Donate to this project
project leader
Tanja S
location
177 Bovet Rd, Suite 600
(City of San Mateo, South of Downtown)
latest update rss
No updates yet.

the project

Hello,

I work with an environmental non-profit called Ecologic Institute and this is our story.

In partnership with another local non-profit called Sustainable San Mateo County we publish the Sustainable San Mateo County Indicators Report. It is the longest, continuously running local sustainability report in the US - the 17th edition is due on May 21, 2013.

The report informs residents of San Mateo County on what is happening in their communities in what we call the 3Es of sustainability: (a) Economy, (b) Equity and (c) Environment.

Using some 40 indicators, and an annually changing focal theme, that are carefully researched by a small staff of 2 and many local volunteers, we show the current trends and useful advice on (a) WHAT residents can do to positively change their communities, (b) WHERE to get more information, and (c) HOW local success stories have made an impact.

While we are proponents of sustainability, we do not take policy positions unless we are asked to do so, because we see value in letting the numbers do the talking and people come to their own conclusions.

Here is now where we seek your help: due to a significant shortfall in our recent annual fundraising event the release of the 2013 report is in jeopardy. While we are hopeful to fill the gap in time for the 2014 report, we are seeking to raise $7,800 to cover current production costs, including putting it online and printing a small number of reports for use in local schools, libraries, and city councils.

the steps

We are 80% ready with the report's content, but still need to:

  • finish some sections, including the executive summary and data appendix, and do final proofreading
  • get the website (www.sustainablesanmateo.org) ready to present and host the report in a user-friendly, browsable way, including our new, interactive GIS maps
  • print 500 copies for our target audiences in schools, libraries, the 20 city councils, the realtor association and chambers of commerce (we plan and would like to go 100% online in 2014 but a user survey we did found that the above audiences still rely on paper copies in addition to online versions for educational, spontaneous, and in-meeting uses)
  • organize the launch event on May 21, 2012

why we're doing it

We are passionate about San Mateo County and know that its residents care about their community, the environment and the economy.

A lot of information is available online now, but local information -- meaning census-tract to county information on everything from local air pollution to affordable housing construction projects and pockets of poverty -- is scattered and difficult to access to non-expert users. People are also busy and sometimes the information needs to come to them to spark a thought, a conversation and ultimately action. Our report delivers this information in a clean, appealing report, free of charge, for 17 years.

But it does not stop there. The report offers small and bigger solutions to environmental, social and economic problems, highlights local initiatives that are innovative or simply demonstrate a deep sense of community engagement and have measurable impacts.

Our annually changing key theme picks up on a current hot-topic, be it water demand and supply, green buildings, or efficient transportation systems and puts it under a magnifying lense to give residents a deeper understanding of the challenges and potential solutions.

We are convinced that there is a need for this kind of local information delivery and our dedicated team at Ecologic Institute and Sustainable San Mateo County (there is 4 of us in total) and many volunteers are working hard to keep the report alive while adapting it to the benefits of the Internet and new technologies. Our total operating budget for 9 months of work is a little of $30,000. Unfortunately, our March fundraising dinner and sustainability awards ceremony fell short of raising the funds needed to complete the 2013 report and embark on the 2014 edition. That is why we reach out to you to make sure the almost finished report will see the light of day and be once again an information source our residents now is there when and wherever they need it.

budget

Remaining staff costs for production and online presentation 4/3/2013 - 5/21/2013: $2500

Printing and distribution: $5000 (500 printed copies to only serve critical audiences and our sponsors)

Launch event and panel on 5/21/2013 at Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in Redwood City: $300

Total Budget: $7,800



SUBTOTAL = $7,800
ioby Platform Fee  $35
3rd Party Credit Card Processing Fee (3%) $234
TOTAL TO RAISE = $8,069

 

updates

Sorry, but this project doesn't have any updates yet.

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

No donors yet. Make a contribution and be the first!