York Ready for Climate Action (YRFCA) strives to raise awareness for and provide education about invasive/non-native species within the York community while also combating negative impacts on local biodiversity. 

Educate York, ME:


YRFCA has created a collaborative community to combat climate change impacts by encouraging households of York, Maine to subscribe in various subscription programs. We are extending this program to include a facet that addresses invasive species impacting our local environment to increase biodiversity and improve environmental wellness. We will distribute two pamphlet packages to all households (85,314) in York that will include educational materials about the local environment as well as include sustainable gardening tools and native species seed or bulb packets. After the initial pamphlets, households will need to subscribe to the program (at no cost) to continue receiving the materials. 

This program will not only lead to more knowledge among the community but we are expecting a 25% increase in native plants and a 15% decrease in invasive plant species by the end of the first year (2022-2023). We will achieve a 30% increase of online interactions with our website as well as have 4,300 subscribers by the end of the first year to act as a measure of awareness and education within the community. 

Goal: Distribute educational pamphlets and sustainable gardening supplies to all of York’s households. 

Objective: Increase native plant species by 25% and decrease invasive plants by 15%.

Improve York’s Access to Eco-Friendly Tools:

This portion of the program involves the Grow Native initiative that begins at the end of 2022 to 2023, ensuring the community has access to the eco-friendly tools necessary to take the steps toward a greener community. 5 of YRFCA’s members will be contacting local businesses and organizations that sell eco-friendly gardening products and native plants; to ensure York households know all the places that provide the tools we recommend or inspire them in becoming greener members of the community. The list of stores and organizations will be listed not only on our website but on the monthly pamphlets, we will distribute to all households that have joined the YRFCA in becoming educated in invasive plant species and greener gardening practices. YRFCA will ensure the stores are accessible to at least 90% of the community to enable options between products and locations. 

Another way in which YRFCA will be ensuring access to resources is through our pamphlets. Along with the monthly educational pamphlet will be a free test/sample of eco-friendly product which will allow the household to try using the sustainable product before buying it in-store. The free product will come from our organization, local businesses that want to promote their products, and the community themselves. Essentially the product from the community will be the food scraps that were given to us to be made into compost and then turned into fertilizer to replace the harmful chemical-filled fertilizers that are currently being made, sold, and bought. 

The final accessible opportunity that we will be providing to the community will be the two Grow Native Initiative events that will be held ⅓ and ⅔ throughout the duration of the program. At these events, the local businesses, organizations, and community members will be showcasing various eco-friendly products at tables for one weekend at each event. YRFCA and our volunteers will also be there helping out and surveying accepting participants. The surveys will gather information on how much the community knows about invasive plant species, their thoughts on changing gardening practices to combat climate impacts from the invasive plants, and their thoughts on products they may have used. The eco-friendly products will include native Maine plants, gardening tools, and gardening supplies such as fertilizers, composting tactics, pots, and gloves. YRFCA will ask all the businesses to showcase both new and best products to ensure at least 45% of products are still being worked on and developed to be more sustainable. This event will not only provide the community access to eco-friendly products and options but will help show the community how important it is to combat the negative effect of nonnative and invasive plant species have on the climate. 

Goal: Improve households’ access to eco-friendly tools and products within the local community by 40%. 

Objective: Provide free eco-friendly products within all pamphlets, showcase at least 45 new sustainable products at the two Grow Native events, and create 2 public gardens with the necessary supplies to efficiently grow native plants. 

Unite York

York Ready for Climate Action has seen the positive impacts of a united community firsthand, which is why our organization will commit to hosting two public events during the end of 2022-2023. These events will focus on low-cost and sustainable practices, gardening workshops, and local businesses. 15-20 volunteers from YRFCA will run tables and booths that have information regarding plants, herbs, gardening practices, and composting. At least two months prior to an event, YRFCA will contact at least 10 local businesses inviting them to table at an upcoming event. Our hope is that these interactive tables will incentivize members of the community to become more active within their local community while also supporting environmental causes.

Goal: Unite the York Community and increase reliance on local businesses

Objective: Two events will be hosted by York Ready for Climate Action from 2022-2023 with a target of 30% community attendance.