Going Green — and Saving Green: WeHo’s Green Business Program is Delivering Results

Small changes can add up to big impacts, and businesses throughout West Hollywood are showing just how much difference local action can make.

Going green in West Hollywood is doing more than helping the planet. It’s helping local businesses save some serious green, too.

Since launching in 2024, the City of West Hollywood’s Green Business Program has been working one-on-one with local businesses to make sustainability easier, more affordable, and good for the bottom line.

And the results are adding up.

As of September 2026, 50 West Hollywood businesses have enrolled in the program and 28 have achieved Green Business Certification. Along the way, the program has helped participating businesses collectively

• reduce an estimated 1.91 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually,
• save more than 402,000 gallons of water each year, and
• divert approximately 1.4 million pounds of waste from landfills.

The program has also put money directly back into local businesses, providing nearly $28,000 in rebates and mini-grants to help businesses make sustainability improvements.

Sustainability That Pays

The idea behind the Green Business Program is refreshingly straightforward: environmentally responsible business practices don’t have to be complicated — or expensive.

Participation is voluntary and free, and businesses receive personalized assistance from sustainability professionals who help identify opportunities to conserve energy and water, reduce waste, prevent pollution, use cleaner products, and incorporate other environmentally friendly practices into day-to-day operations.

Depending on the business, some changes can be as simple as adjusting purchasing practices or improving recycling and waste reduction. Others can involve equipment and facility upgrades that deliver substantial savings over time.

For businesses, sustainability can mean more than reducing environmental impacts. Many green practices can also help reduce operating costs, improve efficiency, create healthier workplaces, and demonstrate a visible sustainability commitment to the community.

Making Green Business Easier

The City launched the Green Business Program as part of the California Green Business Network and WeHo Climate Action, with the goal of recognizing and encouraging business practices that are both sustainable and efficient. The program also supports West Hollywood’s broader Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and the City’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.

Businesses aren’t expected to figure everything out on their own.

After registering, participating businesses work with Green Business Program sustainability professionals to review their operations. An assessment helps identify measures appropriate for the size and type of business, and participants receive a customized roadmap for working toward certification.

Certification measures address areas including energy and water conservation, clean energy, waste reduction, pollution prevention, sustainable transportation, and community practices.

Businesses can pursue two levels of recognition: Tier 1 Entry Level certification provides an accessible starting point, particularly for smaller businesses, while Tier 2 Certification Level recognizes businesses able to implement additional measures and, where appropriate, minor facility retrofits.

Once certified, businesses receive an official certificate and storefront decal, digital certification logos for marketing, and City recognition. Tier 2 businesses are also listed in the California Green Business Network directory.

Certification is valid for three years.

28 Businesses — and Counting

The growing roster of Certified Green Businesses reflects the diversity of West Hollywood itself.

Certified participants include coffee shops and cafés, restaurants, retailers, schools, cannabis businesses, fitness and wellness businesses, professional services, and other local establishments.

The program is currently available to eligible brick-and-mortar businesses in sectors including restaurants and food service, retail, offices, grocery stores, cannabis dispensaries, commercial and residential property management, and K–12 schools.

For West Hollywood, each participating business also contributes to something much larger.

The City's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan charts a path toward carbon neutrality by 2035, and reducing the environmental footprint of the local business community is one part of reaching that goal. The Green Business Program was specifically envisioned as a way to promote energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, sustainable purchasing, and other environmentally responsible practices within West Hollywood's business community.

But numbers such as millions of pounds of carbon dioxide or hundreds of thousands of gallons of water can sometimes make climate action feel abstract.

At the individual business level, the impact is much easier to see: new LED lights. Lower electricity bills. Less water use. Less waste headed to landfills. Hundreds or thousands of dollars in avoided costs.

Multiply those changes across dozens — and eventually hundreds — of West Hollywood businesses, and small changes become significant ones.

50 businesses enrolled. 28 certified. Nearly $28,000 returned to local businesses. 1.91 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions reduced annually. More than 402,000 gallons of water saved each year. Approximately 1.4 million pounds of waste diverted from landfills.

That's good for business, good for West Hollywood, and good for the planet. Respect and Support for the Environment is a core value of the City of West Hollywood, and environmental responsibility has long been integrated into the City’s approach to planning, development, programs, and services.

The City of West Hollywood has been at the forefront of green building for nearly two decades. In 2007, the City became one of the nation’s early adopters of a mandatory green building ordinance, establishing requirements aimed at making new development and renovations healthier and more efficient. The City subsequently updated its Green Building Program to build upon state requirements while incorporating local standards tailored to West Hollywood’s environmental goals.

Those efforts address the built environment through measures related to energy and water efficiency, sustainable materials, landscaping, electric-vehicle readiness, indoor environmental quality, and other approaches that reduce the environmental footprint of buildings over time.

The City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, also known as WeHo Climate Action, provides an even broader framework. Adopted in 2021, the plan charts the City’s path toward carbon neutrality by 2035 while preparing the community for the impacts of a changing climate and emphasizing equity and quality of life.

The Green Business Program puts those larger goals into action at the neighborhood level. Each participating business has an opportunity to make changes that contribute to a more sustainable West Hollywood, demonstrating that climate action does not happen through a single project or policy, it happens business by business, building by building, and choice by choice.

West Hollywood businesses interested in participating in the City's Green Business Program can learn more and get started by visiting go.weho.org/greenbusiness.