Protecting
the Natural Environment
The Fund has two areas of priority to help achieve
a healthy planet. The first is the protection of
vital ecosystems in the eastern US. The second is
supporting the shift towards environmentally sustainable
economic systems, incentives, and behaviors.
Protecting
and Restoring Vital Eastern Ecosystems
 Urban
sprawl, resource extraction, and poorly enforced
environmental regulations place enormous pressures
on the natural environment. At the same time, the
remaining undeveloped areas are vital to many communities
for economic and recreational purposes and essential
to the survival of countless species of wildlife.
The dynamic tensions result in the need for sustainable
uses that are environmentally sound, economically
viable, and socially accountable.
Specifically, the Fund is interested in programs
that:
- recognize the need for and practice of sustainable
forestry;
- include the support and participation of people
living in or near the impacted area; and
- protect and preserve ecologically valuable
land.
Ecosystem grants are restricted to the following
geographic areas:
- The southern Appalachian spruce-fir and hardwood
forests of Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky,
South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia; (See
Map)
- The Northern Forest of Vermont, New Hampshire,
and Maine; (See
Map) and
- The southeastern coastal forests and wetlands
of South Carolina.
Sustainable Economics
 The
strain our nation's economy places on the natural
environment through current rates of economic growth
and consumption cannot be sustained nor can it be
corrected solely through technological advances.
A variety of strategies must be employed to engage
the public and private sectors to develop behavior
that is ecologically sustainable for current and
future generations.
We welcome proposals for initiatives that:
- Promote sustainable practice as it relates to buildings and design, and the production and use of paper;
- Create policies at the state and federal level
that promote green tax programs and challenge
taxpayer subsidies that harm the environment;
and
- Encourage the acceptance and use of corporate extended producer responsibility.
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