Sep. 4—In 2020 the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce led the charge in getting the Designation as Benefit Corporation Act passed and signed into law in New Mexico. This act makes it possible to incorporate in New Mexico as a for-benefit corporation that, among other things, uses the power of business for good. Benefit Corporations follow a declaration of interdependence, and like members of the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce, believe that all businesses ought to be conducted as if people and places matter. In Santa Fe, one thing that certainly matters is water. Without water, our businesses could not exist.

Mayor Alan Webber laid out a goal of making Santa Fe the most sustainable city in the country, and the city's Water Utility Department has taken that to heart, with additional help from many local businesses. The city's Water Conservation Department has pulled together an amazing collaboration between the city, Santa Fe Community College and the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce to make it easy for commercial users to conserve water. This partnership has developed the Certified Waterwise program for the assessment and promotion of participating businesses.

The program's free assessment includes checking for leaks, replacing aerators and other devices, and then providing the business with a comprehensive report that includes recommendations for further water-saving opportunities. These recommendations include potential equipment and behavioral changes, as well as payback time that the business might expect for those equipment changes. To date, 71 restaurants, five hotels, 19 small businesses, one shopping center and one museum have had water usage assessments. They have learned that saving water also shows up in their bottom line.

This one-of-a-kind program is already making strides toward achieving the mayor's goal. Due to this initiative, in 2020, Santa Fe was recognized as the Most Sustainable Mid-Size City in the U.S. by Green Builder Media. As businesses seem to be overcoming some obstacles posed by the pandemic, the pipeline (pardon the pun) is again filling up with hotels and restaurants wanting to participate. With an additional 19 restaurants, 8 hotels and another shopping center wanting to participate, there is likely to be even greater recognition of this leading-edge work.

Local recognition is also key for the success of Certified Waterwise businesses. Participating commercial customers are listed on the Save Water Santa Fe and Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce websites, and they are further promoted on related social media and the SantaFe.com electronic billboards around town. Finally, Certified Waterwise businesses are given the badge shown here. If a business displays this badge, it means that it has chosen to do more to conserve water and is looking out for the people and resources of Santa Fe. Please show these businesses your support.

If your business would like to participate and become a Certified Waterwise business, contact Glenn Schiffbauer, Executive Director at Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce, at 505.501.0222, or email glennschiffbauer@gmail.com.

Santa Fe businesses & water conservation