An Introduction

South Africa – July 2009

Manmeet Mehta & Donna Callejon

What environmental issues are important to you and your community?

What activities are your organization and others doing to help protect animals,

forests, rivers, etc.?

What is ?

A certification of projects on GlobalGiving which address climate change, either

directly or indirectly, in a sustainable manner

What is climate change?Caused by:•Emissions from cars, factories & cooking stoves•Cutting down trees•Inefficient use of energy•Using synthetic fertilizers•etc.

Shifts over time in local and global climate leading to:•Increased flooding•Longer droughts•More intense storms•Changing growing seasons•etc.

What is climate change?Caused by:•Emissions from cars, factories & cooking stoves•Cutting down trees•Inefficient use of energy•Using synthetic fertilizers•etc.

Shifts over time in local and global climate leading to:•Increased flooding•Longer droughts•More intense storms•Changing growing seasons•etc.

This problem has largely been caused by developed countries,

like the U.S.

BUT it is a global crisis requiring global action.

Women play an important role in addressing climate change

– Livelihoods particularly vulnerable to climate changes– Responsible for many of the family activities with climate implications

*Women’s input is therefore crucial to developing & implementing effective solutions

Are you seeing local effects of climate change?

Are people in your community aware of global climate change? Are they concerned?

There are many ways to have a positive climate impact

Directly• Installing solar panels or

other renewable energy• Installing solar water

heaters• Planting forests• Using sustainable farming

techniques• Using energy more

efficiently

Indirectly• Teaching others about

impacts & solutions• Encouraging policy

changes• Preparing for the local

impacts of climate change

• Green projects draw more donations(?)• U.S. consumers prefer “green” products• GG making a push to be leaders in this area—which will

bring recognition & support from donors and foundations• Campaign this fall featuring Green projects• Special designation on GG.com (sort feature, coming

soon)• Featured on our homepage• Improved ranking in search results (coming soon)

What’s the value of GG Green for my project?

Any Questions?

If you know other orgs doing this type of work, please let us know!

Ask offline to anyone who’s gone through the Green scoring process:

• Feedback on Green scoring tool. • Has it encouraged you to change your behavior?• Do you value being recognized in this way?• What did you think of the campaign in April?