & Paul Roman started Happyland over 70 years ago, they built the school upon the ‘pillar’ of peace education. Since the 70s, when Happy Juma took on stewardship of the school, Happyland curriculum continues to demonstrate links between living diversity, the future of schooling, identity, and global citizenship.
Happyland program accomplishments include replacing all water fixtures with low-flow, including the children’s toilets. They adopted a new sustainability policy and developed specific best practice guides for students, parents, and staff. After adopting a composting program, supported by Culver City Public Works, they are now considered a Zero Waste school, and Happyland runs on 100% renewable energy. Happyland achieved Certified Innovator by providing full-time employees with healthcare benefits, life insurance, and commuter benefits to promote public transportation. They even bought athletic shoes for staff to encourage walking to work.
Built in 1946, as a “movie palace” the Culver Theatre was renovated by the Center Theatre Group, while preserving most of the exterior, including the box office, and the signature lighted signage, and reopened in 2014 as the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Center Theatre Group’s mission is to serve the diverse audiences of Los Angeles by producing and presenting theatre of the highest caliber, by nurturing new artists, by attracting new audiences, and by developing youth outreach and arts education programs.
Kirk Douglas Theatre’s program accomplishments include adopting a new environmental policy, switching to all eco-friendly cleaning products, and implementing a robust recycling program by creating branded educational displays. They replaced 77 fluorescent tubes with LEDs provided by program utility partner LED Partnership, who connects eligible large businesses with specific Southern California Edison incentive programs. The Kirk Douglas Theatre qualified as Certified Innovator by providing free master classes for the community, hosting the Culver City High School AVPA Fundraising event every year, and providing free theatre tickets to nonprofits and Culver City schools.
Mithun is an integrated design firm comprised of a team of architects, landscape architects, interior designers, urban designers, and planners, with a national practice and multiple US locations. Mithun is an internationally recognized leader in sustainability, combining exemplary design with a focus on building and site performance, human health, and social equity. Their firm directed the recent renovation of the Robert Frost auditorium in Culver City.
Mithun program accomplishments include adopting a new composting program, purchasing new Energy Star-rated equipment, and successfully signing up for Flex Alert – a program that calls on participating consumers to voluntarily cut back on electricity and shift electricity use to off-peak hours when alerts are sent out. Mithun worked together with their other California Green Business Network certified offices to align sustainable practices and principles to achieve Certified Innovator. They run on 100% renewable energy through the Clean Power Alliance and offer a transportation stipend for commuting staff to use public transportation. They also offer pro-bono design and consultation work for projects like the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Motive LA is a full-service marketing and advertising agency built on the mantra of chasing greatness. Their team is unrelenting in pursuing big ideas, unparalleled activations, and client relationships that continue to push the parameters of what's possible. Although sustainability was already built into their business model, Motive LA further reduced their environmental footprint.
Motive LA’s program accomplishments include converting their kitchen to a zero-waste facility, implementing a new organics composting program, enhancing their existing recycling program, purchasing green products, and replacing HVAC filters more frequently to ensure clean and healthy air for staff and clients. They now provide a bicycle for staff to use for local errands and meetings. Motive LA also switched to procuring paper products containing a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled content and adopted a robust environmental policy.
WoodShop Studios, located on Jefferson Blvd near Overland, is a commercial advertising and production company that helps brand products. As an eggs-to-apples vendor, they house animation, design, live-action, and visual effects finishes all under one state-of-the-art roof, delivering creative works with a passion for quality and craftsmanship. WoodShop Studios demonstrates their commitment to sustainability by creating the best environment for their production crew, clients, and staff.
WoodShop Studios’ program accomplishments include creating and implementing a company-wide policy for purchasing green products made from recycled materials - from print paper to facial tissue. They arranged for the core staff team to attend a virtual Zero Waste training with program coordinator, Sustainable Works, to ensure proper “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” protocols. To redirect materials from ending up in local landfills, Woodshop Studios has committed to an earth-friendly procurement policy and they choose reusable items over disposables that can be repurposed for productions shoots.
Headquartered in Culver City, Zambezi is an innovative, independent and certified-woman-owned creative agency. With a combination of big agency talent and small agency speed –Zambezi has attracted Fortune 500 brands including The TaylorMade Golf Company, PayPal/Venmo, Beats by Dre, and Ultimate Software. Zambezi is the largest female-owned, full-service agency in America. While already operating as a sustainable business, Zambezi made a number of improvements.
Zabezi’s program accomplishments include switching out their single-cup coffee machines to a more eco-friendly alternative and installing a protocol to properly dispose of universal waste, which includes items such as televisions, computers, and other electronic devices, as well as batteries, fluorescent lamps, and other equipment containing mercury and other hazardous materials. Zambezi continues their commitment to procure paper products containing recycled content, and, to close the loop, are training staff on sustainable best practices to promote a more effective recycling program.
In 2012, Zooga Yoga opened as the only yoga studio in the Los Angeles area dedicated to babies, kids, teens, expecting moms, parents, and families. Today, Zooga Yoga continues as the only premier kids franchise available in the United States. Zooga has a playful and unique approach to yoga, coupling traditional yoga poses and elements with fun themes, games, and props to create their specialized brand of YogaPlay®.
Zooga Yoga applied sustainability recommendations to all of their studios. Zooga Yoga program accomplishments include switching to green certified cleaning products, replacing plastic bags with 100% recycled content paper bags, and going paperless for class registration and receipts. They now employ green building techniques, such as using energy efficient LED lighting, high efficiency water fixtures, and low VOC paint. Zooga Yoga achieved Certified Innovator by providing strong leadership in the community through Earth Day events, donations to schools, free community events, and Baby2Baby and School Food Drives.
