A San Fernando Valley-based nonprofit, The Climate Reality Project, received the Nonprofit of the Year award at a recent luncheon in Sacramento, after exploding in size from just nine to 1,000 volunteers.
The nonprofit was one of 114 California organizations selected by state legislators in their districts, focusing on issues ranging from health and homelessness to the environment and workers’ rights.
“For all the calls you make, and all the work you do, and all the deep dives you take, and all the Zoom meetings and everything … it’s very special what you’ve built here,” said 27th District state Sen. Henry Stern, speaking to the Climate Reality Project San Fernando Valley chapter on May 16. “I have learned so much from you. You’ve become Sacramento firepower now!”
The International Climate Reality Project was established in 2011 by former Vice President Al Gore. Its Valley chapter was opened in 2018 with a focus on environmental issues and sustainability initiatives.
Since the pandemic, the Valley chapter has seen robust growth to nearly 1,000 volunteers, said Diana Weynand, the Valley chapter chair, on Wednesday, July 5.
The reason the organization is so popular, Weynand said, is because “we are bringing people into the space where they have a voice about the climate in their area and in their community.”
One of the projects the group has been working on in recent months is their effort to convince the Las Virgenes Unified School District to stop the installation of artificial turf at six schools. The group has started a petition on change.com, calling the school district to stop the project citing potential environmental pollution and exposing children to toxic chemicals.
Another major project the nonprofit focuses on, Weynand added, is the Sepulveda Basin.
“We advocate for nature-based solutions and all work that’s going to be done to revamp and to make bigger changes to the basin,” she said. “We feel that by changing…
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