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About
the Alliance
What is the Alliance?
The
Arizona Environmental Strategic Alliance is a unique public-private
partnership, created in 1992, which demonstrates environmental leadership to Arizona
communities and businesses. In
addition to gaining opportunities to showcase their environmental
leadership, regulatory and business members enjoy informal access to
each other in a casual setting. Further,
businesses obtain environmental mentoring opportunities through
interaction with other members.
The
Alliance recognizes leadership characteristics, shares expertise, builds
public trust, and works in partnership for positive environmental
change. As its cornerstone,
the Alliance believes that organizations exhibit environmental
leadership by achieving environmental performance beyond regulations and
visibly models this philosophy to communities and businesses.
Alliance Activities.
In
addition to bringing together members of the commercial, industrial,
governmental/regulatory community, and other economic sectors, the
Alliance creates and carries out activities that:
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promote compliance with federal, state, and local environmental
laws and regulations;
*
encourage action beyond regulatory expectation
*
promote sustainability; and,
*
provide recognition for those who demonstrate environmental leadership.
Formation of the
Alliance
The
Alliance was originally created in 1992 by APS, the Arizona Department
of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and Region IX of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), as the first partnership of its kind in the
nation to combine the resources of private industry and federal and
state regulatory agencies.
Members
now include other businesses and organizations which demonstrate
leadership and commitment to environmental quality through their
actions.
Environmental and
Community Benefits
Alliance
members work toward environmental improvement beyond regulatory
mandates. Interaction
between regulators and business members on environmental issues not
related to these mandates can produce far-reaching environmental
solutions that otherwise might not be realized.
Benefits to Members
Alliance Members
have identified key benefits of membership that they most value. The top
three key benefits are: Collaboration between Industry and Government;
Business Outreach & Mentoring of other Businesses; and Setting Goals
and Obtaining Recognition.
As business work to achieve
environmental
goals, they also work to attain cost-effective solutions, bringing
balance to environmental and economic sustainability.
Alliance members also receive:
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opportunities for improved financial performance through pollution
prevention solutions;
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public recognition for outstanding environmental performance;
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increased environmental credibility as a community “good neighbor”;
*
access to environmental regulators in a neutral setting; and,
*
opportunities for mentoring with Arizona's
most notable businesses and environmental leaders.
Alliance Funding
The board of
directors determines the funding structure of the Alliance.
Currently, members provide voluntary contributions including in-kind
services.
As a non-profit
organization, the Alliance is eligible for and seeks grants and
endowments to help carry out environmental leadership projects.
Alliance Structure
The
Alliance consists of member organizations, a board of directors, and an
advisory council.
Member Organizations
Members are comprised of an elite group of companies and organizations from throughout Arizona
that have established themselves as environmental leaders, adopted
environmentally responsible practices, demonstrated commitment to
environmental quality, and maintained exemplary environmental compliance
records. Members adopt and
implement the Alliance Principles, and carry out compliance awareness,
pollution prevention, environmental education and mentoring projects.
Board of Directors
The board of directors is elected by and represents the Alliance
member organizations. The board elects officers to form an executive
committee. These bodies
provide leadership and management, and oversee the corporate and
programmatic functions. Board
members conduct marketing and
outreach efforts and act as community ambassadors for the organization.
Advisory Council
The advisory council is comprised of educators, environmental
organization representatives, academicians, members of the public, and
others with expertise in environmental management and technology,
environmental law, and economic development.
Two standing seats are held by the founding regulatory partners, ADEQ
and EPA-Region IX, and one is held by a representative county.
The advisory council recommends initiatives, membership, and
priority development.
Expectations
of Members
Alliance
members must continue to meet the threshold set for applicants,
participate in at least one Alliance project each year, and adopt and
practice the Arizona Environmental Strategic Alliance Principles.
Ethics Within the
Alliance
The Alliance principles establish
organizational ethics. By endorsing these principles, organizations pledge
voluntarily to go beyond the requirements of law.
The
principles are not intended to create new legal liabilities, expand
existing rights or obligations, waive legal defenses, or otherwise
affect the legal position of any signatory company.
Since
some Alliance members are responsible for enforcement of environ-mental
statutes or have regulatory roles, members must address regulatory or
enforcement issues through established channels for resolving these
issues.
Membership Criteria
All
potential candidates must meet Environmental
Leader Mandatory Requirements.
Performance Characteristics must
be met as appropriate for the organization’s size.
A
one-page summary of Membership Criteria is available for download here.
Membership Opportunity
The
Alliance seeks organizations from the public and private sectors that
share our commitment to environmental protection and demonstrate
leadership in achieving environmental sustainability.
The
advisory council serves as the membership review and selection body and
accepts only those organizations that adhere to the performance
standards. The Alliance is
not obligated to accept any applicant, even though the applicant may
appear to meet all of the specified criteria.
Further, the advisory council holds the right to maintain the
membership of only those organizations whose participation positively
affects the credibility and image of the Alliance and its membership.
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