Nonprofit Impact: Environmental Trends Brown-Bag Lunch Roundtable Discussion Friday, July 31st!

Presenter Kristin Cushman, of The Offset Project will discuss Green Business Certification and environmentally-friendly Best Practices

MONTEREY, CA - The 2014 Nonprofit Impact study identified a number of social, economic, political, environmental and legal trends. Throughout 2015 the Nonprofit Alliance of Monterey County (NAMC) will present a series of brown bag lunch meetings where some of the key trends will be discussed. Join NAMC in July to discuss environmental trends and what your organization can do reduce its carbon footprint and prepare for the future. Is your organization ready?

Presenter Kristin Cushman, of The Offset Project will discuss Green Business Certification and environmentally-friendly Best Practices. Leave with practical tips you can put to use right away. While some companies become more sustainable by overhauling their workplaces into state-of-the-art, ecotastic offices, most nonprofits don’t have the money or the ability to do that. Instead, we must try to green the spaces that we have, which are often decades-old buildings with drafty windows and aging HVAC systems. Fortunately, there are plenty of long-term changes that your organization can make to become more sustainable – without affecting your business practices or breaking the bank.

Here are some things almost every company and nonprofit can implement to reduce its carbon footprint:

• Evaluate your current carbon consumption
• Give your office an energy upgrade
• Turn off and unplug
• Encourage working from home
• Measure your progress

Bring your lunch, bring your questions, network with colleagues and delve into this timely and fascinating subject with NAMC!

The Details:
• Friday, July 31st
• 12pm – 1pm
• Community Foundation for Monterey County: 2354 Garden Road, Monterey, CA 93940
• Cost to attend is $5 for NAMC members, $10 nonmembers
• RSVP through https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eb52hqzfd2e28d2f&oseq=&c=&ch=
• Note: Space is limited and pre-registration by July 29th is required.

Background on Speaker:
Kristin Cushman founded The Offset Project in 2007 with the vision of creating sustainable programs that would engage and inspire the local community. Since that time, The Offset Project has granted over $75,000 to local community groups and brought thousands of volunteers to local events to build education around sustainability. She received the Breathe California 2014 Clean Air Leadership Award, presented by the Air District Control Board, for developing California’s first local community carbon fund, the Monterey Bay Carbon Fund and spearheaded environmental certification programs that have earned accolades at both a state and national level. Kristin manages the Monterey Bay Region Climate Action Compact, is a steering committee member of the Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alliance (MBEVA) and represents District 5 on the County’s Integrated Waste Task Force Committee. She also serves on the Pacific Grove Library Advisory Board to the City Council. Learn more about The Offset Project.

Background on the Nonprofit Alliance of Monterey County:
Nonprofits benefit society by organizing the energy, ideas and talent of a community to achieve together what individuals cannot achieve alone. But who organizes the nonprofits? Who helps them mobilize their supporters, sharpen their leadership skills, and relay their vision to the public, to businesses and to local governments?

Throughout Monterey and the Salinas Valley, that role falls to the Nonprofit Alliance of Monterey County (NAMC). This unincorporated membership organization represents a large range of key actors in the nonprofit industry. NAMC strives to develop and implement programs that encourage its members to work collaboratively and support one another, that improve the internal operations and structures of nonprofits, and that speak to the larger community about the critical role of the nonprofit industry in society.
Governed by its Core Leadership, a 10- to 15-member group elected annually, NAMC ensures well-run and effective nonprofits that contribute to the overall economic wellbeing and quality of life in Monterey County.

Formed in 2003 in response to financial and political upheavals that led to decreased funding and a loss of community services throughout the nonprofit sector, NAMC sought to uncover the needs of local nonprofits.

In 2005, the Harden Foundation funded an economic impact survey that revealed the nonprofit sector to be a major employer in Monterey County. NAMC responded by holding brown bag lunches, socials and meetings, including the first in a series of Cultural Competency conferences.

With its first paid staff member on board in 2007, NAMC provided educational workshops and legislative updates, networking nonprofit and public agencies and advocating in political circles on behalf of the nonprofit community. In just four years NAMC had become a trusted and skilled ally for the numerous and varied nonprofits.
By tapping into the values, interests and relationships of nonprofits, NAMC can help mobilize and energize these groups to realize their visions and help the communities they serve.

FACT SHEET
· Nonprofit Alliance of Monterey County is an unincorporated membership organization governed by Core Leadership, a 10- to 15-member group elected annually.
· The alliance develops and fosters collaborations between Monterey County nonprofits by implementing programs that strengthen infrastructure within nonprofits.
· NAMC represents the range of key actors in the nonprofit industry, with ACTION Council of Monterey County acting as its fiscal agent.
· NAMC is a powerful voice in the local, state and federal legislative process, and works to keep nonprofits informed and to lobby in support of policies that strengthen their initiatives.
· Benefits of membership include: discounted fees at workshops; legislative advocacy; networking opportunities; monthly newsletter; website directory and more.
· NAMC has developed a countywide Diversity and Social Equity Initiative, with the purpose of improving the quality of life for all residents of Monterey County, especially those with the greatest vulnerabilities and disadvantages.
· Becoming a sponsor of NAMC goes a long way to securing a better future for Monterey County. For further information on Corporate Sponsorship, contact Sue Parris, NAMC Project Coordinator, [email protected]; 831-373-4606.
· Find out more about NAMC by visiting www.alliancemonterey.org. Address: P.O. Box 602, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. Phone: 373-4606