104 Monterey County GIVES! 2024 mcgives.com Environment & Sustainability DONate online mcgives.com MEarth Year Founded: 2008 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 6 paid, 357 volunteers Budget: $877,923 624-1032 mearthcarmel.org Big Idea: The Hilton Bialek Habitat, a 10.5-acre watershed micro-environment at Carmel Middle School, introduces visitors of all ages to the rich biodiversity of a healthy ecosystem. This experience connects “me to Earth” at this nonprofit: the Big Idea behind MEarth. Programs teach the principles and benefits of regenerative farming, provide hands-on experiences with organic produce in the organization’s outdoor kitchen and promote mental well-being through time spent immersed in nature walks through MEarth’s various micro-habitats and grasslands. “Thank you for giving everyone the chance to learn, harvest, grow and eat in the Habitat. My personal favorite dish that we made was the hummus and bread. I loved learning about nature and how to make healthier choices for myself and the Earth.” -Anonymous student, 12 MILPA Year Founded: 2013 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 23 paid, 1 volunteer Budget: $2,525,974 676-3079 milpacollective.org Big Idea: MILPA is a movement designed for and led by formerly incarcerated and system-impacted individuals. The nonprofit seeks to develop a new, intergenerational leadership program that links racial justice advocacy, environmental justice and traditional ecological knowledge. Funds raised through Monterey County Gives! will support the recruitment and training of young leaders and the creation of programming focused on interpersonal healing and Earth-based connectivity. This nonprofit prioritizes land-based healing, facilitating cultural healing, leadership and advocacy with youth as its Big Idea. “I love to express myself, and this event provided a safe and family-friendly environment. Thank you, MILPA.” -9-year-old Salinas community member Monterey Audubon Society Year Founded: 1940 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 1 paid, 25 volunteers Budget: $107,176 (208) 520-8794 montereyaudubon.org Big Idea: Ten years ago, the Monterey Audubon Society hatched a Big Idea to hire paid monitors to count the migrating seabirds at Point Pinos in Pacific Grove. These monitors work from dawn to dusk for six weeks from early November to mid-December. The goal? To document the size and diversity of an animal that acts as an early indicator of a change in the marine ecosystem. Donations help keep this decade-long effort going, the only systematic seawatch effort on the West Coast. The Big Idea is to hire a professional bird monitor who can generate a bird checklist every hour and produce an end-ofseason report. “I’m proud to support Point Pinos Seawatch. The data gathered by the project are critical, and it is absolutely thrilling to watch huge flocks fly past Point Pinos on their way south. I will never forget the morning during in 2023 when we counted over 25,000 loons in less than two hours! Point Pinos is the best place on the West Coast to see and study seabirds from land, and the Point Pinos Seawatch Project is a really special blend of science and community outreach. It’s particularly inspiring to Communities for Sustainable Monterey County Year Founded: 2005 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 0 paid, 835 volunteers Budget: $149,613 275-1080 sustainablemontereycounty.org Big Idea: Communities for Sustainable Monterey County (C4SMC) seeks to bring at least two community-run Miyawaki-inspired “food forests” to our area. These forests are designed to mimic how a forest would nurture itself without human intervention, building on this nonprofit’s efforts to restore native plant communities and create pollinator gardens within city parks. Donations to this Big Idea will fund irrigation systems, soil amendments and initial plantings of tree and food plants. “When I discovered the Oak Woodlands Community Garden last year, I found not only a place to grow some veggies in a raised bed full of compost-rich soil, but I also found kindred spirits. The volunteers who help maintain the native plants, trees and pathways; who teach passersby the advantages of growing natives in their yards; and who put in hundreds of hours to produce the annual Marina Earth Day celebration are inspiring to be around. C4SM members do all this, and more! They give demonstrations at schools and other community events, pick up trash on the side of the road, and install native plants at other area parks and community spaces. This is an awesome organization and I am proud to be a new member.” -Angie Landrum spotlight “It is absolutely thrilling to watch huge flocks fly past Point Pinos on their way south.” -Catherine Webb, Monterey Audubon Society
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