"No one ever does anything significant by acting alone."

Members of the Citizens Climate Lobby Grand Rapids Chapter attend the annual “CCL Summer Conference and Lobby Day” in Washington D.C., but participation is often limited to those who can afford to pay their own way.   An Evenson Foundation grant was provided to the GR CCL Chapter Transportation Fund to further understanding, discussion, and legislation to address climate change by enabling students and others who might not be able to afford the transportation costs to attend and actively participate.

The Thornapple River Watershed Council focuses on community engagement, education and policy advocacy for green infrastructure for those communities surrounding the Thornapple River. The Evenson Foundation  grant helped TRWC to pursue advocacy for rain gardens and other green infrastructure improvements as well as helping to secure additional funding.

CEIC is an all-volunteer citizen advocacy group seeking to restore and preserve Sadony Bayou in Muskegon County (White River Township).  Sadony Bayou was once a thriving ecosystem but contamination from industrial operations and disposal processes of DuPont (now Chemours) has severely impacted the environmental integrity of the bayou, which is linked to White Lake.  CEIC was formed in 2018 to advocate cleanup, restoration and preservation. The Evenson Foundation grant helped CEIC retain an ecological expert to meet with community and government partners to request annual sampling, discuss a potential Watershed Management Plan, and to take soil/water samples to help restoration plans.