: : DONATE ONLINE now until midnight Dec. 31, 2012 : : www.montereycountygives.com

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF AMERICAN YOUTH HOSTEL

Year Founded: 1978

Paid Staff: 11

Volunteers: 40

Budget: $330,000

899-1252

www.centralcalhostels.org

THE BIG IDEA: The city of Monterey has certified the HI-Monterey Hostel as a green business for its recycling programs, energy saving and water conservation strategies – the nonprofit restricts showers to 7 minutes and uses ultra-low-flow water fixtures. The hostel organization is thinking even bigger in 2013. It plans to build a LEED-platinum certified green eco-hostel on the former Fort Ord. Community support will fund a LEED consultant to identify the basic sustainability requirements at the eco-hostel. MC Gives! dollars will also hire a community coordinator who will recruit residents interested in participating in green projects, starting with sustainable landscaping and ultimately making the eco-hostel an environmental learning center for the community and visitors.

LEAVE NO TRACE: “Hostellers are encouraged to become caring world citizens who are catalysts for intercultural exchange and who become stewards of the earth.”

ELKHORN SLOUGH FOUNDATION (ESF)

Year Founded: 1982

Paid Staff: 22

Volunteers: 100

Budget: $3,603,747

728-5939

www.elkhornslough.org

THE BIG IDEA: In the past 30 years, ESF has created educational and volunteer programs, built the only wheelchair-accessible trail along the slough shoreline, protected some 4,000 acres of land, removed invasive species, combated erosion and promoted conservation. But it wants to do more. Its big idea is to help more Monterey County residents discover wilderness in their own backyard by expanding its community outreach and creating new after-school activities, land restoration days and slough tours. This means more opportunities for the community to see conservation and research first-hand and enjoy Elkhorn Slough’s unique ecosystem, home to hundreds of bird species, dozens of threatened species and rare habitats. It builds the Elkhorn Slough community and helps protect one of Monterey County’s shining ecological assets.

FROM SLOUGH TO SHINING SEA: “Elkhorn Slough is a magnificent place – from marsh to chaparral – and provides for an abundance of life and is simply beautiful,” says Kristi van Greunen.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY MONTEREY COUNTY

Year Founded: 1989

Paid Staff: 4

Volunteers: 500

Budget: $75,000

915-6063

www.habitatmonterey.org

THE BIG IDEA: Good, affordable housing in Monterey County shouldn’t be an urban legend. But the costs of property and construction locally can make it prohibitive for Habitat for Humanity to achieve its goal of providing affordable homes for low – and very-low-income residents in need. The organization builds homes with volunteer labor and donated funds and grants, in partnership with selected families who then purchase the homes at a zero-interest loan. This year, it’s asking volunteers to literally Go The Distance, which is also the name of its new program, and walk across the county to raise money and awareness to buy property for the nonprofit’s next building project.

BUILDING HOPE AND HOMES: “I am so grateful for all that Habitat has offered my family,” says Teresa Campos, a 2012 partner family member. “This is a dream come true for us, and the opportunity of a lifetime.”

HOPE Services

Year Founded: 1952

Paid Staff: 77

Volunteers: 250

Budget: $6,782,226

455-4940

www.hopeservices.org

THE BIG IDEA: HOPE Services has a plan to make it easier to recycle clothing and e-waste, divert these items from going to the landfill, cut greenhouse gases and provide paid employment for Monterey County residents with developmental disabilities. The nonprofit’s Ramp Up Recycling 2012, an expansion of its current e-waste and clothing recycling programs, will work with local governments and other organizations to set up convenient, easily accessible recycling sites and opportunities (like the wildly successful e-waste collection events). In addition to increasing the volume of items recycled, the program will reduce the need for residents to travel outside of their own communities, which reduces traffic on the roads and harmful emissions. This program also provides several weeks of paid work for people with developmental disabilities.

WASTE TO WAGES: “Christine was unable to find work. As a result of the e-Waste to Wages recycling program, Christine is now paid for clearing litter from parks.”

MEarth

Year Founded: 2008

Paid Staff: 4

Volunteers: 25

Budget: $381,000

624-1032

www.mearthcarmel.org

THE BIG IDEA: The Hilton Bialek Habitat, and MEarth at its helm, has a history of providing cutting-edge educational programs, lessons and tips about sustainability practices that the everyday person (of any age) can use in his life. Its strongest focus has been with Carmel Unified School District and Carmel Middle School, and the nonprofit says the work it has accomplished with the school could be replicated countywide if only administrators, teachers and kids knew how to take those first steps. Its big idea is to get its best sustainability practices to every Monterey County school free of charge – if the nonprofit receives enough donations – through a Habitat How To book, both in hard copy form and ebook. It would allow for each school’s needs and culture, covering topics from how a school could start a recycling and waste management program; how a teacher could use a school garden to teach science, language and history; how a campus can transition from a traditional plant/grass environment to one that uses native, drought-resistant plants and natural landscaping. The goal: Monterey County schools would learn from MEarth’s practices and take steps to green their campus, teach new lessons, and start similar programs on their own.

IMPRINTS AND FOOTPRINTS: “I only hope that one day I will be able to make the same impact in the world that MEarth has had on me,” says Francis Atkins, MEarth alumna.

LANDWATCH MONTEREY COUNTY

Year Founded: 1997

Paid Staff: 2

Volunteers: 5

Budget: $250,000

759-2824

www.landwatch.org

THE BIG IDEA: Decisions about land determine the future of Monterey County – and its economy. Sprawl doesn’t pay for itself, and environmental degradation costs taxpayers money in ways not fully understood. Next year, LandWatch will dedicate resources to deepening the community’s understanding of the economics of land-use. One way it will do this is through its Around the County speaker series, and it’s asking the community to help out with funding for this program. In 2013, the speaker series will focus on three topics: the cost of sprawl, health impacts of sprawl development and policy solutions to stop sprawl. Possible speakers include: Dr. Jeffrey Langholz from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, David Zander from Zander and Associates and UCLA’s Dr. Richard Jackson. The free, open-to-the-public series will be held in the spring. This year’s series focused on Fort Ord land-use issues and drew about 300 attendees.

FIELDS OF GOLD: “The added knowledge of the environmental as well as economic drawbacks to sprawl will further the public’s ability to support, understand and make sound land-use decisions for the area today and into the future.”

SAVE OUR SHORES (SOS)

Year Founded: 1978

Paid Staff: 6

Volunteers: 6,000

Budget: $500,000

462-5660

www.saveourshores.org

THE BIG IDEA: Last year SOS used Monterey County Gives! donations to fund data cards used to detail types of trash discarded on local beaches and collected by SOS volunteers at beach cleanups. This data inspired some local policy makers to work on policies that reduce plastic bag litter. This year, SOS wants to energize the community to follow the city of Monterey’s lead, and support bans on plastic bag countywide. It will do this by bringing trash data to the attention of individuals, business owners and government leaders. By saving our shores, residents will find out what’s trashing our beaches and promote policies that benefit the health and beauty of the marine community.

DEFENDING OUR SHORES: “The most important effort to protect our coastline could not have happened without SOS,” says U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

BIG SUR LAND TRUST

Year Founded: 1978

Paid Staff: 15

Volunteers: 20

Budget: $3,511,432

625-5523

www.bigsurlandtrust.org

THE BIG IDEA: The Big Sur Land Trust has helped conserve more than 30,000 acres of land in Monterey County. Historically, its primary focus has been land acquisition, but the nonprofit now has an expanded vision that calls for a new community dynamic: connecting the people with the land and each other. All residents of our community deserve to enjoy parks and trails – and experience the physical and mental health benefits that come from spending time outdoors. The Citizen Stewards Program maintains, improves and promotes public outdoor spaces with coordinated volunteerism. The effort provides cleanup and maintenance of places including the Carmel River South Bank Trail, de la Torre Garden/Hartnell Gulch, Hatton Trail, Garrapata State Park and others. It recruits a wide variety of people, teaches good stewardship of public spaces and grows a community of volunteers working in partnership with the Big Sur Land Trust.

NATURAL KIDS: “Unstructured time in the natural world is the most precious time we spend with our children,” says Tierney Thys.

THE OFFSET PROJECT

Year Founded: 2007

Paid Staff: 4

Volunteers: 500

Budget: $160,165

277-0167

www.theoffsetproject.org

THE BIG IDEA: Simply putting out recycling or food waste bins without educating the community about waste reduction doesn’t work. It’s also not effective to talk about pollution in the Monterey Bay without pointing out the effects of choices we all make routinely. The Offset Project received funding to support trash stewardship and buy bins; now it’s seeking funding for education. It wants to have its purple-T-wearing Zero Waste Team at every major local event in 2013. The Zero Waste Team is visible and engaging, and this project increases awareness around waste reduction.

TRASH TALK: “The Offset Project has developed a successful educational program that is changing the way people think about waste reduction,” says Thomas Quattlebaum, of Pebble Beach Company.

THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

Year Founded: 1984

Paid Staff: 0

Volunteers: 32

Budget: $18,000

272-2731

www.surfridermonterey.org

THE BIG IDEA: Fire pits are for fire. Garbage cans are for garbage. It may sound like a Sesame Street lesson, but it’s lost on many beachgoers. The Surfrider Monterey Chapter is involved in a two-year NOAA tsunami marine debris surveying project at Del Monte Beach and its volunteers say their “hearts and minds sink every Sunday we arrive at the site.” The cause of their heartbreak: the fire pits, always filled with freshly strewn smoldering garbage depicting good times had by senseless humans – melted plastic utensils, chip bags, beer cans, Styrofoam plates, red plastic party cups and plastic packaging. The surrounding sand, however, shows the real pain and suffering. Seabirds have picked over and eaten all of the above garbage, bellyaching with plastic gut bombs by the time volunteers arrive to clean up the beach. Partnering with the city of Monterey, Surfrider plans to post four creative, photo/graphically compelling bilingual signs at four fire pits encouraging visitors to throw trash in the trash cans, and educating about the consequences of tossing it in fire pits.

DUMPSTER DIVING: “Stop the madness! It’s not that hard to throw your garbage 30 yards behind you in the trash can!”

: : DONATE ONLINE now until midnight Dec. 31, 2012 : : www.montereycountygives.com