Introduction

Although the environmental movement has achieved many successes, the public still bears most of the cost of environmental degradation. Measures such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act, have been effective to a point, yet are not comprehensive enough to deal with the overall threats to the environment and their impact on our health. Often specific corporate and other institutional interests, rather than environmental needs, prevail in environmental policies. Without sufficient countervailing forces, the increase in such influences on decision-makers and public policy can lead to the undermining of the environment. The Environment program’s accountability approach will therefore seek to address the root causes of environmental degradation. Funding priority will be given to projects with the potential of having state, multi-state, or national impacts.

Goal I

To facilitate environmental justice and environmentally sustainable communities by supporting the accountability of corporations, governments, and other institutions for their environmental practices.

Objective I:

To facilitate the accountability of corporations, governments, and other institutions for their environmental practices.

Strategies:

• To facilitate the development of public policies and other approaches by which corporations, governments and other institutions take responsibility for the real environmental costs and risks of their activities.

• To broaden public constituencies that will encourage corporations and other institutions to internalize the true environmental costs of their activities, by connecting environmentalists to public health, labor, religious, minority, economic development, science, business, youth, academic social justice and other groups.

Objective II:

To facilitate environmental justice by ensuring that communities, especially those vulnerable due to low- to moderate-socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity, are protected from environmental degradation.

Strategies:

• To facilitate efforts which promote the environmental accountability of corporations, governments, and other institutions in communities, especially those vulnerable due to low- to moderate-socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity.

• To increase public access to information and decision-making about environmental policies.

GOAL II

To promote the development and dissemination of contemplative practice programs – from all traditions – which address the foundation's core values: concern for the poor, disadvantaged and underserved; empowerment of communities in need; respect for diversity; and promotion of understanding across cultures.

Objective 1:

To cultivate the development and teaching of contemplative practices linked to engagement with areas of concern to the foundation.

Objective 2:

To enable the teachers, practitioners and organizations devoted to contemplative practice to make their work available as a resource for non-profit organizations devoted to social, economic and environmental justice.

  Revised Guidelines for the 2009 Funding Year

ECOLOGICAL INNOVATION PROGRAM

Goal

To address the challenges of climate change and to promote vibrant and sustainable ecological systems that support healthy communities and a just economy.

Objective 1. ALLIANCE BUILDING: To encourage the development of broad alliances that advance integrated and sustainable approaches to social, economic and ecological justice.

Objective 2. INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: To promote innovative public policies and other approaches by which corporations, government s and other institutions take responsibility for the real risks and costs of their activities and become drivers of positive ecological and social costs of their activities change.