We help people activate sustainable behaviors
Sustainable Works fosters healthy and more equitable communities to heal our natural environment
through interactive events, educational programs and green business initiatives
About Us
Sustainable Works partners with cities, businesses, organizations, and educational institutions in LA County in order to help them reach their sustainability and climate action goals. Our programs are designed to provide key stakeholder groups with the motivation, knowledge, and resources needed to integrate more sustainable solutions into their daily lives.
We’re grateful for our sustainable office space located at the Sustainability Center at Santa Monica College where we’ve been assisting Santa Monica – and other cities – since 1998.

Community Programs
Our Community Sustainability Program targets city residents with a range of educational and interactive events focused around various aspects of sustainability. These events educate, inspire, and empower residents to take action and reduce their personal environmental impact.

Business Programs
Our business programs helps cities create more sustainable businesses. Climate Action and Sustainability are crucial elements of a clean & safe city. Sustainable Works provides businesses with the knowledge, tools, and resources to green their operations and achieve a green certification.

Student Programs
Our Student Program creates peer-to-peer educational opportunities to expose students to important environmental issues and help them incorporate sustainable practices into their everyday lives. Students also learn about careers in the emerging green economy and the paths they can take to pursue them.
Green Business Programs
What is the Green Business Program?
The Green Business Program is an interactive consultation process that provides the tools and resources businesses need to save money, reduce waste and decrease the environmental impact of your business operations.
Sustainable Works performs an environmental assessment of current business operations and then provides targeted recommendations focused on saving resources and improving the work environment of your employees, while saving money. We offer step-by-step instruction and guidance, to facilitate the transition and implementation of environmental measures chosen. We also provide employee education and training to facilitate positive behavior change. Once businesses successfully implement sustainable business practices and policies, we help them achieve Green Business Certification in Santa Monica and Culver City. We also help them receive local awards.
If you are interested in bringing the Green Business Program to your organization, please visit our Services page for more details.
Benefits of “Greening Your Bottom Line”
- Save $ on water and energy bills
- Save $ on waste hauling fees
- Reduce exposure to toxic chemicals
- Improve eco-purchasing policies
- Lower transportation impacts
- Receive recognition, awards…and have fun!
What’s the Green Business Process?
After we determine your eligibility, you will be assigned to one of our trained professionals who will guide your business through the following steps:
- Environmental assessment
- Customized and targeted recommendations
- Implementation guidance and follow-up
- Employee education
- Tracking and documenting your green success stories
What are people saying about the Green Business Program?
“Sustainable Works helped us implement a green business plan that allows us to not only act responsibly, but it serves to educate our customers and visitors as well. It’s a great program for the environment and our business! Kevin Hearst, The Digital Difference, Inc.
Events
Working with cities and communities, we co-create innovative, educational events to engage and inspire their residents, businesses, and students to make more sustainable decisions. These events include sustainable film series, student contests, and green prizes and awards for notable achievements in diverse categories from the arts to business and community at-large.
Current Events
Click on an event below for more info and to register
june

Virtual Event - Zoom link will be emailed to all registered guests
About The Film Eating Our Way To Extinction takes audiences on a cinematic journey around the world, from the
Virtual Event - Zoom link will be emailed to all registered guests
About The Film
Eating Our Way To Extinction takes audiences on a cinematic journey around the world, from the depths of the Amazon rainforests to the Taiwanese Mountains, the Mongolian desert, the US Dust Bowl, the Norwegian Fjords and the Scottish coastlines, telling the story of our planet through shocking testimonials, poignant accounts from indigenous people most affected by our ever-changing planet, globally renowned figures and leading scientists. This powerful documentary sends a simple but impactful message by uncovering hard truths and addressing, on the big screen, the most pressing issue of our generation – ecological collapse.
Confronting and entertaining, this documentary allows audiences to question their everyday choices, industry leaders and governments. Featuring a wealth of world-renowned contributors, including Sir Richard Branson and Tony Robbins, it has a message of hope that will empower audiences. The film is narrated by Academy Award Winner, Kate Winslet.
A panel discussion with Christine Tran, Executive Director LA Food Policy Council, Dana Ellis Hunnes, Vegan/plant-based Dietitian, UCLA Professor, & Author, and Gerard Wedderburn-Bisshop, Scientist, Author and Director of Replant Byron who is featured in the film. Sarah Spitz, UC Master Gardener, Los Angeles County, will moderate the panel.
La película se presentará con subtítulos en español y la traducción al español estará disponible para el panel de discusión. Si no hay solicitudes para traducción al español 72 horas antes del evento, el servicio de traducción al español no estará disponible.
The film will be presented with Spanish subtitles and Spanish translation will be available for the panel discussion. If there are no Spanish translation requests made 72 hours prior to the event, the Spanish translation service will not be made available.
Virtual Event Details
RUN
A Zoom link will be emailed to all registered guests
Time
(Wednesday) 6:00 pm PST
Organizer
City of Santa Monica and Sustainable Works
Register to Attend
Virtual Screening and Panel Discussion
This is a FREE EVENT but registration is required. Please separately register each viewer.
**All Fields are required.
Join our email list and never miss an event
Past Event Highlights
An Inconvenient Sequel Film Screening and Q&A with Al Gore
Thank you for attending the Environmental Documentary Screening of An Inconvenient Sequel on January 6th! We had an amazing panel discussion with former Vice [...]
Check out more of our past events
Team
Staff

Susy Borlido

Gina Garcia

Tamsyn Hunnewell

Co–Executive Director & Green Business Program Director
Susy Borlido
Susy moved to Los Angeles in 2001 shortly after obtaining her BA in Environmental Studies and Resource Management from the University of Toronto. In addition to her Co-Executive Director role, Susy Borlido leads the Green Business Programs at Sustainable Works. She is also a GBCI TRUE Advisor, and California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) Certified Professional in Sustainable Resource Management who has helped over 700 companies green their bottom line. She was a key player in the development, and launch of Santa Monica’s Green Business Program and the City of Santa Monica’s Green Business Certification Program. Today, Susy leads a team to assist businesses in several municipalities’ sustainability goals under the guidelines of the California Green Business Network. In 2017, Susy spearheaded the Sustainable Works contract to develop and implement a Sustainable Business Certification Program for the City of Culver City. Prior to this, she managed many grants to engage Los Angeles businesses in LADWP’s green initiatives. For over 17 years, Susy has been a member of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Sustainable Business Council (SMSBC). She is a key player in co-producing the annual Chamber’s Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA) and chair’s the SQA subcommittee. Her Green Business Program leadership provides the SQA’s with several strong business winners each year. Susy received two Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Awards for her hard work in business communities.
email::susy.borlido@sustainableworks.org
phone::310.458.8716; ext. 2

Co–Executive Director & Community Sustainability Program Director
Gina Garcia
Having moved from the East Coast to Santa Monica over 35 years ago, Gina considers herself a native. In addition to her current roles as Co-Executive Director, Community Sustainability Director and Buy Local SM Manager, she has worn many additional hats since she began her journey with Sustainable Works in 2007. Her first roles were as Outreach Volunteer and Workshop Instructor. In early 2009, she became the Coordinator of the Student Greening Program and supervised its expansion into the Los Angeles Community College District breaking participation records at Santa Monica College. In August 2010, Gina transferred to the Residential Greening Program as its Director, a position which allowed her to bring issues of sustainability to a broader segment of the Los Angeles Community. When the Residential Greening Program transitioned to the Community Sustainability Program in 2013, Gina began the coordination of city-wide community events, producing over 45 events to date. Gina became Co-Executive Director of Sustainable Works in July 2014, executing the mission and managing the overall operations and growth of the organization. As an Advisory Board Member of Climate Action Santa Monica (CASM), a local grassroots organization dedicated to empowering the community into action on climate change, Gina has the opportunity to connect with and learn from another local nonprofit. She draws inspiration from her family and strives to be a model for her two daughters. She holds a BA in Speech & Theater from Montclair State University and a certification in Horticulture from UCLA.
email:gina.garcia@sustainableworks.org
phone:310.458.8716; ext. 4

Green Business Program Senior Account Executive
Tamsyn Hunnewell
Tamsyn Hunnewell has over a decade of experience in environmental management and consulting with an emphasis on water, waste and energy systems. Tamsyn is a WELL and LEED Accredited Professional who has assisted on green and healthy building project teams. She is also a GBCI TRUE Advisor and California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) Certified Professional with expertise in zero waste and sustainable resource management.
Since her arrival to Southern California in 2006, she has been involved with Sustainable Works, starting out as a volunteer before her role with the Green Business Program. Since then, she has greened over 200 companies, successfully helping them integrate comprehensive sustainability strategies and policies, and fostering strong business community leaders. A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in environmental engineering, Tamsyn worked for several years as an environmental engineer on billion dollar transportation-related projects in New York City. She has also consulted with local organizations such as, Tree People and California Climate Registry. Prior to Los Angeles, she lived in New Zealand where she assisted the work of several environmental
conservation non-profits, including the World Wildlife Foundation’s Climate Change Initiative.
email:tamsyn.hunnewell@sustainableworks.org
phone:310.458-8716; ext. 3

Ivannia Perez-Schlamm

Brenda Medina-Maldonado

Melissa Anderson

Green Business Program Account Executive
Ivannia Perez-Schlamm
Originally from Chile, Ivannia is a bilingual English/Spanish professional who is on a mission to live a life that supports the natural environment and improves the lives of others. A believer that education is a strong pillar for change and personal improvement, Ivannia feels Sustainable Works’ mission is a perfect fit for her passion to make a difference in todays and tomorrow’s world. Ivannia’s career spans from sales and customer service management to marketing and advertising. In addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Engineering from the Catholic University of Valparaiso in Chile, Ivannia completed the Recycling and Resource Management (RRM) Certificate of Achievement Studies from Santa Monica College. She is a USGBC LEED Green Associate and certified TRUE Advisor from Green Business Certification, Inc and consistently keeps up to date with subjects related to the industry.
In 2020, Ivannia joined the Equity committee of the California Green Business Network and helps administer the Buy Local Santa Monica campaign. In addition, she supports the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce’s annual Organization of Women Leaders (OWL) annual event.
Professional development:LEED Green Associate | Recycling and Resource Management Certificate of Achievement | TRUE Advisor
phone:310.458.8716 x3

Student Program Director
Brenda Medina-Maldonado
Having lived in California all her life, Brenda is continually inspired by California’s lead in policies to combat climate change. She attended the University of California Santa Barbara and in 2013 received a Bachelor of Arts Spanish and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics. After being in the workforce for a couple of years she decided in 2018 to go back to school to learn as much as possible about what can be done to help the environment. While at Santa Monica College she completed an Associate of Arts in Public Policy and an Associate of Science in Recycling and Resource Management. To round out these degrees she also got certified in Organics Aide and as a Sustainability Assistant. Looking to further her active involvement in promoting positive changes, she completed the Sustainable Works program as a student at Santa Monica College, and later led for several semesters as a volunteer student workshop leader. Through this experience she found that the key to change is through teaching the future leaders of America. Brenda is most inspired by the changes students make through the workshop once they learn the power they hold as individuals and community members to implement sustainable solutions in their everyday lives.
email:brenda.medina-maldonado@sustainableworks.org
phone:310.458.8716

Green Business Program Associate
Melissa Anderson
Melissa is happy to rejoin the Sustainable Works team as a Green Business Program Associate. She was the Office Manager from 2005 – 2007 and since then has worked at a green living and materials retail store (Livingreen), as an assistant to a pioneering LEED architect/consultant (Verde Concepts) and has maintained a sustainable approach to her life, much of it learned during her initial time at Sustainable Works. In her new role, she looks forward to supporting the Green Business Program team in providing businesses with the knowledge, tools, and resources to green their business and obtain certification. She is also the Executive Assistant at nearby 18th Street Arts Center and holds degrees in English and Theatre from the University of Southern California. She is an artist, a mother to two boys, and a SoCal native by way of Jamaica. Her CliftonStrengths profile is Connectedness, Empathy, Input, Strategic, and Ideation.
email:melissa.anderson@sustainableworks.org
phone:310.458.8716
Advisory Board

Vicki Liao

Bonny Bentzin

Nurit Katz
Vicki Liao
Vicki has 10 years of business development, sales and strategy experience in the media and entertainment industry. She is passionate about sustainability and an advocate for environmental education. She currently serves on the Greener World Board at Sony Pictures studio, which is responsible for planning initiatives to educate employees on sustainability and environmental issues. Additionally, as the co-head of Sony’s employee garden, she launched a learning program in partnership with Sony’s Daycare and Employee Resource Groups to teach sustainable gardening.
In her free time, Vicki enjoys gardening, biking around downtown LA and reading sci-fi books. She holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BS in Business Administration from UC Berkeley.
Bonny Bentzin
Bonny is a key member of the leadership team for sustainability at UCLA, helping manage sustainability across the university and working to foster partnerships among academic, research, and operational departments to create a world class living laboratory for sustainability. Bonny began her career in higher education sustainability as the Assistant Director of the Office of Sustainability Initiatives and the Director of University Sustainability Practices at Arizona State University, where she was instrumental in designing the overarching sustainability vision and executing the campus sustainability strategy for the university. Her role as the founding Director of University Sustainability Practices included an expansive project portfolio spanning all area of operations for the University’s four campuses, as well as working on community engagement, organizational change management and the academic and research missions for the institution. She then served as the Director of Sustainability for GreenerU, a greater Boston area consulting firm focusing on the higher-ed sector in New England.
Prior to joining UCLA, Bonny was the Head of Sustainability and Project Integration for the Trust for Sustainable Development, working on Spirit Bay Developments, coordinating all sustainability aspects and planning key projects for a new town concept being developed in partnership with the Sc’ianew First Nation (Beecher Bay Band) near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Nurit Katz
UCLA’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, Nurit Katz is working to foster partnerships among academic, research, and operational departments to facilitate creating a world class living laboratory for sustainability at UCLA. As Executive Officer for UCLA Facilities Management, Nurit also provides strategy support to make the university more operationally efficient and coordinates with Emergency Management on resilience planning. Nurit is also an Instructor for UCLA Extension’s Sustainability Certificate Program. In 2017 she received the Dean’s Award from UCLA Extension for outstanding instruction and contributions to the UCLA Extension community and her class was featured as one of the top 10 classes in LA in the 2012 LA Weekly’s Best of LA.
Nurit holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, a Masters in Public Policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and a BA in Environmental Education from Humboldt State University. Nurit was honored as one of 100 Inspirational Alumni for the 75th Anniversary of UCLA Anderson, Public Policy alumna of the year in 2015, and recently she was recognized as one of the top 100 business trailblazers in the Women Worth Watching in Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Bonnie Nixon

Steve Rounds

Bill Selby
Bonnie Nixon
As a relentless optimist and courageous catalyst for change, Bonnie has held many high-profile positions at the global forefront of a new low carbon, resource protected and just economy. Bonnie has served as a corporate sustainability executive, owner of an environmental planning and communications consultancy, and university educator in the following roles; Senior Partner with Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Director of Sustainability for Mattel Toys, Executive Director of Sustainability Consortium, Director of Global Sustainability for HP, Chairwomen of Sustainable Silicon Valley, Vice President of Circlepoint, Inc. and Director of PR for Boston Harbor Cleanup Project.
Today Bonnie is a Sustainability Strategist and Human Rights Educator with BonnEco, Inc. and specializes in complex supply chains. Bonnie graduated from Penn State in Sociology and more recently obtained her Masters’ Degree in Learning Technologies and is pursuing a PhD in Global Leadership and Change, both at Pepperdine University. Ms. Nixon believes in the power of web-based collaboration and understands that blockchain technology, gamification, social media, online education using multi-media platforms, augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics and visual animation can and will dramatically accelerate a more sustainable future for future generations.
Steve Rounds
Steve Rounds is a senior consultant at Cognizant where he focuses on supporting Fortune 500 healthcare, technology, and retail corporations in organizational change management, digital transformation, strategic assessments and business process reengineering projects. Steve is passionate about sustainability–particularly from a viewpoint of digital technology (i.e. artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, automation, etc.) which can radically empower companies and citizens to adopt environmentally sustainable behavior.
Prior to Steve’s work in consulting, he served as a paralegal at the U.S. Department of Justice within the Commercial Fraud sector.
Steve holds an MBA from the University of Georgia and a BA in International Affairs and Spanish from the George Washington University. Steve lives in Santa Monica and, in his free time, enjoys biking along the beach, participating in the rich local music and arts culture, and taking in as many spectacular sunsets along Palisades Park as he can.
Bill Selby
In addition to teaching a wide range of courses at Santa Monica College and serving in several leadership roles, Professor Selby is recognized as an accomplished speaker in geography and earth science. In addition to being an advisor to the City of Santa Monica, Professor Selby has also been a guest lecturer at UCI and for UCLA and has taught courses at UCI as a Visiting Professor. He continues presenting at teacher training workshops, has been one of the most requested speakers for SMC’s Speakers Bureau for community groups, and presents papers each year for professional organizations, such as the AAG, APCG, and CGS.