Women's History Month Feature: Green Business Female Leaders
For Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the women that we have come to know and love through our sustainability programs. These women are dedicated to environmental action and working hard to make sure everyone can enjoy Arizona for generations to come. Come meet the incredible women who are part of Arizona’s green businesses and maybe add some things to your own green to-do list!
Interested in Local First Arizona's sustainability programs? Check them out here.
Lupita Vazquez, Literacy Connects
I am the receptionist at Literacy Connects, a Tucson-based nonprofit that offers literacy and arts programming to people of all ages and backgrounds through a student-centered and strength-based approach. I have been a full-time staff member for a little over a year, taking part in a Green Team. Prior to that, I worked for Literacy Connects as a part-time Pima Community College Federal Work-Study student.
Why is sustainability important to you personally?
There are many reasons, but the short and quick answer is that sustainability work is social justice work and social justice work is very important to me. Environmental injustice and climate change tend to disproportionately negatively impact marginalized people and by practicing sustainability in my home and educating others on the importance of sustainability, I feel that I am doing a small part to combat those inequities.
What are the sustainable actions that you are most proud of accomplishing in your workplace?
One of the coolest things that came out of LFA's Green Leaders program was that participants were encouraged to do a water audit. The city of Tucson helped us perform a water audit and we discovered that we were overwatering our landscaping. We made adjustments to our irrigation schedule and by the next month, our water bill dropped by $150.
I am also super proud that we are a bike-friendly organization. We have lots of bike parking and we also have a bike repair kit available for staff, students and volunteers.
What is next on your “green” to-do list for your business?
I have so many! The biggest thing on my wish list is for Literacy Connects to utilize solar energy. As more people start coming into our building, I would like to develop a sustainable procurement plan and move toward low waste events. I would also like to expand our use of greywater for irrigation. A more short-term goal is to educate staff and interested community members on how to implement more sustainable practices in their lives and in the workplace.
Monica Nicodemus, JoyRidesAZ
My name is Monica Nino Nicodemus and I have been one of the owner-operators of JoyRidesAZ Scottsdale tours since 2013. JoyRidesAZ Scottsdale Tours provides city tours and transportation services in Scottsdale and surrounding areas.
Why is sustainability important to you personally?
My family and I visited Scottsdale often in the early nineties to visit my parents and we quickly fell in love with the beauty of the area. We moved here in 2012, purchased a home and opened JoyRidesAZ Scottsdale Tours in 2013. I now have four generations living in the area and a second grandchild on the way. I moved here from Oregon where sustainability was part of Oregon's fabric and way of life. Unfortunately, I quickly became lackadaisical about my sustainability habits. With the joyous news of having our first grandson, it made me ask myself what am I doing to ensure our grandson and his family are going to be able to enjoy the same beauty of Scottsdale that brought my husband and I here? This meant I needed to set our home up to be recycle-friendly, start converting light fixtures, and stay aware of our water usage. It may not sound like a lot, but for me it was my way of doing my part.
I have had the opportunity to travel nationally and internationally and I truly think Scottsdale is one of the most beautiful and diverse cities I've been to. If you haven't been to Old Town lately, the people, businesses and all around beauty is what drives me to do my part for my family.
What are the sustainable actions that you are most proud of accomplishing in your workplace?
The most sustainability action I am most proud of is transitioning our fleet from fossil fuel to electric.
What is next on your “green” to-do list for your business?
Transitioning our marking to touchless and recycled material when needed.
Christine Sterling, Image Craft
My name is Christine Sterling and I am the Client Experience Manager at Image Craft. I have been employed with Image Craft for 2 years on April 22nd. We specialize in custom graphic solutions: large and grand format printing, acoustics, wallpaper, floor and window graphics, banners, and signage of all kinds.
Why is sustainability important to you personally?
Personally, sustainability started at a young age. I grew up on a small farm and our family grew our own food, made our own mulch, raised chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits, goats and a horse. We utilized the animals in all aspects from milk to eggs to meat. Sustainability is important to keep the earth moving the way it was intended. I am passionate about sustainability in all aspects, saving money, electricity, and more. Reuse and renew is my personal mantra.
What are the sustainable actions that you are most proud of accomplishing in your workplace?
I can’t take credit for them all, but at Image Craft, we have started really taking a good look at how we can help the environment. We have low VOC printers, use materials that can be recycled and are also made from recycled material. The company has added solar panels to the roof to create renewable energy for the facility and utilizes LED bulbs. Standard light switches have been replaced with energy-saving light switches that activate with motion, eliminating rooms with less activity from running the lighting when not in use. Throughout the facility, recycling containers are part of our daily work processes, employees sort all of our printing waste materials accordingly. Paper, ink cartridges, packaging and plastics are reused or disposed of using the best practices. Our staff break room provides a kitchen so the employees can bring in their food in washable/reusable containers and the employees also volunteer to drop off grocery bags to the store to be recycled as well. Our commitment to sustainability even saw us replace our water-wasting restrooms with low-flow toilets and automatic sinks.
What is next on your “green” to-do list for your business?
My next project is to initiate a donation program with local schools and after-school programs, by providing excess materials such as cardboard, paper, fabric, and vinyl that can be used in art classes or class projects. I started the beginning stages of this program just prior to the COVID outbreak which resulted in the schools being closed and unable to receive these materials. But I am excited at the future prospect of getting this program started as soon as possible.
Karen Jayne, Stardust Building Supplies
I am Stardust’s Chief Executive Officer and have been honored to lead the organization for over 9.5 years. Stardust provides quality reclaimed materials for reuse. Annually we divert over 5,000 tons of usable materials from our local landfills making them available to our community for reuse. In addition, each year we distribute over $15.0 million worth of usable household goods to nonprofit organizations, touching the lives of over 200,000 individuals and their families.
Why is sustainability important to you personally?
I think sustainability will provide a strong foundation for the future. By focusing on sustainable practices in both Stardust and my personal life I am doing my part to help ensure a healthy and livable world for generations to come.
What are the sustainable actions that you are most proud of accomplishing in your workplace?
Our intentional focus on reuse is one of our most shining accomplishments. Whenever we need something or are looking for a creative way to accomplish a goal, we look at it from a reuse lens. We make sure we are not increasing our consumption or what we throw out; instead, we are getting additional usable life out of materials. And, it’s just a lot of fun to reuse!
What is next on your “green” to-do list for your business?
Our next “green” to-do is finding a way to reuse ceramic and stone material that is either no longer functional or broken. We’re exploring ideas such as crushing the material for landscape covering or even using it in creation of exterior walls. There are probably lots of options, those are just a few. It’s fun to imagine and see how these materials can be repurposed so that they are not going to our landfill.
Sherrie Zeitlin, The Art Resource Center
I’m the Founder and Director of THE ART RESOURCE CENTER and often referred to as THE BOSS by my volunteers. We are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that collects and gives away art supplies free of charge to any nonprofit that walks through our doors. This includes schools, colleges and universities, community centers, nonprofit clubs, charities and anyone working in the nonprofit world. About 6 years ago we opened our doors to those who wanted to buy art supplies from us (at a very nominal cost) and it helps to keep our doors open and our bills paid. We are an all-volunteer organization, no one makes a penny, but I do buy lunch for my volunteers each week and bagels on Saturday. THE ARC is 17 years old.
Why is sustainability important to you personally?
I’ve been a recycler from way back so it was just a natural progression that I should continue in a formal way. The area where we live in Phoenix was by coincidence the first area to receive recycling bins and I was beside myself with joy that finally our city was progressing environmentally. I’ve been high beamed ever since.
In the 1990’s I was an Artist in Residence in schools and community centers around Maricopa County and saw first hand the impact of the lack of funding for the arts. I went full force into compelling the schools to use recyclables to make art and we used everything we could find that was LEFTOVER for our work. I decided back then that when I could I would open a facility that collected LEFTOVERS from everywhere and just gave them away for free. It also makes great economic sense for artists and those working in the arts to come to THE ARC for supplies...what’s better than free or really “cheap”!
What are the sustainable actions that you are most proud of accomplishing in your workplace?
We don’t know how many thousands of pounds of “stuff” we have saved from the landfill but we do know it is significant and it brings a smile just knowing we are reducing, reusing and recycling.
What is next on your “green” to-do list for your business?
I turn away as much “stuff” as we take in because we have maxed out our facility. It would be nice to have more space but not necessarily a better space...just bigger.
A woman called me recently during this time of Covid and said the year did her business in and she was closing. She said she filled an extended dumpster 3 times because she couldn’t find anyone to take her supplies. What were they? 100% wool yarns that no one wanted. It made me cry, I literally gasped on the phone, she said she finally found us and now she brings us supplies each week. I need to get to these people who send materials to the landfill. We need to impress upon every one that just like the leftovers we had for dinner tonight, we need to use everything again.
We are so grateful for all the work these incredible women are doing and are excited to celebrate them for Women’s History Month! If you want to learn more about other businesses that are dedicated to sustainability check out our scale up graduates!