Not for Profit and Green: It is a Sustainable Choice Davida D. Sylvain, Walden University

1. Not for Profit and Green: It is a Sustainable ChoiceDavida D. Sylvain, Walden University PUBH 6165-1 Dr. Rebecca Heick Spring 2010

2. Overview • Who is going to make a difference • What is Green • Why Go Green • It is easy to Go Green

3. Gwinnett County Non-Profits • Churches • Hospitals • Health Organizations • Professional Organizations • Ombudsman • Community Service Organizations • Outreach programs • Credit Unions • Fraternal Organizations Over 2,000 nonprofit agencies Rainbow Village, Inc.

4. Gwinnett Non-Profits Organizations concerned about people and the future • Innovative by nature • Voice in the community • A blend of employees, clients and volunteers • Limited in resources

5. Facts to Know • US comprises 5% of the world’s population and creates 40% of the trash. • In 2008 the US generated 250 million tons of municipal solid waste, 30% was recycled. • Methane gas from a landfill is 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. • Ground level ozone is created by nitrous oxides and volatile organic compounds. Environmental Protection Agency. (2008). Municipal solid waste generation, recycling and disposal in the United States: Facts and figures for 2008. Retrieved from Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008rpt.pdf Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. (2010). Improve air quality. Retrieved from Clean and Beautiful ://www.gwinnettcb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=42&Itemid=72

6. OurCommunity • Four trash landfills and five yard waste only landfills exist in Gwinnett County. • More than 80% of smog-forming air pollutants in our air is not regulated. Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. (2010). Improve air quality. Retrieved from Clean and Beautiful ://www.gwinnettcb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=42&Itemid=72

7. What is Going Green? • Reduce • Reuse • Recycle

8. Reduce • Paper • Go digital • Email • Energy • Carpool - Telework tax credit • Teleconference • Power strips • Trash • Buy bulk - In 2008 the United States placed 690,000 tons of trash daily in landfills • Environmental Protection Agency. (2008). Municipal solid waste generation, recycling and disposal in the United States: Facts and figures for 2008. Retrieved from Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008rpt.pdf

9. Reuse • Electronics - BuyMyTronics.com, ComputerswithCauses.com • Ink cartridges - Staples • Cell phones - Partner with other nonprofits – cell phones • Keys – Keys for Kindness • Paper • Mugs

10. Recycle Paper Magazines Plastic Microwaves Aluminum Styrofoam Glass Toner Cartridges Tires Antifreeze Auto Batteries Cardboard Yard Trimmings Paperboard Steel Batteries Books HDPE Natural Bottles (white translucent bottles) Electronics – computers, laptops, printers, fax machines Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. (2010). Recycling. Retrieved from Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful website: http://www.gwinnettcb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=51

11. Managing Waste • Methane emissions • Incinerator emissions • Emissions from energy consumption and • Increase carbon stores in trees • Recycled materials in paper causes 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution EPA (2007). Methodology for estimating municipal solid waste recycling benefits 2007 Retrieved from EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/06benefits.pdf

12. Benefits of Going Green • Saves you money and space • Creates a healthier working environment for your staff, clients, and volunteers • Attracts new donors • Demonstrates your organization's concern for the health of your community • Creates synergy with other organizations The Foundation Center Philanthropy Digest News (2009 August). Retrieved April 17 http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/tsn/tsn.jhtml?id=262200005

13. Save your agency money • Lower paper demand • Filter on the faucet instead of a water cooler • Fewer disposables • Lower energy bills • fluorescent bulbs • lower thermostat in the winter, higher in the summer • power strip • Lower unit prices

14. Healthier indoor environment • Non-toxic cleaning solutions • Vinegar and water • Seventh Generation, Green Works • Rags not disposable towels • Fewer volatile organic compounds (voc) emissions • Low voc paints --Behr, Sherwin-Williams • Less clutter

15. Demonstrates organization’s concern for the community • Good steward of resources • Proactive about sustainability, organizational as well as environmental • Fostering new models of engagement and practice • Appealing to funders—green donors, stimulus package, shovel ready energy efficient • Modeling to employees, clients, and volunteers

16. Easy How-to’s • Form Green Team • Cancel extra yellow pages • Drop off recyclables • Target, Publix, Kroger, fire stations, recycling centers • Place green product desires on agency Wish List • Turn off electronics or use “sleep” or “hibernate” • Purchase recycled promotional products • Purchase postconsumer products or products with no chlorine

17. Consider Your Next Building • Programmable thermostats • Rainwater collection • Dimmer switches • Solar panels • Low volume toilets • Concrete and glass floor • Gravel parking surface • Energy Star appliances

18. BeCreative • Encourage office-wide green activities • Seek green grants • Online auction as a fundraiser • Plan an environmentally aware event • Partner with another nonprofit or school

19. Did You Know? • A TV can run for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can. • Recycling just one glass bottle, saves enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours. • For every ton of paper that is recycled 7,000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil are saved, and enough electricity to power an average house for six months. Go greeninitiative.com • Highest point in Hamilton County, Ohio is Mount Rumpke at over 1,000 feet tall. It’s a trash heap at Rumpke landfills Go Green Initiative. (2009). Why go green? Retrieved from http://www.gogreeninitiative.org/content/WhyGoGreen/

20. MythsBusted • We can not afford to go green • There are no good alternative products • We do not have the time for a change this big • What difference can it make

21. Resources • Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful http://www.gwinnettcb.org/ • Gwinnett Heritage and Environmental Center http://www.gwinnettehc.org/ • The Foundation Center http://foundationcenter.org/ • Nonprofit Guide to Going Green • Ted Hart (San Francisco, CA : Wiley, 2009) • The Georgia Department of Natural Resources • The Sustainable Office Toolkit http://www.p2ad.org/toolkit/guidebook_0.html • Carbonfootprint.com http://www.carbonfootprint.com/businesssolutions.html • Georgia Industrial Materials Exchange www.scrapmatchga.com

22. The Sustainable Choice Go digital Carpool Furniture Ink and toner Electronics Paper Cartridges Plastic

23. Questions

24. References Environmental Protection Agency (2007). Methodology for estimating municipal solid waste recycling benefits 2007 Retrieved from EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/06benefits.pdf Environmental Protection Agency (2008). Municipal solid waste generation, recycling and disposal in the United States: Facts and figures for 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2010 from Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008rpt.pdf Go Green Initiative. (2009). Why go green? Retrieved from http://www.gogreeninitiative.org/content/WhyGoGreen/ Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful . (2010). Retrieved from Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful website: http://www.gwinnettcb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=42&Itemid=72