The We Rise business plan curriculum guides participants through identifying effective ways to communicate their voice from paper to action. Once finished, the participant can successfully use the plan as a blueprint for day-to-day operations, obtaining funding, and overall growth.

Blanca Abarca es una orgullosa mexicana del estado de veracruz, graduada como enfermera profesional por la facultad de enfermería de la universidad veracruzana y orgullosa residente de Sur Phoenix por más de 20 años.

Su pequeña empresa Blanca 's Alterations & Creations LLC nació para dar formalidad a todas sus ideas y proyectos que ha realizado desde hace muchos años, con la intención de poder extenderlo y que la comunidad pudiera conocer más de su trabajo y labor.

The Sustainability Team at Local First Arizona is committed to connecting local businesses to more advocacy opportunities and to telling the stories of those across the state who are advocating for beneficial environmental policies. Read about some of the ways LFA has gotten involved in environmental advocacy.

The Florence Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Local First Arizona and the Arizona Office of Tourism, gathered local residents and business owners to collectively create a community brand. This brand will represent the Florence business community and be utilized to promote events and other local activities. Community members who were a part of the meetings were there to be the most authentic voice for Florence. The group provided invaluable information about the history of the region, what makes Florence so special, colors that best represent their town, and more. This input helped to ensure that the final brand outcome would be representative of the community, its residents, and its businesses.

El Mes de la Herencia Hispana se celebra entre el 15 de septiembre y 15 de octubre porque celebran su independencia países hispanos como Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, México y Chile. Durante este mes se hace honor a las personas de origen hispano en Estados Unidos, festejando el 12 de octubre el Día de la Hispanidad.

Es por ello que contaremos la historia de dos representantes hispanos, graduados del programa Acelerador de Negocios de Fuerza Local y líderes en la comunidad de Sur Phoenix, Arizona.

Carlos Castillo originario de Indaparapeo, Michoacán y Erika Castillo originaria de Los Ángeles, California, con 8 años de casados dejaron sus profesiones para no solo ser dueños de su restaurante sino también para poder ayudar a su comunidad y generar empleos en Arizona con Chino-Mex, un restaurante con un encuentro de culturas gastronómicas muy especial.

Local First has a comprehensive and easy-to-use directory not only for local businesses but also for farms, community-supported agriculture (CSA) and all things food. It’s important to shop local and support your community and this directory makes it simple.

The overall goal of the Tribal Food Sovereignty Series is to provide a space for ongoing conversations that encourage exchange between food partners and tribal food practitioners and enhance networks and collaborations for improved coordination and stronger regional and inclusive food systems.

This summer has brought a much-needed monsoon season to quench our parched ecosystems and communities across the state. Luckily, more and more businesses across the state have made conserving water and other sustainable practices a part of the way they do business. This month, three new businesses have become certified through the Arizona Green Business Program. Steady Glow Digital, Ivan Martinez Photography, and The Nile Theater + Coffee Shop.

Due to their dedication to support the San Carlos Apache community, NDC has been a close partner with United Food Bank, distributing hundreds of food boxes to San Carlos families in need during the pandemic. Local First Arizona’s Good Food Film Series captured this partnership in the ‘Farm to Food Bank’ film released in May. The film is accessible through February 2022, so don’t miss your chance to watch it!

We are also gearing up for a second volunteer engagement for our LFA staff - NDC’s first fall fair this October. This will be a family-friendly event and will feature a film screening, farmers & artisans market, Apache food cooking demonstrations, live art, and a fashion show. There will also be plenty of youth activities, including a pumpkin patch and carving station, beading, and archery. We will celebrate NDC’s hard work this year and honor the food traditions and resilience of the San Carlos Apache community.

The Local First Arizona Sustainability team is now accepting applications for the next four cohorts starting in September 2021, November 2021, January 2022, and March 2022 from businesses and nonprofits seeking to develop the knowledge and skills to implement a sustainability project that reduces their impact, benefits their community, and gets them recognized for building a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable local economy in Arizona.

Earlier this month, nearly 220 rural stakeholders, leaders, and advocates convened for the 14th Annual Rural Policy Forum, hosted by the Arizona Rural Development Council (AZRDC). Representatives from all 15 counties traversed the state for the two-day conference in the Sahuarita and the Green Valley area, eager to seek new solutions for building resilient, more inclusive rural economies across Arizona.

Natural buildings are becoming a popular alternative to traditional construction. Local First Arizona sat down with a diverse group of local experts and professionals to get an in-depth perspective.

Aken Online Marketing es una empresa de Arizona y miembro de Fuerza Local dedicada a ofrecer servicios de marketing, redes sociales, fotografía y video profesional en todo el valle que abrió sus puertas en marzo de 2015.

Aken Online Marketing nació de conocer las grandes necesidades de manejar correctamente los negocios a través de las redes sociales y volverla una herramienta más rentable para la comunidad hispana, y de esta forma eliminar el rezago en comparación con otras comunidades en Arizona.

Urban heat, water supply, environmental injustice, and clean energy are just a few of Arizona’s unique environmental challenges that will be explored in Project Greenprint, a new video series from Social Television Network (stnTV) in partnership with LFA Sustainability.

Now in its second year, Scale Up is accepting early applications from businesses and nonprofits seeking to develop the knowledge and skills to implement a sustainability project that reduces their impact, benefits their community, and gets them recognized for building a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable economy in Arizona.

Our We Rise family is growing! We are honored to introduce the second cohort of the We Rise business accelerator program. We’ve jumped from 12 to 21 participants and we can not be more excited to learn more about these incredible entrepreneurs and their businesses. From events management to art and consulting, come meet the wide variety of businesses coming into the program.

This is the introduction to a three-part series that takes a deep dive into the world of Natural Building. We explore what makes a natural building, ways that natural buildings can have a profound and lasting impact on human well-being and the environment, and how natural building may hold the key to sustaining healthy and resilient communities here in Arizona.

As the Valley's water conservation campaign, Water – Use It Wisely reminds you that July is typically the month of peak water demand for landscapes in Arizona. The following tips can help you save money, save water and see better results.

LFA Sustainability is embarking on a major update of our programs and has a lot of news to share! First, we are celebrating the latest business to become certified through the Arizona Green Business Program: OneOhOne Gallery in Mesa.

After six months of mentorship, strengthening their business models, building financial skills, gaining access to capital, and safely exploring the social aspects of being a Black-owned business in Arizona, We Rise’s first cohort is ready to graduate on July 31st!

We met with five of the soon-to-be graduates to talk about their experiences within the program and how it’s helped their business