Sustainable Business List
The Environmental Center's Sustainable Business List allows businesses in the Four Corners region to highlight what they are doing to create a more sustainable and just world.  The list was created by students at Fort Lewis College after researching different sustainability reporting systems from around the world. To receive the Sustainable Business icon on their coupon businesses just need to complete the Sustainable Business Inventory and send it back to us along with photo or graphic.  Whatever you report on the inventory, we just want others to know about it! Go to the Sustainable Business List homepage to download the inventory and get more information.

Local Renewable Energy
The Local Renewable Energy Icon is for businesses that are helping increase our capacity to generate renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, biomass) in La Plata County. To qualify, businesses need to sign up with a local renewable energy provider, such as Carbon Zero or LPEA’s Green Power Program, contribute to new Four Corners Office for Resource Efficienty (4CORE), or be generating their own power on-site using renewable technologies such as photovoltaic panels, geothermal heat pumps, or solar hot water systems.

Eat Healthy, Eat Local
The Eat Healthy, Eat Local icon is for businesses that are committed to building a strong local food system in La Plata County.  To receive this icon, businesses need to submit a short description of their efforts to the Healthy Local Foods (HLF) working group of Healthy Lifestyle La Plata. Efforts could include: contributing to the consumption and supply of healthy, local foods by purchasing food from local farms and ranches and/or raising their own; educating consumers on the benefits of eating healthy, local foods; and working towards policy change that positively affects the future of agriculture in La Plata County. 

Since 2006, the Healthy Local Foods (HLF) working group of Healthy Lifestyle La Plata has worked with schools; restaurants; grocery stores; farmers’ markets and other retailers of healthy, local food; community and school gardens; and agricultural producers on efforts to increase the awareness, supply and consumption of food that is healthy, local, affordable and culturally appropriate.  Go to the Healthy Local Foods website for more information.

Founding Member
This icon highlights the 20 pioneering businesses that invested $1,500 each in 2008 to help initiate Local First and continue to guide Local First as we strive to provide valuable benefits for the locally owned independent businesses of La Plata County. These businesses deserve our recognition and support for the contriution they are making to our local economy and community.