2009 September | Citizens for a Greener Evanston

The Non-Profit Action Plan

The daily pressures on our non-profits are enormous. We will work creatively and arrive at new solutions in order to build an efficient pathway for non-profit involvement.

Action #1
Invite community non-profits to simply take a step forward (“small beginnings”) and actively share their sustainability initiatives.

Action #2
Build and disseminate toolkits that provide tangible, affordable, and accessible resources for “green practices” that can make a difference.

Action #3
Create and maintain a non-profit database to segment and categorize organizations for appropriate messaging and allocation of resources.

2,012 Small Beginnings

The most important knowledge is not announced with fanfare. It is discovered…realized…and one day feels as if it has always been a part of our lives and our awareness.

Thousands of small beginnings…not random beginnings…but a careful quiet plan to embed the tactics of our Climate Action Plan into the daily workings of our community and the daily working lives of our people…to have the sustainable practices be so unobtrusively pervasive that almost without noticing, they are guiding the important decisions that people are making every day.

Visit our map of the small beginnings being taken by businesses and non-profits in the Evanston community.

View CGE Connecting Non-Profits and Businesses in a larger map

Evanston Climate Action Plan - ECAP

The Evanston Climate Action Plan – ECAP – is a set of recommendations designed to help Evanston reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). It was drafted by a coalition of community volunteers and City staff, and was approved unanimously by the Evanston City Council in November 2008. Click here to read the ECAP:

http://www.cityofevanston.org/global/green/documents/ECAP.pdf

An inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions conducted by the City showed that, to honor the pledge taken by signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, Evanston must reduce its GHG emissions 13% by 2012.

Climate Action Fund

Would you like to support projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions right here in Evanston? Do you want to compensate for some of the CO₂ emissions caused by your driving or your air travel or other day-to-day activities? Perhaps you would like to make a “green” gift to celebrate a special occasion. Please consider making a contribution to the Evanston Climate Action Fund.

The Fund is maintained by the Evanston Community Foundation and invests in local projects that will achieve measurable reductions in GHG emissions. The Foundation oversees the process by which projects are selected for funding and will report annually to the community on fund activities–contributions received, funds distributed, projects implemented.

To learn more about the fund or to make your tax-deductible contribution, please visit the Evanston Community Foundation website: http://www.evcommfdn.org/community/climateaction.html

Fitting Air Travel Into a Green Lifestyle

For many Evanstonians, air travel is the biggest source of personal carbon emissions. To learn how you can reduce the carbon footprint of the airplane trips you do take–and to calculate suggested contribution amounts to compensate for those trips, please read How can air travel fit into a green lifestyle?.