Help ECOLIFE Thrive This Summer and Secure a Sustainable Future
Sustainability is a topic that you’ve likely been hearing and thinking about more and more within the past few years. There are a lot of benefits and a variety of ways to make sustainable choices, but what does it mean to live a sustainable life?
At its most basic, sustainable living means making thoughtful choices with the specific aim of minimizing our individual and collective impact on the environment. This is done through lifestyle choices that offset climate change and either reduce or eliminate environmental damage. Living sustainably means looking toward the future because future generations will benefit from today’s sustainable choices. We all want to make our planet safer and healthier for future generations, and living sustainably is the best way to do this.
Typically, when we think about sustainable living, we think of buying items made from recycled materials or buying locally produced food. These are important parts of a sustainable lifestyle, but contributing to the efforts of local conservation organizations is a sustainable choice as well.
Here at ECOLIFE, we’re working to secure a sustainable future through our Patsari stove project and sustainable agriculture efforts. Keep reading to learn more about our work and how you can help!
Modular Aquaponics Response Kit (M.A.R.K.)
Through the development of the M.A.R.K.™, we’re working to establish localized sustainable food systems and provide economic opportunities to underserved communities.
This is a system that can grow food 25% faster using 90% of the land and water when compared to traditional agricultural methods. Our Sustainable Agriculture Program has been able to make significant impacts right here in San Diego, addressing the needs of local communities and combatting food insecurity.
Using our decoupled aquaponic systems and the M.A.R.K. at our Aquaponics Innovation Center in Escondido, we’ve grown more than 15,000 lbs of produce and harvested almost 300 lbs of fish protein since 2018. This food goes directly to local nonprofits like Salvation Army Escondido and others serving food-insecure communities.
The Patsari Stove Project
Our Patsari stove program has been instrumental in helping us protect Monarch butterflies. Through this program and the support of our ECOLIFE community, we’ve been able to help more than 50,000 people living around the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) in Michoacán Mexico.
In addition to improving the lives of community members by providing them with safe and permanent stoves, this program addresses the issue of deforestation in the MBBR. For every stove built 75 trees are saved from being cut down. This preserves the oyamel forest that monarch butterflies need for protection from the cold winter climate.
Carbon Credits
The Patsari stove program is also Gold Standard certified, which means that this program can generate and sell Voluntary Emission Reductions (VER), also known as carbon credits.
Carbon credits are an important climate change mitigation mechanism that channels funding into programs that have proven environmental and social benefits, such as ECOLIFE’s Patsari Stove Project. Carbon credits represent an opportunity to help meet global carbon reduction goals while investing in important emission reduction projects that require funding to take place. Funding from the carbon markets provides a sustainable revenue model for the Patsari Stove Project, allowing us to scale implementation and impact.
Corporate Partnerships
Many organizations support us through corporate partnerships, which provide these organizations with the opportunity to improve their brand awareness and reputation by showing potential customers that their organization is socially responsible and what practical steps they’re taking. Studies show that people support businesses that give and have Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Partnering with ECOLIFE Conservation allows organizations to tap into new markets, increase sales, and enhance relationships with consumers while contributing to a sustainable future.
When you support local businesses like La Monarca Bakery, which donates a percentage of proceeds from items like their Mexican cookie collection gift box to ECOLIFE, supporting our conservation efforts.
Farm Fresh to You Organic Produce Boxes
Farm Fresh To You, a family farm growing organically since 1976, is proud to partner with us to offer you a healthy and sustainable way to access organic produce. Each delivery comes with news from their family farm, delicious recipes, quick tips, and the option to customize your box online, bringing their farmers market booth to you!
Farm Fresh To You is a Community Supported Agriculture delivery service that provides fresh, local, organic produce and artisanal farm products to consumers’ doorsteps. They are connecting communities and sustainable farms through a transparent food system that enables consumers to know their farmers and where their food is grown.
Support a local family farm and get the season’s best mix of 100% certified-organic produce and hand-crafted farm products conveniently delivered directly to you while earning 10% for ECOLIFE Conservation!
Help us Create a Sustainable Future!
Securing a sustainable future starts with the choices that we all make today. That’s why this summer, we’re asking for your help to keep assisting communities and saving the habitat of monarch butterflies and our vital ecosystems.
Our programs have grown and prospered because of our generous community of supporters. Our team and our beneficiaries are hopeful that we will continue to break our records and have an even bigger impact than we have had before.
Our goal is to raise $300,000 by the end of July. Every dollar helps us continue our work and takes us one step closer to securing a sustainable future. Consider supporting us with a gift today!