Building Momentum 2012 Annual Report
Over the last 43 years, Clean Wisconsin has demon-
strated time and again that we are an effective voice for the environment, even in the toughest political environment. And 2012 was no exception.
Through 2012, we certainly continued with the work we are best at: Educating decision-makers and advocating on behalf of Wisconsin’s clean air, clean water, clean energy and special places. But we also examined what would help us more effectively strengthen and defend environmental policies in our state in the years to come. The answer was momentum.
Our Momentum in 2012
16
Reviewers who provided feedback on our Adaptive Management Option guidebook
27 Mark Redsten Executive Director
It’s certainly something we’ve been building through the years, but in 2012, we took it to the next level. By introducing more supporters like you to our organization online and off, building relationships with nontraditional groups around the state, taking our message to candidates and business leaders, and bolstering our legal and science departments to strengthen our policy work, we pushed our own limits, which will carry us through 2013 and beyond. Momentum, and the capacity and movement that comes with it, allows us to be more effective, regardless of the politics. With our momentum, we made significant progress for the health of Wisconsin’s environment and its residents. In March, thanks to our strong, expert staff, we helped defeat the terrible open-pit mining bill by one vote. In June, we helped Dane County launch a pilot program using an innovative new water quality rule we helped create. In August, we scored a major victory that was years in the making when We Energies announced it would convert its dirty, coal-fired Valley Power Plant in downtown Milwaukee to cleaner-burning natural gas.
The Clean Wisconsin community is stronger than ever, and we are excited to see where our momentum carries us as we continue to champion clean air, clean water, clean energy and the special places we love. On behalf of everyone at Clean Wisconsin, thank you for supporting our work and for being part of the momentum and movement.
Letters to the editors written by volunteers and printed in newspapers around the state
Bills Clean Wisconsin weighed in on in 2012, including efforts to roll back wetland protections, uniform wind siting rules, and iron mining protections
74
53
Corporate sponsors, in-kind donors and business partners that supported our work
Candidates and businesses that attended our 16 nonpartisan candidate education events around the state
97
301
Pages of testimony prepared by our legal department
Attendees at house parties, Fresh Faces & Doug La Follette Environmental Speakers Program events
1,178
3,767
Signatures on our mining petition
New email Action Network members
10,151
3,851
Total actions sent to legislators and decisionmakers
Achieved These Victories Since 1970, Clean Wisconsin has worked hard to defend our clean air, clean water and special places. Through the years, we’ve effectively done this by enacting or strengthening environmental policies; defending those policies when they are threatened; holding polluters and elected leaders accountable; and educating members, decisionmakers and the public on the importance of protecting our natural resources. In 2012, we had numerous victories:
Mining bill defeated We were elated when the terrible open-pit iron mining bill died on the Senate floor in March 2012 by one vote. We stridently fought against this bill with sound science, legal expertise and effective communications, by calling on our committed and growing base of supporters, and working closely with reasonable decisionmakers who were willing to stand up to the bully tactics of out-of-state mining interests. Pilot project launched Using innovative new water quality rules we helped write, Clean Wisconsin joined with Dane County to launch a pilot program to clean up county lakes in June. The phosphorus rules, and the Adaptive Management Option in particular, allow farmers and municipalities to work together to reduce phosphorus pollution at a much lower cost. If successful, these innovative rules could become a nationwide model for cleaning our waters. Victory in the Valley In August, we scored a major victory several years in the making when We Energies announced it would convert its dirty, coal-fired Valley Power Plant in downtown Milwaukee to cleaner-burning natural gas. Valley is a significant source of toxic mercury pollution, soot and smog, and converting the plant will make the air cleaner and healthier for the 24,000 residents who live within one mile of Valley and the 30,000 children in the county who suffer from asthma. Creating champions Armed with polling that showed Wisconsin voters overwhelming support clean energy and energy efficiency, we held education briefings around the state in 2012 to share this information with candidates and elected leaders. Working with businesses in key regions around the state, we successfully held 16 events around the state and met with almost 100 candidates and elected leaders, creating champions for clean energy and energy efficiency policy in the Legislature. COVER PHOTO Pickerel Lake | By Christopher Schoenbohn via Flickr
Fueled by your generosity 2012 Expenses: $1,768,024 81.4% Program Work
7.2% Development 11.4% Administration
2012 Support & Revenue: $2,387,998 10.6% Other 16.9% Member & Legacy Fund Contributions
70.4% Grants
2.1% Investment Income
Carolyn Foundation Clean Water Fund Crown Family Foundation Energy Foundation Garfield Foundation H.J. Hagge Foundation Joyce Foundation Madison Community Foundation McKnight Foundation Mott Foundation Oberweiler Foundation Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Rockefeller Family Fund State Environmental Leadership Program State of Wisconsin Coastal Management Program Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc.
Business Sponsors
($500 & up) Toyota/100 Cars for Good | Delta Properties | Sustainable Engineering Group
Other Support
Community Shares of Wisconsin | Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee
Pro Bono Services
Axley Brynelson, LLP | Cullen Weston Pines and Bach, LLP | Geek World | Mary Beth Collins | SneathGroup | Mario Quintana | Derek Johnson | Doug Britton | Lisa Mlinar | Google Grants
clean wisconsin annual report 2012
Clean Wisconsin Staff Mark Redsten Executive Director Becky Bains Development Director Marcy Brant Interim Staff Attorney Tyson Cook Staff Scientist Nick Curran, CPA Chief Financial Officer Jake Immel Membership & Development Coordinator Emily Jones Water Program Coordinator Jenny Lynes Grants Manager Melissa Malott Water Program Director Amber Meyer Smith Director of Programs & Government Relations Ezra Meyer Water Resources Specialist Katie Nekola General Counsel Keith Reopelle Senior Policy Director Sarah Shanahan Midwest Clean Energy Coordinator Katy Walter Clean Energy Specialist Sam Weis Communications Director Amanda Wegner Creative Director Elizabeth Wheeler Staff Attorney David Vitse Office Manager
Board of Directors Chair Carl Sinderbrand Madison Vice Chair Margi Kindig Madison Treasurer Gof Thomson New Glarus Secretary Gary Goyke Madison Belle Bergner Milwaukee Sue Durst Verona Phyllis Dubé McFarland Shari Eggleson Washburn Luke Fairborn Whitefish Bay Scott Froehlke Montello
Looking Ahead
In 2012, we more than doubled the number of subscribers to our email Action Network, forged new relationships with decisionmakers, businesses and groups around the state, and increased the capacity of our legal and science departments in support of our policy work. Combining our 43 years of experience with the incredible momentum we gained last year, we have the strength and expertise to confront some of the most pressing challenges facing Wisconsin’s environment head on. In 2013, we are:
Focusing on Focus In 2011, the state Legislature reduced funding for Focus on Energy, the state’s highly successful energy efficiency and renewable energy program. With new numbers demonstrating Focus’s money-saving and job-creating potential, we are advocating for a greater investment in this program. By investing in Focus, we can move Wisconsin away from its dependence on dirty, expensive fossil fuels while investing in state businesses and improving the health of our residents. Beyond Yahara In 2012, Clean Wisconsin helped launched a pilot program in Dane County’s Yahara chain of lakes utilizing the innovative phosphorus rules. With these rules, landowners and point sources, such as factories and wastewater facilities, are working together to cost-effectively clean local waters. Now, using the experience and knowledge we’ve gained in Dane County, we’re expanding this critical work to clean and protect Milwaukee’s rivers and the Fox River near Green Bay by initiating pilot projects in these areas of the state. Building an Organizing Hub Combining the momentum we gained in digital media in 2012 with our position as an environmental leader in the Midwest, we’re creating a first-in-class Organizing Hub. Through this work, we’ll be building a regionwide movement to help achieve an 80-percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. The Organizing Hub will provide training, cutting-edge tools and resources to partners and allied organizations across the Midwest to help encourage people to take action on issues of environmental importance when they matter most. Pushing for Limits With the unveiling of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan in June 2013, Clean Wisconsin is leading efforts here and across the Midwest to educate the public, opinion leaders and policymakers about how we can best support that plan and, in particular, push the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt carbon pollution limits for new and existing power plants. By reducing this dangerous source of pollution and advocating for clean energy, we can mitigate the effects to climate change while increasing economic growth and investments in Midwest manufacturers, farmers and engineers.
Paul Linzmeyer Green Bay Chuck McGinnis Middleton Lucia Petrie Milwaukee Karen Sands Whitefish Bay Board Emeritus Kate Gordon San Francisco
634 W. Main Street, Suite 300 | Madison, WI 53703 608-251-7020 | www.cleanwisconsin.org © Clean Wisconsin, September 2013