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January 2003
Notes from NEGEF's Executive Director
Training Opportunity
Grantee Success Stories
NEGEF's 6th Annual Retreat
NEGEF's Bits & Pieces
NEGEF Grantmaking
New Application Form
NEGEF Contact Information
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NOTES
FROM
DIRECTOR
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"If every household in the U.S. replaced one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, it would be the equivalent of taking seven million cars off the road."
So said Nicole Wobus of Mass-Energy, speaking to a community forum on climate change and renewable energy in Boston's Jamaica Plain Library.
What does the equation really mean? Does the energy saved using a fluorescent bulb reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to what seven million cars emit during that same time period? Whatever the bottom line, this greenhouse gas reduction is dramatic and easy to do. Couple this small "act of kindness" with the many other household actions every one of us can take. If these steps are so easy, then WHY AREN'T WE RISING TO MEET THE CHALLENGE? Why is it so hard to put the lid on greenhouse gas emissions, turn the tide on climate change, reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil?
Okay, so you're a local citizen trying to do something, a little something, to make the world a better place and the environment a little healthier. At NEGEF, we believe that your actions are the lynch pin in the cog of environmental politics. Grassroots action is more important than ever, and we need to mobilize now.
Since 1996, NEGEF has made over 600 grants to 450 groups. Each group has an average of 8-10 core activists reaching another 30-50 energized citizens who are backed by roughly 300 folks in their communities
who want to do the right thing. That works out to:
o 3600 - 4500 organizers
o 13,500 - 22,500 citizens ready to act
o 135,000 who could be prodded into action if the challenge were compelling enough
I'm convinced that many of us could unite to make things happen. The question is: HOW DO WE MAKE LOCAL ACTION A COMMUNITY PRIORITY?
So let's take a stab at deciding that 2003 is the YEAR of CO2 EMISSION REDUCTION. What will it take? EFFORT, TIME, FUN, AND (most of all) ORGANIZING. If you really want to make a difference, shift your focus to actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, stop global warming, save energy, and save dollars - your money, your neighbors' money, your local tax dollars, and on up the chain.
Here's a list of simple things we all can do to reduce energy consumption which, in turn, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As NEGEF staff member Linn Syz points out, these actions have been on the "101 Things You Can Do to Save the Environment" list since the early 1970's. New technologies make the impact more significant - but why aren't we all doing these things? One missing element is the ASK - asking each other, face to face, in local door-to-door campaigns to, quite literally, change the light bulb!
Here's a sample list. We need local voices to stand in town squares and read them out:
Individual actions:
o Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs
o Draft-proof your windows and doors
o Switch to a front-loading washing machine when your current one is replaced
o Air dry your laundry outside when the weather is nice, or on a rack indoors if it's not
o Drive less, walk/bike more
o Recycle
o Make your next car a hybrid
THESE STEPS ARE EASY TO DO, GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, AND EASY ON YOUR POCKETBOOK. Check out Clean Air-Cool Planet's website www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/action for more ideas. Take the 10% Challenge to reduce emissions by at least ten percent. Visit www.tenpercentchallenge.org or www.newdream.org.
In the office - What light bulbs do you use at work? How many people car pool? Do you use recycled paper and other office products? If the company has a fleet of vehicles, ask that they be replaced with hybrids as the current ones are retired.
In your town - All municipal buildings, schools and other public facilities can and should be held to the same practices noted above. Public transit systems need much, much more support. To begin, ORGANIZE AN ENERGY OR CLIMATE ACTION COMMITTEE. Two NEGEF grantees are taking the lead in helping local activists organize these committees.
Contact:
o Marc Breslow at the Massachusetts Climate Action Network, marc@mbreslow.org, if you live in Massachusetts
o Bob Walker at the Sustainable Energy Resource Group, SERG@valley.net, if you are in Vermont or New Hampshire
o Clean Air - Cool Planet can direct you to other local organizing ideas if you live in the other New England states. CA-CP can be reached at info@cleanair-coolplanet.org
If you want to make an impact, working on climate change is direct and positive. Once we've completed the simple tasks outlined above, we can move on to tougher items. Let's hold ourselves, our friends, our neighbors, and our local communities accountable. 2003 is the Year of CO2 Emission Reduction. If we work at it, I bet we could meet the 10% Challenge this year.
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TRAINING
OPPORTUNITY
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
FUNDRASING TRAINING
Andy Robinson, NEGEF's Training and Outreach staff member, will be leading a day-long Grantwriting Workshop on Saturday, April 5th in Hartford, CT.
The training is free for NEGEF grantees, and $25 for all others.
More details and a registration form will follow via email and snail mail.
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GRANTEE
SUCCESS
STORIES
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OR BETTER YET, GRANTEE "PERSEVERANCE" STORY
Environmental Action for Northern New Hampshire - Bethlehem, New Hampshire
Environmental Action of Northern New Hampshire (EANNH) began their community organizing efforts in 1998 around concerns about an active landfill in their small town of Bethlehem, New Hampshire. Since 1987, the town of fewer than 2,000 residents has tried 13 times to stop Casella Waste Management from expanding its landfill operation in town. 350 tons of waste per day from 100 communities in and out of New Hampshire are unloaded at the landfill that dwarfs homes in the Pierce Bridge area of town with 90 feet of waste towering above the local landscape. Large quantities of "Special Waste" are covered daily with contaminated soil. The landfill, located just 200 feet from the White Mountain National Forest, sits on top of an aquifer; volatile organic compounds, or VOC's, are showing up in wells being monitored next to the landfill.
In 2000, a Casella vice president said that the company's goal was to expand the landfill acreage in use from 51 to 80 acres on the 120-acre site. The expansion could keep the site running for another 11 years while it accepts an additional two million cubic yards of refuse. Despite the passage of an article by a vote of 356-143 at Bethlehem's town meeting in 2000 that restricted the landfill height to 95 feet, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services issued a permit allowing the landfill to grow to a height of 120 feet. The landfill, managed by North Country Environmental Services (NCES), has continued to be a source of tension for the better part of a decade in the community. Bethlehem residents have seen their community change as it has gained
the dubious distinction of a "dump town."
A new leachate burning injection system, using 2.5 million gallons of leachate annually, is now operating at the Bethlehem landfill. A public hearing was held with more then 70 residents voicing opposition to the project, but "their concerns fell on deaf ears," according to Jack Yazinski, an attorney representing EANNH. Leachate is sprayed into a flare and burned, with nearly half of the chemicals contained in the gases emitted into the atmosphere. No emissions have been tested from the system to date. The landfill's secondary leachate liner is "leaking huge quantities of leachate, 200 gallons per day", reports Julie Seely, EANNH member. "This can be indicative of a primary liner leak".
Members of EANNH have been relentless in their community organizing efforts around landfill issues. EANNH's prevailing message is that the community is not being adequately protected from the landfill's increased growth, and that their concerns over health and environmental issues are being ignored. The Bethlehem selectboard members agree with many of EANNH concerns; in 2002 Bethlehem spent $164,000, 10% of the town's budget, in legal fees in an ongoing battle between town officials and NCES who has brought a lawsuit claiming the town of Bethlehem is using its local ordinances and regulations to harass the company. The civil suit, which names the town and its selectmen, as well as the planning and zoning boards, charges that the town acted in bad faith and attempted to deny North Country Services its property rights by trying to block further landfill expansion. Select-board member Judy Wallace believes that North Country tried to make the case as expensive as possible for Bethlehem. "They're trying to bury us under paper and bankrupt us," she said.
Members of EANNH and AWARE, another group in the community working on environmental issues, recently formed the David and Goliath Trust (DAG). The trust is set up exclusively to help Bethlehem with its legal bills around landfill-related issues. A fundraising drive brought in over $5,000 that was donated to the town to cover a portion of the legal costs to oppose the expansion of the landfill. EANNH's campaign also includes an appeal to surrounding towns. "The town is tired," said Julie Seely of EANNH. The DAG fund is an effort to help a town in clear need of moral and financial support.
A recent issue of EANNH's newsletter noted in its "We Can't Make This Stuff Up" section that Casella recently applied to be exempt from town property taxes, arguing that they were a "pollution control facility". The newsletter continues, "It seems that they have forgotten that prior to there being a landfill on that site, it wasn't polluted at all!"
A newly formed "citizens group" with around 15 members, Take Back Bethlehem, has formed in reaction to the town of Bethlehem's efforts to protect the community from the landfill. The group is challenging the town government to settle all landfill related lawsuits, saying they should encourage business in town. Meanwhile, EANNH continues to promote the protection of natural resources by educating the public, elected town officials, and state government officials about the requirements, hazards and legalities of landfills. "Our goal is to protect the health of all of Bethlehem's citizens," declares Julie Seely. "We will continue to speak out and be heard."
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NEGEF'S 6th
ANNUAL
RETREAT
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Over 130 NEGEF grantees, staff,Board and Grantmaking Committee members, trainers and friends gathered in Worcester, Mass. November 7th-8th for a high energy two-day "advance". The theme, "Grassroots Activism: Many Faces, Many Issues, Many Ages", was best reflected by our grantee panels whose members ranged from junior high youth working in New Haven, CT, to grantees elected to public office to effect change, to our most senior activist, a 93-year old woman whose life-long "work" has been caring for and educating others about the health of our planet.
Friday afternoon field trips introduced us to the variety of environments that Worcester has to offer. Some got a walking tour of historic downtown Worcester while another group learned about some of the economic revitalization projects around Clark University. One trip visited Coal Mine Brook where they learned about the ongoing effort to bring trout back to the rivers in Worcester, and still others visited the largest urban wildlife sanctuary in New England. Back at the hotel, Paul and Maureen Hoffman from Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association in Maine took some of the mystery out of GIS technology.
The Keynote Speaker, Terri Swearingen, inspired, energized and entertained the dinner crowd with the story of how she became an activist in her fight against a toxic waste incinerator in her hometown of East Liverpool, Ohio. She chronicled her evolution from a "housewife and mother" to a leading activist against industrial polluters. As a result of Terri's persistent activism, the US EPA has implemented tougher siting standards for all hazardous waste facilities.
Saturday skills trainings for our grantees included marketing and media work, fundraising, community planning, database management, and organizational development.
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NEGEF'S
BITS&
PIECES
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We get a number of e-newsletters here in the office. One is from American P.I.E. (Public Information on the Environment) out of Minnesota (info@americanpie.org). One of their recent EcoAlerts addressed the issue of food production. We have included it here.
WHAT'S FOR SUPPER?
We live at a time when farmers don't know where their food is going, and consumers don't know where it's coming from. This has created an unsustainable food system in the U.S. that serves to reward an unaccountable industrialized monolith of production, processing, packaging and transportation. The disconnection between farmers and consumers also raises questions about what we're really serving up at the supper table.
What we generally purchase from the supermarket is old food. Old food travels from very far away - treated and packaged to prevent spoiling during its long trip to our kitchen tables, an average of 1300 miles. Old food, heavily subsidized, is produced using so-called efficiencies of scale; everywhere you go in the world today, milk from thousands of miles away costs less than local milk. The consequence is a breakdown of healthy production, a breakdown of small producers and small businesses.
As customers of modern agritechnology, we pay for all manner of things we never asked for: advertising, preservatives, additives, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, gene splicing, irradiation, bacteria, industrial chemicals, packaging, and transport. There is no quick answer to the problems engendered by this country's food production system: pollution of the environment, exhaustion of sustainable resources like soil and water, and deterioration of health for both natural and human communities. Asking what's for supper, however, is a start.
Here are some things you can do to reconnect to the sources of your food and strengthen local economy through agriculture:
ƒ Bypass the monolithic express by buying directly from farmers.
ƒ Buy from local food cooperatives or natural food grocery stores.
ƒ Become a member of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.
ƒ At supermarkets ask managers to stock organically grown and sustainably-raised food.
ƒ Look for labels that certify that a product is organic or sustainable.
ƒ Tell your representatives on both the state and federal level that you oppose farm policy that favors large-scale, monocultural agriculture.
Pursuing these questions begins a process of inspiring small farmers, smaller producers of all kinds, to be actively engaged, more stimulated to produce in a healthy way in flourish-ing local communities. It all begins by asking, "What's for supper?"
CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS
From Spirit in Nature's Winter 2002 newsletter, clips from the media.
Good News - According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the sale of energy efficient appliances and light bulbs saved $5 billion on energy bills in 2001. That is the equivalent of reducing air pollution by 10 million cars.
And Not So Good News - Arctic Ice is melting at record levels. In the next 50 years, the Arctic may be almost ice-free in summer. In the last 30 years, one half million square miles has melted, which is almost 10% per decade. Because it is melting at this rate, global warming is apt to accelerate.
Three Easy Steps Now for a Healthier Tomorrow
From Green Decade's Jan/Feb 2003 newsletter, Green News, some small steps you can take for a healthier environment. Although addressed to residents of Massachusetts, these tips certainly apply to the rest of us in New England.
Don't idle. Idling your car creates even more pollution than driving it, especially in cold weather. The EPA estimates that half of all air pollution in the U. S. is from motor vehicles. Three easy steps they recommend to reduce air pollution are: Turn off your engine when your car is stopped for 30 seconds or more (turning your engine off and on uses less gas); avoid drive-thru windows; and idle for only 30 seconds to warm your engine in winter (driving warms it quicker). The connection between air pollution and illnesses, like asthma, is well documented. According to the American Lung Association, since 1996 over 800 scientific studies have linked air pollution to illness and death.
Limit eating fish with high levels of mercury. Departments of Health in all of the New England states have been issuing advisories about limiting the intake of fish. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 12 are advised not to consume shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tuna fish and all freshwater fish caught in the state because of mercury contamination. The state also recommends limiting consumption of canned tuna to 12 ounces or less per week for all adults. Nearly all fish contain traces of mercury.
Fetal exposure to mercury can cause learning deficiencies and delayed development. In adults mercury poisoning causes tremors, depression, insomnia, and other erratic behaviors once known as the mad hatter's disease. To help reduce the level of mercury in fish, go one step further and work to clean up the major source of mercury pollution - coal plants. Join a citizens' lobbying group like Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow (www.healthytomorrow.org) or MASSPIRG (www.masspirg.org).
Minimize pesticide use. Pesticides poison more than just weeds and insects. Children growing up in families that use pesticides regularly have much higher rates of brain cancer and leukemia (J. M. Pogoda and S. Preston-Martin, "Household Pesticides and Risk of Pediatric Brain Tumors", Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 105, 1997; Ma, X., et. al., "Critical Windows of Exposure to Household Pesticides and Risk of Childhood Leukemia", Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 110, 2002). Frequently these toxic products, like flea and tick treatments for pets, are used by habit instead of need. Freezing weather and a soapy bath both kill fleas. Here in our cold, wintry state, the occasional bath (with non-insecticide pet shampoo) and housecleaning can keep a dog flea free.
With just a bit of effort it is easy to reduce some toxins from our environment. Added together these little steps help create a healthier tomorrow for us all.
---Lucia Dolan
From World Watch (Jan/Feb 2003)
MATTERS OF SCALE
Biodiversity Factors
Time it takes to grow 1 inch of soil - 1,000 years
Time it has taken to erode and wash away one-third of the topsoil in the United States - 40 years
Kilograms of toxic chemicals that would be removed from the environment each year if U.S. homeowners reduced their use of pesticides by 10 percent - 2 million
Kilograms of toxic chemicals that would be removed from the environment each year if U. S. manufacturing firms reduced their releases by 10 percent - 700 million
DO PUBLIC OFFICIALS REALLY READ YOUR EMAILS??
From a New York Times article, October 3, 2002.
"E-Mail Slips to the Bottom of City Hall's In Box"
Most mayors and city council members routinely receive email from constituents. While they say the messages help them to understand public opinion better, they still give more weight to opinions expressed in meetings, letters, and telephone calls, according to a study released recently by the National League of Cities and the Pew Internet and
American Life Project. Of 520 municipal officials surveyed
nationwide, 90% said they used the Internet on the job, and nearly 80% said they had received email from constituents or local groups about civic issues. About 25% reported that they heard from constituents by email every day.
More than half of the officials said that email brought them into contact with individuals from whom they had never heard before and that the electronic communication improved their relations with community groups. "We definitely hear from more people that way, and this is certainly the value to it," said Ken Genser, a city councilman in Santa Monica, CA.
However, about half of the Internet-using officials surveyed said that opinions expressed through meetings and phone calls carried the most weight. More than a quarter said that letters carried the most weight. By contrast, only 14% said they gave serious weight to opinions expressed by email.
"The communications that take more time and energy are the ones that are going to carry the most weight," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Project.
"I think the most effective things is to come to the council meetings and speak. It shows more commitment," said Mr. Genser. Email, he said,
rates more as a signature on a petition, especially if messages arrive as part of a lobbying campaign.
Still, Mr. Rainie said, the findings about email communication are encouraging. "There are ways for citizens to use these tools to have their voices heard," he said.
The telephone remains the primary tool for contacting City Hall: 64% of officials said they received most of their communications from constituents by phone.
Another study has also cast doubt on the effectiveness of email for getting a message through to government. Results of a survey by researchers at Brown University showed a poor response rate to email by state government officials.
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NEGEF
GRANTMAKING
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This last grant round was the largest ever for NEGEF. Staff reviewed 102 applications, a 38% increase over the previous round which had been the largest to date. The Grantmaking Committee had some difficult decisions to make, and there was a lot of thoughtful discussion at the meeting held in November. They voted to fund 54 of the applicants, 37 of whom were new to NEGEF. The following groups received grants:
Androscoggin Lake Improvement Corporation
Wayne, ME
$1,500
To support the activities of the group, including the newsletter, fundraising, and the resource center in the office, that will support its campaign to protect Androscoggin Lake from the polluted Androscoggin River water.
Aziscohos Lake Preservation Committee
Wilsons Mills, ME
$1,500
To conserve and protect Maine's outdoor heritage and natural resource assets by enforcing existing provisions of Aziscohos Hydroelectric Project's license and permits.
Bangor Area Citizens Organized for Responsible Development
Bangor, ME
$2,000
To protect the Penjajawoc Marsh from inappropriate big-box development on its upland borders.
Boston Global Action Network
Boston, MA
$1,000
To carry out a campaign called "Shoppers Unite for Safe Food and Workers' Rights" that advocates for genetically engineered-free food and union representation at local supermarkets.
Boston Urban Asthma Coalition
Dorchester, MA
$1,000
To host community meetings with parents of children with asthma to address the issues of healthy homes and school diesel buses.
Branch Pond Association
Winslow, ME
$1,000
To develop a GIS map of the lakeshed that incorporates existing land use and cover type information previously developed by Sheepscot Valley Conservation Assn., and add to that a layer that includes land ownership and boundary information in order to better protect the area from future development that could alter the water quality and scenic value.
Brattleboro Climate Protection Coalition
Brattleboro, VT
$1,200
To develop the project volunteer base and to increase volunteers' ability to accomplish significant outreach to address the problem of global climate change by actively participating in the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign.
Broad Bay Alliance
Freedom, NH
$1,250
To expand and solidify its membership and become the first permanent organization dedicated to protecting the natural environment of the waters of Ossipee Lake.
Canary Committee
Newtown, CT
$2,000
To promote practices and resources that protect children and school personnel from harmful substances found in schools.
Cape Clean Air
Sandwich, MA
$1,750
To support Cape Clean Air's efforts to reach its ultimate goal of improved air quality for Cape Cod and the New England region.
Cell No! Committee of Jones Hill
Dorchester, MA
$2,000
To help fund the group's campaign to keep a cell tower out of Jones Hill.
Citizens for Safe Farming
Charlotte, VT
$2,000
To help fund the campaign to oppose a new "factory" farm for 2500 cattle with a 3-acre manure lagoon.
Citizens for the Preservation of Wellfleet
Wellfleet, MA
$1,000
To stop a regional industrial garbage processing and "compost" manufacturing plant from processing solid waste, commercial solid waste and treated sewage sludge into Type I compost to be sold.
Citizens Power Alert!
New Britain, CT
$2,000
To stop a proposed power plant that is sited in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
Concerned Cheshire Citizens
Gilsum, NH
$1,500
To fund the legal action of writing an Amicus Brief in support of CLF's case against the NHDOT's traffic design that will impact 30 acres of wetlands.
Concerned Citizens Network
Wilmington, MA
$1,000
To help fund a public forum to update the community on the group's campaigns to clean up toxic sites in the area and a study of childhood cancers that are above the average rate.
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County
Highgate Center, VT
$2,000
To support the group's organizing work around the expansion of Vermont Egg Farm and other Large Farm Operations.
Concerned Citizens of Stoughton
Stoughton, MA
$1,250
To support the Citizens as they lead a proactive response opposing the proposed development of the Goddard Woods.
Concerned Citizens of Whitefield
Whitefield, ME
$2,000
To stop the spreading of Class A Biosolid Sludge on land in Whitefield.
CT Chapter of Citizens Awareness Network
Haddam, CT
$1,000
To support CT CAN's intervening with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Board against Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company with regard to its License Termination Plan.
Eastern Trail Alliance
Saco, ME
$1,000
To help fund the organization's office operations to support the development of a trail along an historic railroad corridor to connect twelve towns.
Ecological Health Organization
Berlin, CT
$1,000
To support "Project Ladybug", a program designed to educate licensed day care operators about the dangers and use of pesticides and the benefits of using Integrated Pest Management.
Exeter - A Special Place
Exeter, NH
$750
To implement an extensive communication program to educate citizens about the importance of the initiative to permanently protect some of the remaining developable land that is of significant value to the community.
Friends of Donigian Park
Providence, RI
$1,500
To continue various programs and activities to help maintain a safe, clean park space and improve the quality of life for neighborhood residents.
Friends of Fort Constitution
New Castle, NH
$1,250
To insure that UNH plans to build a pier and building adjacent to a small historic residential community are reviewed and implemented for the benefit of all the site stakeholders.
Friends of Manton Miracle
Providence, RI
$1,500
To organize events during the year to bring positive programming to the park site and to mobilize the community to take responsibility for its upkeep and safety throughout the year.
Garfield/Hyde Park Neighbors Alliance
Hyde Park, VT
$2,000
To help pay for on-going litigation to stop the construction of a 180-foot cell tower.
Hampden Land Project
Hampden, MA
$1,300
To help fund the campaign to preserve a 166-acre parcel of land for sale as Phase II of the "Save Minnechaug Mountain" campaign.
Hampstead Preservation Committee
Hampstead, NH
$1,000
To continue to follow development proposals in town to ensure that town and state procedures are complied with and that the town planning board considers the resulting impact on the surrounding residential area.
Interreligious Eco-Justice Network
Hartford, CT
$1,000
To begin a Youth Initiative within the religious communities to educate and activate the youth of Connecticut through outreach to youth groups.
Leeds and Livermore Falls Citizens Against Toxic Sludge
Livermore Falls, ME
$2,000
To support the petition filed with the Board of Environmental Protection to appeal the sludge license granted by the state and prevent future dumping in the community.
Lincoln County Trailblazers
Damariscotta, ME
$1,500
To fund a new program based on Maine Conservation Corps where youth and community members will volunteer and collaborate with local land trusts on conservation projects.
Maine NoSnare Task Force
Holden, ME
$1,000
To support its campaign to eliminate the neck snare from the Maine woods in 2003.
Manchester Area Residents Concerned about Health
Manchester, CT
$2,000
To stop the construction of a concrete plant and shut down the existing asphalt operation.
Mashpee Environmental Coalition
Mashpee, MA
$1,000
To conduct outreach activities designed to foster local interest and environmental activism via a broader community understanding of existing and potential ecological threats.
Mendon Clean Water Action Committee
Mendon, MA
$1,750
To test the soil being used for fill at a site near thirty homes that have shown high levels of lead in their well water.
Mill Cove Neighbors Association
Warwick, RI
$1,500
To help fund legal assistance to stop the development of environmentally sensitive lots on Mill Cove.
Mount Washington Valley CSA
Center Conway, NH
$1,500
To formulate a clear and concise three-year plan for the direction of the CSA.
Neighbors Opposed to a Polluted Environment
Lexington, MA
$1,000
To help sustain and supplement the organization's Woburn wetland appeal to prevent the development of Winning Farm.
Newhall Coalition
Hamden, CT
$1,750
To help fund a study to assess the health of residents in a neighborhood that was built over a landfill that had received both household waste and industrial waste from the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.
NOFA - RI
Providence, RI
$1,000
To reenergize the organization through a membership drive, a board development training and an annual winter conference.
Penobscot Alliance for Mercury Elimination
Verona, ME
$1,500
To ensure that citizens' voices are heard during the 45-day comment period about proposed clean-up standards for the HoltraChem plant that polluted the Penobscot River over thirty years with mercury, pesticides, and other chemicals.
People of Ayer Concerned about the Environment
Ayer, MA
$2,000
To prevent the construction of an auto-unloading facility that will place 1.5 million square feet of asphalt directly above the primary aquifer adjacent to Spectacle Pond, one of Ayer's two sources of water.
Pesticide Action Team
Providence, RI
$2,000
To fund training sessions and printed materials about alternatives to toxic pesticides for all Southside Land Trust community gardeners in anticipation of a spring 2003 ban on non-organic pesticides.
Project Outreach/Shalom Community
Providence, RI
$1,250
To continue Project Outreach's community garden that encourages efficient, self-reliant and sustainable food sources and to build raised beds so that the elderly and handicapped can participate.
Residents Opposing Quarries in Neighborhoods
Williamstown, VT
$2,000
To help fund the group's participation in Act 250 hearings where they will present testimony against a proposed quarry and aggregate operation in an area surrounded by homes.
R. I. Assn. of Conservation Commissions
Cranston, RI
$1,000
To help fund a series of training workshops for member commissioners of all of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns to enhance local protection of natural resources.
Rye Open Space Committee
Rye, NH
$750
To help fund a comprehensive outreach program for land protection initiatives.
Solar Youth
New Haven, CT
$1,750
To support Neighborhood Stewards Teams, after-school programs for youth from low-income communities who address local environmental problems through community service action projects.
Stoneham Environmental Action Committee
Stoneham, MA
$1,800
To conduct an outreach campaign about the harmful effects and potential health risks associated with pesticides.
Three Rivers Land Trust
Acton, ME
$1,000
To establish a framework, methodology and implementation plan for regional open space preservation/prioritization within the five-town Three River Land Trust region.
Urban Garden Resources of Worcester
Worcester, MA
$1,500
To help fund the coordinator who will provide technical support, organize public events, coordinate garden stewards and grow and distribute organic seedlings for new and existing gardens.
Washington Street Corridor Coalition
Roxbury, MA
$2,000
To support its campaign to advocate for a new transit service that will be an equitable replacement for the Orange Line in Boston.
White Oak Land Conservation Society
Jefferson, MA
$500
To conduct a direct mail campaign to over 8000 households in two towns to increase membership and get the word out about local land conservation efforts.
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NEW
APPLICATION
FORM
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We are in the process of creating a new application form that will soon be available from this site. It will have a one-page Cover Sheet in addition to the four pages of the application itself. There will be a new section, Applicant Profile, that will give us a better "snapshot" of your group and your community. The information from the Profile will also help us as we evaluate the impact of our small grants program. The new application will be available for the next deadline on May 1st for our June Grantmaking.
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NEGEF
CONTACT
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P. O. Box 1057
Montpelier, VT 05601
(802) 223-4622 (phone)
(802) 229-1734 (fax)
info@grassrootsfund.org (email)
www.grassrootsfund.org (website) |
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