The Arizona Environmental Strategic Alliance is a unique public-private partnership which demonstrates environmental leadership to Arizona communities and businesses. 

Learn about the Alliance from the selections below or download an 8-page brochure on the Alliance: Alliance Marketing Profile. 

1. What is the Alliance?

2. Alliance Activities

3. Formation of the Alliance

4. Environmental and Community Benefits

5. Benefits to Members

6. Alliance Funding

7. Alliance Structure

8. Expectations of Members

9. Ethics Within the Alliance

10. Membership Criteria

11. Environmental Leader Mandatory Requirements

12. Performance Characteristics

13. Membership Opportunity

1. What is the Alliance?

The Arizona Environmental Strategic Alliance is a unique public-private partnership 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.

2. 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:

*   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. 

3. 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.

4. 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.

The Alliance also provides:

*   small business training services;

*   an active website serving as a clearinghouse for environmental information; and,

*   annual conferences and seminars.

5. Benefits to Members

As business work to achieve environ-mental goals, they also work to attain cost-effective solutions, bringing balance to environmental and economic sustaina- bility.  Alliance members also receive:

*   opportunities for improved financial performance through pollution prevention solutions;

*   public recognition for outstanding environmental performance;

*   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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Membership Criteria

All potential candidates must meet Environmental Leader Mandatory Requirements. Performance Characteristics must be met as appropriate for the organization’s size.

11. Environmental Leader Mandatory Requirements

1.  Endorsement of the Arizona Environmental Strategic Alliance Principles.  Member organizations must endorse the Alliance Principles.  

2.  Compliance.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Arizona  Department of Environmental Quality and the county/city government appropriate for the facility or operation will provide information on the organization's environmental performance relative to their respective jurisdictions. 

Prospective members must demonstrate a substantial compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations over  the previous twelve months.  Applicants must resolve all compliance orders against the organization prior to membership review.  Continuing members must maintain a good compliance status in all applicable criteria.

3.  Published Environmental Policy.  Applicants shall have a published environmental policy. 

4.  Environmental Measurement System.  Applicant organizations should subscribe to the axiom "what gets measured gets managed."  The Alliance expects its members to quantify the environmental impact of the organization's Arizona operations (facilities) and to make the information available to its stakeholders, such as customers, employees, and communities.  Prospective members should provide goals and targets for reducing their environmental impacts and porting environmental benefits.

5.  Environmental Stewardship.  Members should actively participate in environmental programs enhancing the communities in which they reside.  Volunteer efforts, community projects, and sponsorships, industry trade groups, and mentoring involvement are a few examples of stewardship.

6.  Pollution Prevention Program.  The concept of "reduce, reuse, and recycle" has existed for 25 years.  At a minimum, a prospective member should demonstrate programs consistent with the pollution prevention theory of the Three R’s:  reduce, reuse, and recycle; members should employ source reduction as the primary means to prevent pollution.

7.  Transparency.  “Transparency” addresses the degree of openness and candidness that Alliance members exhibit during interactions with various stakeholders and acts as a measure of the organization's environmental performance.  The Alliance seeks to increase transparency without compromising attorney/client privilege, revealing trade secrets or disclosing audit findings outside voluntary efforts.  Members work to become more transparent in their environmental dealings with stakeholders and communities.

12. Performance Characteristics

In addition to meeting the mandatory requirements above, candidates must demonstrate environmental leadership by meeting performance characteristics.  Since size and resource disparities exist between small and large organizations, small organizations (those with less than 100 employees) are required to implement six of the performance characteristics and large organizations implement ten of the performance characteristics detailed on the membership application.

13. 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.