2011 Grant Recipients

A 2011 Sustainable Path Foundation grant to Cascadia Green Building Council will support the From Toolkit to Policy Change: Guiding Puget Sound Communities toward 21st Century Wastewater Strategies project. Previous funding from Sustainable Path enabled development of the Toolkit to create policy change around waste water strategies. The 2011 grant will allow CGBC to take the next steps: Working from the Toolkit, CGBC will create and host seven “Exploring Net Zero Water” lectures geared toward key decision-makers within the Puget Sound area.

Sustainable Path Foundation’s 2011 grant to Climate Solutions will allow the organization to move into the next phase of its New Energy Cities project. New Energy Cities provides guidance and technical assistance to small- to medium-sized Northwest cities like Edmonds, Washington, as they plan for and implement clean-energy solutions like smart-grid technology and distributed renewable power. Sustainable Path’s support enables Climate Solutions to help move cities to the implementation phase of their transitions; increase the number of cities Climate Solutions assists; and communicate their successes to a broad audience.

A 2011 Sustainable Path Foundation grant to EarthCorps will support the organization’s Forest Monitoring Team program. The Forest Monitoring Team is a citizen science project; volunteers are trained to document and measure urban forest restoration and establish permanent monitoring plots in Seattle-area parks. Sustainable Path’s 2011 support will allow EarthCorps to recruit and train more volunteers, with special emphasis on those from underserved neighborhoods in southeast Seattle, and to create volunteer data collection protocols for additional variables.

Sustainable Path Foundation’s 2011 grant to Earth Economics will support the Accounting for Natural Capital project. Accounting for Natural Capital includes Earth Economics’ work to change national Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) rules to include the watersheds as capital assets on public water utilities’—including Seattle Public Utilities’—books. Sustainable Path funding will help Earth Economics create, circulate, and submit technical and supporting documents to the GASB requesting the rule change.

A 2011 Sustainable Path Foundation grant to The Evergreen State College Foundation will support their Sound Learning Communities project. Sound Learning Communities intends to prepare 100 faculty members, drawn from diverse disciplines, to develop coursework that informs and motivates students to understand Puget Sound as a complex system and the strategies required to restore its health. Sustainable Path’s grant will support faculty members’ field work at four sites in Puget Sound, leading to individual and collaborative curriculum development and service projects; the curriculum and service projects are estimated to reach over 70,000 Puget Sound college and university students over the next ten years.

Sustainable Path Foundation’s 2011 grant to RE Sources will support the Whatcom Watershed Challenge project. The Whatcom Watershed Challenge aims to inspire rural Whatcom County landowners to be stewards of the watershed, and to specifically work towards reduced fecal coliform contamination. Sustainable Path’s funding will be used to expand the number of citizen scientists gathering water quality data, develop messages about water quality that will continue to encourage action by rural residents, and communicate water quality information and sampling data to residents.

A 2011 Sustainable Path Foundation grant to Seattle Tilth will support the organization’s Farm Incubator Program. The Farm Incubator Program provides education, training, and support to socially disadvantaged farmers—many from the Somali community—as they create a farm business. Sustainable Path’s funding will allow Seattle Tilth to recruit and train its first cohort of farmers, launch a food distribution hub, and create wholesale-to-retail channels for the farmers to sell their products.

2010 Grant Recipients

Cascadia Green Building Council, to create a toolkit that will help municipal leaders navigate the regulatory realm, analyze the true cost of various water treatment systems and engage stakeholders in a collaborative decision-making process.

Climate Solutions, to expand their model of effective energy systems to additional Model Cities including one in the Puget Sound region. The New Energy Cities Program, formally the New Energy Nexus, supports cities as they integrate smart power grids, green intelligent building, plug-in electric vehicles, and distributed renewable power.

Facing the Future, to develop inquiry-based education resources that are focused on sustainability and promote science literacy for at least 5,000 students and 125 teachers in the Puget Sound region.

National Wildlife Federation, to develop draft floodplain legislation that represents and incorporates the thinking of other environmental organizations, businesses, and local government entities.

RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, to define and develop messages that resonate with the rural community regarding water quality issues.  The goal is to create voluntary behavior changes that will help solve the water quality issues caused by agricultural practices and on-site septic systems.

Seattle Audubon Society, to continue support of the citizen science Puget Sound Seabird Project with an emphasis on verifying data.   The project will also develop partnerships with other regional Audubon chapters, local nonprofits, and local, state, and federal government agencies to create a broader framework for long-term seabird monitoring

Washington Toxics Coalition, People for Puget Sound, and Washington Environmental Council, to create a collaboration that will focus on increasing public awareness and build broader support for improving the health of the Puget Sound by leveraging the strength of each organization and expanding their collective reach. Together they will educate the public and policymakers about connections between the health of the Sound and human health.

2009 Grant Recipients

2People, in partnership with the Pacific Science Center, for the planning phase of a permanent, computer-generated, wall-size, high resolution, interactive exhibit which will allow Center visitors to see large scale images of the earth and the human footprint on the planet.

Climate Solutions for the New Energy Nexus program and pilot projects to model improved energy grid systems in “Pioneer Cities.”

Environmental Education Association of Washington to support systemic change through environmental and sustainability education initiatives.

Facing the Future for training and materials for teachers in the Puget Sound region, promoting science literacy in the context of sustainability.

Reef Environmental Education Foundation for the Volunteer Survey Project in the Pacific Northwest, a program that engages citizen scientists to collect data on marine life.

Seattle Audubon Society for the Puget Sound Seabird Survey, a project in which volunteer citizen scientists gather demographic and geographic data about seabirds.

Sightline Institute to continue work on the Climate Policy Project (research, consultation, and communication).

Sustainable Connections to support The Bellingham Energy Efficiency Challenge, a program targeted at local businesses.

Zero Waste Washington (fka Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation) for an outreach campaign to build a public mandate for producer responsibility in disposal or recycling of fluorescent lighting and electronics.

Washington Toxics Coalition for an outreach campaign that supports another project we funded, The Earliest Exposures project, which assessed exposure to toxic chemicals before birth.

2008 Grant Recipients

The grants listed below were made in partnership with The Seattle Foundation.

2People – to support the 2 People organization by funding the Greater Seattle Climate Dialogues project.

Climate Solutions to fund the “Energy Nexus: Green Buildings to Smart Grid” project.

Port Townsend Marine Science Center to fund Northern Hood Canal/Puget Sound Docks Monitoring Project, a science literacy program for 8th graders.

Reef Environmental Education Foundation to support citizen involvement in marine life data collection in Puget Sound.

Sightline Institute to support research, consultation, and communication regarding climate pricing policies.

Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation to support the Pharmaceuticals in the Environment project.

Washington Toxics Coalition to support the Earliest Exposures project.

2007 Grant Recipients

Sustainable Cascadia – to support the Cascadia Convergence 2007 that took place at Seattle Center. It was a large-scale public gathering to showcase and encourage meaningful solutions to sustainability.

2People – to convene a series of greater Seattle community climate dialogues in a multifaceted, year-long campaign.

The University of Washington Conservation of Living Systems Graduate Program for the continued process of launching a new graduate program that builds on traditional graduate education already available at the UW – Masters, PhD, and professional degrees.

Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation to convene a “think tank” of scientists to establish a disposal method for household pharmaceuticals that is acceptable both environmentally and financially.

Washington Toxics Coalition to analyze children’s products for the presence of heavy metals and toxic chemicals such as lead and phthalates.

North Cascades Institute to fund their ongoing Girls on Ice program. This is a nine-day science expedition for girls 15-18 years of age who have shown keen interest in science and the outdoors.

The University of Washington’s School of Public Health and the King County Department of Public Health have a joint internship program for undergraduates educate them about careers in public health.

2006 Grant Recipients

Antioch University, Seattle to fund the work of Dr. Kate Davies, Environment and Community Program; specifically her project to prepare a book that now has the working title of “People and Pollution: The Past, Present and Possibilities of the Environmental Health Movement”.

2005 Grant Recipients

Antioch University, Seattle to support Dr. Kate Davies work on the Health and Environmental Quality in Washington State: What We Know and What We Need to Know project.

Northwest Environment Watch (now Sightline Institute) to fund the partnership with Transportation Choice Coalition and Public Health Seattle & King County to tackle an escalating problem in our region—sprawling development.

University of Washington for the creation of a Graduate Studies Program in Conservation of Living Systems.

Washington Toxics Coalition to support the “Pollution in People Project” which tested the level of toxins in 10 Puget Sound residents.

Transportation Choices Coalition to support research of the relationship between sprawl and health in the Northwest in collaboration with Public Health Seattle & King County and the Northwest Environment Watch.

2004 Grant Recipients

American Lung Association of Washington to support the Collaborative on Health & Asthma Research Team.

Antioch University, Environment and Community Program to support the “Health & Environmental Quality in Washington State: Making the Links.” project.

Salish Sea Expeditions to support partial funding to help connect youth with science of Puget Sound.

University of Washington, to support the Center for Ecogenetics & Environmental Health.

Washington Toxics Coalition to provide support for second year renewal funding of the WTC portion of Toxics Indicators for Action Project.

Northwest Environment Watch  (now Sightline Institute) to provide support for second year renewal funding of the NEW portion of Toxics Indicators for Action Project.

2003 Grant Recipients

Northwest Environment Watch (now Sightline Institute) to support the NEW portion of Toxics Indicators for Action Project.

Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC) to support the WTC portion of Toxics Indicators for Action Project.