Author: Alex (Page 15 of 21)

Goal 1: Educate the York, ME community on invasive vs native plants and green gardening practices. 

• Provide monthly, subscription-based pamphlets with factual information regarding invasive/native plant species and sustainable gardening practices to at least 5% of York’s population. This will not only lead to more knowledge among the community but the number of native plants will increase and invasive plants will decrease. Achieve a 30% increase in awareness and knowledge by the end of the first year (End of 2022-2023) within the community. 
• Track the number of purchases for eco-friendly gardening products in the area through surveys that are published ⅓ and ⅔ of the way through the year. Have a survey on our website (Yorkreadyforclimateaction.org) and in the pamphlets that ask how much information individuals have retained from the pamphlets and what exactly they have learned.  
• Keep a datasheet of houses that have joined the initiative and those that go to the website for more information with an achievable objective of 50% increase in both areas. 

Goal 2: Improve York’s access to eco-friendly tools, gifts, and products. 

• Provide monthly gifts to registered Grow Native members that include native seed packs, fertilizer/compost bags, and other sustainable products (beginning at the end of 2022-2023). We will keep a constant log of Grow Native members and the number of gifts YRFCA gives out each month from the end of 2022 to the end of 2023, with a target goal of at least 5 new members each month.
• Showcase sustainable products during Grow Native events and survey individuals’ reliance on said products. 
• Increase the percentage of individuals with gardens in the York area from 2022- 2023. Increase the population of overall native species in the York area by 5%. Decrease the population of overall invasive/non-native plant species in the York area by 5%.

Goal 3: Unite the York Community and increase reliance on local businesses

• Host YRFCA events to raise awareness and participation in the Grow Native initiative. Our target is to have 15% of our community attend events. Volunteers will track the number of new members to YRFCA since launching the Grow Native Initiative. 
• Survey York’s carbon emissions during the Grow Native Initiative and analyze increasing or decreasing trends (End of 2022-2023). This data will be available to community boards/members to foster environmental change. 
• Increase local business sales by 10% during non-tourist seasons (particularly winter months) and work with community partners to create shopping incentives for businesses in the future. 

York Ready for Climate Action (YRFCA) is proposing the “Grow Native Initiative”, a program based on educating the public on invasive/non-native plant species and low-cost eco-friendly gardening practices. The first part of this initiative will provide households with informational pamphlets. These monthly pamphlets will contain sustainable and low-cost gardening techniques as well as information regarding invasive/non-native and native plant species that are prevalent in the York area. Along with the pamphlets, each household will receive a monthly gift of starter bulbs, seed packets, fertilizers, or other beginner gardening equipment. The products that will be in these gifts will be locally sourced. Starter LED light bulbs will come from our partners; Eldredge Lumber, Efficiency Maine, and MaxLite. The seed packets will come from the Wild Seed Project, an organization that focuses on getting native plants back into the Maine community. The fertilizer will be sourced from individuals active in Waste Reduction and Diversion. 

The second part of this initiative involves updating the YRFCA website to include specific educational classes and videos regarding invasive/non-native plant species and eco-friendly gardening practices. 

The final part of the initiative focuses on community events. Twice a year, the YRFCA will host an event that focuses on either gardening workshops or local business markets. We hope to make these events free to the public, with the only expenses going towards local vendors and businesses. The YRFCA will also be active in these events through educational booths, compost sites, recycling areas, and EcoHome sign-up information.

3/7/2022

Mr. Jesse Miller

Chair

The Pepper Foundation

11 Hills Beach Road, Marcil Hall #121

Biddeford, Maine 04005

Dear Mr. Miller, 

The York Ready for Climate Action (YRCA) team is pleased to offer this Letter of Inquiry for The Pepper Foundation’s consideration. Our organization is requesting a program support grant of $85,000 for the creation of the “Grow Native Initiative”, which involves generating educational opportunities and community-based events that address the detrimental impacts of invasive and non-native species within the York area. 

The YRCA began in 2006 when a small group of citizens in the York area came together to combat climate change as they felt it was time the community stopped waiting for the government to do something. This led to the creation of the organization and motivating individual communities to commit to using renewable energy sources community-wide by specific target dates. This goal was met in 2019, allowing us to direct our attention to environmental actions such as the Grow Native Initiative. 

We aim to fill our community’s need for native plant and sustainable gardening education through a series of educational pamphlets. These pamphlets will discuss topics such as indigenous and invasive species in the area, how to maintain and restore biodiversity in your backyard, and education on sustainable gardening practices. These pamphlets will also be accompanied by a monthly subscription gift that is based on supplying 250 homes; such as seed packets ($5×750=3 for each home), fertilizers bags filled with the compost contents ($30 for the actual bags), or other gardening supplies that will vary in cost between $2.50-$20. We believe that the educational tools we provide will assist and encourage the York community to implement sustainable gardening practices within their homes. 

In addition to the pamphlets, we will be expanding our website to include a wider variety of information pertaining to the topics such as invasive species, non-native plants, and sustainable gardening practices. There will be articles, blogs, video tutorials, and a list of more eco-friendly and sustainable options for individuals who are interested in learning more about a healthier greener yard. There will be a section dedicated to educational programs that teach individuals how to identify different plants and restore biodiversity within their yards. All of these additions will cost $500 to add to the website based on quotes from web design businesses and they will be included under the EcoHomes drop-down menu as it involves creating a more sustainable home for individuals and their community. 

As a non-profit organization, YRCA understands that real, meaningful change begins within one’s own community, which is why our organization wants to set aside program funds to host programs and events for the citizens of York. These events will range from sustainable local business markets to creating community gardens. We plan for these events to cost anywhere between $10,000-30,000 and our goal is to host at least 2 large events within the year. The connectivity between residents, local businesses, and non-profits will benefit not only the spirit of the community but will also raise awareness of local and sustainable actions in a fun and engaging way. 

Our core values are strongly rooted in serving our community to create unity between the environment and humans. We believe that by making sustainable lifestyle changes accessible for everyone in our community, the quality of life within the city of York will improve, not only for the environment but for humans as well. Furthermore, we aim to address education and solutions regarding climate change impacts to ensure that future generations can experience a vibrant and healthy environment. The Grow Native Initiative aligns with many of the core values and missions of the Pepper Foundation. Our organization ultimately aims to serve the unmet needs of our community to better our livelihoods and our surrounding environment. In addition, we are heavily committed to implementing climate change combating initiatives. 

Not only will the York, Maine environment benefit from individuals being educated and participating in the Grow Native Initiative; but the community will, as well. This initiative will solve the lack of education and awareness of invasive plant species and sustainable gardening in the York area. The pamphlets, extended website, and gardening/business events will educate and spread knowledge of sustainable gardening practices to ensure the health of the community is able to confront climate change impacts. The organization anticipates reaching 100 new homes/individuals joining the cause/initiatives within the year.

Thank you for providing YRCA the opportunity to share a Letter of Inquiry with you, The Pepper Foundation, with whom we share the common goal of combating climate change by building a stronger and healthier community. We hope to be invited to share a full proposal of the Grow Native Initiative for the fund of $85,000 to begin the initiative for an entire year at the end of 2022. If there are any questions, please feel free to contact me at (717) 315-0752.

Sincerely, 

Montana Stephens, Alex Kiehnau, and Abbie Anderson

Executives of the Grow Native Initiative

Our team is incredibly well-rounded. For instance, we are all goal and task-oriented, especially when it comes to group projects. By having a shared end goal in mind, each member of our team strives to consistently stay on task. Our preferred methods of organization include creating a timeline for completing tasks. Having a set schedule to keep our tasks and goals organized will also allow us to remain on top of deadlines and allocate enough time to complete the proposal in a timely manner. We also believe that strong communication is key to success. Regardless of our methods of communication, meeting, emailing, and texting will allow us to share ideas and ask questions with one another in order to make a concise and persuasive proposal. Furthermore, it allows us to give each other constructive criticism and build upon each other’s work. Our similar college experience allows us to have high expectations for the quality of work that we each produce. A mutual understanding of how academic work should be completed also brings a sense of trust among our members, allowing us to appropriately complete the tasks at hand to deliver an effective proposal. 

Despite our shared similarities, we also have individual strengths that allow our team to be well-rounded. We consider our differences to be a key strength within our group. We all come from different backgrounds and majors which gives us diversification within our group. This allows us to all give input that represents different perspectives, which allows us to tackle problems with numerous approaches and ideas. Abbie has taken business and economics courses which allows her to understand the practical management of funds and also causes her to be more realistic of what an acceptable fund proposal would look like. In addition, she has experience reading tax forms, balance sheets, and other financial reports that can be useful when researching funders. Understanding this information is critical to grant-seeking, as it allows our team to understand what types of nonprofits have funders allocated money to in the past and on average how much to each organization. This, in turn, will help us make a more informed decision about if a certain funder is a good fit for our non-profit or not. Montana has a background in legislation and education, specifically regarding marine affairs. This skill set allows her to understand what can and cannot be done within a non-profit organization, especially in one that engages in community outreach. She also checks in with other team members to ensure that everyone is completing their individual tasks. Montana will make sure that each team member is contributing in an equal fashion. Regular check-ins will also help to make sure that nobody feels as though she or her ideas are being disregarded. Both Montana and Alex have a background in science-related fields, allowing them to understand and communicate scientific documents, which is critical for nonprofits that focus on environmental conservation. With a writing minor, Alex is proficient in professional and technical writing. She is able to contribute to the team by editing and formatting documents such as applications, letters, and statements. As a whole, each member of our team is motivated by a strong desire to improve underprivileged communities that directly suffer from climate change.