Meet January’s new and renewing Local First Arizona members!

In Fall 2021, SCALE UP Cohorts 5 and 6 came together to participate in the 6-week sustainability project planning series to share knowledge and resources to help each of them achieve efficiency savings and add to our growing network of green businesses. After coming together, each participant is launching a unique project that addresses energy, water, waste, and/or transportation in their operations alongside commitments to environmental and community stewardship. Here is a sneak peek of the participants and the projects they are launching here in Arizona!

United States consumers spent $12.7 billion on gift wrap in 2017, and it’s estimated that 2.3 million pounds of wrapping paper ends up in the nation’s landfills. For something that looks pretty for a short time and then gets ripped up, gift wrap has a big impact. This holiday season, get creative with reusable wrapping ideas and keep the joy without the environmental burden.

I'm bringing this to you today as a request. We have to use our critical thinking, our emotional intelligence, and our compassion to continue to dialogue with those we don't agree with and to hang on to reality while understanding diverse lived experiences.

I’ve spent my time at Local First working to address root causes. Many call it leadership, but what I really think we're talking about is accountability

There are 160 manufacturing employers in Kingman, LHC, and Bullhead City that account for 3215 jobs in the region. Manufacturers in Mohave County reached out to Local First Arizona to engage in collaborative conversation utilizing the TPM Model for workforce development to answer the question: “What can Mohave County manufacturers do to communicate a better understanding of the younger workforce and create packages that appeal to the true environment they're looking to work within?”

The new episode of Project Greenprint focused on Conservation by Social Television Network is available on the free STN App starting November 3rd. In this episode, host Kristen Keogh introduces several advocates for conservation in Arizona who offer opportunities to get involved and speak up for our few remaining wild spaces.

Water – Plant It Wisely is your handy resource to provide landscaping guidance, advice, and ideas on what to plant. What you plant affects more than your yard; it helps create a more sustainable future. By selecting low-water-use plants, you help conserve our precious water supply for generations to come.

We Rise’s business model development curriculum features two modules that helps participants attain these skills: introduction to business model development and understanding your value proposition and target customer. By the end of both modules, participants have refined their respective business models to ensure maximum product-market fit, in collaboration with their mentors, instructors and fellow entrepreneurs.

The business finance portion of the We Rise Accelerator Program focuses on three main topic modules: personal finance; debt, equity, and grant financing; and understanding credit and creditworthiness. The purpose of these modules is to expose entrepreneurs to different financing options for small businesses -- including the less familiar ones like equity and grants -- and to come together to develop strategies to improve both their personal and business creditworthiness.

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.

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 Little Colorado Foundation is rolling out a new soft skills training program that will be open to those seeking to start or enhance their career in any industry in Apache County. The program - called “UP (Unleash Your Potential)” - utilizes the National Retail Industry Fundamentals curriculum, providing students with an understanding of the retail industry, job readiness skills, and building basic customer service skills. UP is a 5-week hybrid training program that incorporates self-guided, online training and onsite community engagement activities to enhance customer service and soft skills in the Apache County workforce.  

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.

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.

Last month, LFA held the first of a series of three workshops designed exclusively for Verde Grown vendors. These are capacity-building events free to those registered as a Verde Grown member. We now have 39 local businesses in Verde Grown and the list keeps growing! This first workshop provided information on how to best take advantage of Verde Grown as a regional marketing initiative and get more exposure for their businesses. We also reviewed the success of the digital campaign in engaging local and statewide audiences online. Lastly, we ended the event with a speed networking activity to help facilitate new connections and encourage Verde Grown vendors to leverage each other for new business opportunities. This was a wildly popular activity and well-attended event.

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.

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.