FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Date: November 16, 2023
Contact: media@environmentnext.org
Nonprofit Focused on Solving the Climate Crisis Announces its Inaugural Class of Global Initiative Grantees
Environment Next Will Continue Investing in Innovative Organizations and Individuals That Are Tackling the Global Climate Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Environment Next, a leading nonprofit organization working globally to tackle our most pressing climate challenges, today announced its inaugural class of its Global Initiative Grantees – a powerhouse group of nonprofit organizations and social enterprises selected for their remarkable achievements and innovative approaches to lead, educate and invest in new and exciting approaches to save the planet.
Environment Next’s president, Eric Carlson, announced the organization’s first group of seven grantees following an exhaustive search and review process that sought out groups and projects with unique and exciting programs from diverse regions and backgrounds.
“We are thrilled to announce Environment Next’s first Global Initiative Grantees, organizations that we believe will help change the world and tackle the ever-growing climate crisis we face,” said Carlson. “After months of rigorous research and review, we are proud to extend grant support to this outstanding group of remarkable organizations, all of whom are actively making a real impact on communities across the globe. From creating the next generation of global climate champions to restoring aquaculture to creating resources for indigenous people feeling the impacts of climate change and more, these organizations span a diverse and fascinating spectrum of mission-critical work in the fight against the most devastating consequences of the climate crisis. We are pleased to have a combination of established, effective organizations and newer or evolving organizations.”
The grantees selected have shown uncommon achievements in their respective disciplines and underwent detailed review and due diligence to earn Environment Next’s support. These seven organizations are diverse in geography, focus and membership, several of which are women or indigenous-led with focuses on regions and populations that are particularly vulnerable to climate change.
The organizations selected for the 2023 Environment Next Class of Global Initiative Grantees were selected based on their work and achievements in the following areas:
- Climate Change Mitigation
- Climate Change Adaptation
- Climate Change Education
The 2023 Environment Next Global Initiative Grantees are:
- Turning Green
- Women’s Earth Alliance
- Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands)
- La Ruta Del Clima
- Climate Xchange
- Clam Garden Network
- Square One Villages
About Environment Next
Environment Next is a leading nonprofit organization working globally to tackle our most pressing climate challenges, finding the leaders and implementing the ideas that will make a difference and help solve climate change.
Environment Next accomplishes its goals through:
- Climate Leadership – supporting the ideas of global leaders and their work creating and implementing innovative solutions to climate change; providing technical, policy, programmatic and implementation advisory services; and assisting with complex financial analysis, investment options and fundraising.
- Climate Outreach – promoting ideas and best practices by networking globally and facilitating communications, connections and partnerships among senior-level climate leaders – individuals, businesses, governments and nonprofits.
- Climate Grants and Investments– providing grants, debt and equity financing to organizations making a positive impact on climate change and who are determined to continue their work well into the future, across borders and at a greater scale to maximize their climate impact.
The 2023 Class of Environment Next Global Initiative Grantees
Global
Turning Green
Org. Type: Nonprofit
Areas: Education, Advocacy, Youth
Location: California
Website: turninggreen.org
Turning Green is an 18-year-old nonprofit working globally with college students, professors and others, teaching them how to advocate for change and networking globally. Program Green Challenge has 6000 participants with 14 being invited to their California headquarters each year to meet with businesses and non-profit organizations to do a several month-long Climate Action Project. Having worked for nearly two decades to advance their mission, hundreds of their representatives have gone from college into the professional world including businesses, government, nonprofits and academia internationally. They work in West Africa, Cambodia, New Zealand, Australia and many other countries to inform, inspire and educate next-generation leaders.
Women’s Earth Alliance
Org. Type: Nonprofit
Areas: Climate Adaptation, Sustainable Agriculture, Livelihoods
Location: California
Website: womensearthalliance.org
Women are disproportionately impacted by climate disasters and their leadership has never been more pivotal to reversing global warming. According to data from the United Nations World Food Program, 80% of those displaced by climate change are women and women are 14 times more likely to die in a climate-related disaster than men. Since its inception, Women’s Earth Alliance’s model has centered on women’s knowledge, leadership and alliances in transforming the climate crisis and climate injustice. All climate solutions employ an intersectional lens and generate myriad environmental, social and economic benefits. The Women’s Earth Alliance collaborative project advancing tree-planting for climate mitigation in Kenya, for example, is sequestering an average of 19 million pounds of carbon each year while also advancing food security, erosion control and women’s income through tree nursery micro-enterprises.
Pacific
Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands)
Org. Type: Nonprofit
Areas: Sustainability, Climate Response/Low Carbon Transportation, Cultural Renaissance
Location: Marshall Islands
Website: canoesmarshallislands.com
The indigenous non-profit runs vocational and life skills courses for young people who dropped out of school to get them into the job market and is piloting a series of climate-related projects including a solar-powered outboard engine used on a catamaran built by the program. It is designing and building various different types of sailing vessels to meet the specific needs of atoll communities for cargo and passenger movement.
Latin America and the Caribbean
La Ruta Del Clima
Org. Type: Nonprofit
Areas: Climate adaptation, Decarbonization, Environmental Education
Location: Costa Rica
Website: larutadelclima.org
La Ruta del Clima is a Costa Rican non-governmental organization (NGO) that advocates for the right of the public to participate in the climate governance process and climate justice. Their goal is to work with other organizations as a climate knowledge broker. The organization seeks to empower the public to participate in the governance of climate change and sustainable development. Public participation can help develop responsive environmental policies, reduce conflicts, increase the ambition and efficiency of environmental actions. They carry out climate empowerment actions in Latin America, focusing on its 6 pillars: 1) Climate Change Education and SDGs 2) Capacity Building 3) Awareness Actions 4) Public Access to Information 5) Citizen Participation 6) Transparency of Governance.
United States and Canada
Climate Xchange
Org. Type: Nonprofit
Areas: State Policy
Location: Massachusetts
Website: climate-xchange.org
Climate XChange is a Boston-based nonprofit promoting state-level climate policy. They have been active for a decade or so and their model is and can be expanded nationally. Climate XChange is leveraging its experience, resources and donations by expanding a successful existing model to other states, providing an effective bottom-up climate policy program along with a growing list of “best practices” across states.
Clam Garden Network
Org. Type: Network
Areas: Aquaculture, Climate Mitigation, Climate Adaptation, Education
Location: Alaska, British Columbia, Washington
Website: clamgarden.com
The Clam Garden Network is working to restore the ancient practice of clam gardens, which by terracing the inter-tidal waters help to keep the clam beds and other aquatic life cool in the heat among other benefits. They estimate that the gardens have been tended by First Nations in the Pacific Northwest for more than 4000 years and that there are thousands of such features extant that could be revived. The network is composed of marine biologists, archaeologists and practitioners from a variety of First Nations in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. In the 2021 heat dome, millions of clams died off because the sand heated up to a level that essentially steamed them in their shells. The Clam Garden Network is promoting an ancient technology that can help to protect food production from the effects of climate change and also promotes the production of clams, other mollusks and seagrasses that remove carbon and store it, thereby providing carbon-negative protein.
Square One Villages
Org. Type: Nonprofit
Areas: Carbon reductions in housing
Location: Oregon
Website: squareonevillages.org
Square One is a pre-eminent tiny home community organization focused on low-income communities and advocating for tiny home sustainable living across income levels. They have developed innovative approaches including utilizing local architecture firms, putting their community model and home plans online, and building different types of homes, including energy efficiency and renewable energy. Square One is a recognized leader in the tiny home movement, constantly sought after by other nonprofits developing tiny home communities around the country.
For more information, please visit environmentnext.org
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