clean wisconsin annual report
2013
Table of Contents 4 Passion & Commitment 6 Our Voices Heard 8 A Brighter Future 10 Funders 11 Corporate Sponsors & Environmental Pillars Society 12 Financials 13 Board + Interns, Externs & Volunteers 14 Clean Wisconsin Staff
Photo Credits Some photos in this Annual Report were taken by members of Mario Quintana’s Spring 2013 Nature & Conservation Photography Class at Madison College, including: Front Cover: Kayce Smalley, Festge Park Inside Front Cover: Lake Mendota, Jake Ausel Inside Back Cover: Doreen Kostka, Sugar River, Belleville
ŠJake Ausel, 2013
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All other photos are stock images or were taken by Clean Wisconsin staff.
from the executive director Every year brings unique challenges, and 2013 was no different. We led numerous efforts to protect our environment and natural resources. Waukesha submitted its long-anticipated proposal to divert an average of 10 million gallons a day from Lake Michigan, and we saw legislation that sought to leave Wisconsin communities virtually helpless against new frac sand mines. And at the same time we fought efforts to dilute our groundwater protections, many homeowners in Wisconsin’s Central Sands area watched streams dry up and lakeshores recede.
But out of the political tension and divisiveness arose an inspirational story: Thanks to you, Clean Wisconsin sent almost 40,000 messages to legislators and decision-makers, each punctuated by a firm stance to defend our air, water and the places we love. The challenges of 2013 made us stronger and underscored our mission to hold polluters accountable by remaining vigilant and ahead of emerging issues. This is why Clean Wisconsin spent much of 2013 expanding our legal and science programs while also becoming more active outside Madison. Strategic growth is crucial as environmental threats continue to mount and thousands of people seek a strong, expert voice to protect Wisconsin for future generations. This is why we’ve assembled diverse panels of experts in the legal and science communities to help guide our future work and research. In coming years, this work will continue as we know that tomorrow’s challenges will require our best efforts and preparation today. Now in our 44th year, we are honored to do this work, but we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for your commitment, and we look forward to a new year and a long future of continuing to protect Wisconsin’s environment and natural resources for this generation and many more to come. Thank you!
Mark Redsten Executive Director
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Thanks to the shared passion and commitment of our loyal supporters... Bob Sorge, President Madison Community Foundation One of the things I love about Clean Wisconsin’s mission is that it’s simple, it’s vital, it’s obvious.... Clean air, clean water — who can argue with that? Teaming up with Clean Wisconsin is a real honor and a privilege because it’s important to us that our resources are used very efficiently and effectively. Hear more about why Bob Sorge & Madison Community Foundation support Clean Wisconsin at
www.cleanwisconsin.org/bob-sorge
Why Susan stays connected & takes action on our issues:
Deep gratitude for your work. Why Cheryl is a member of our email Action Network:
Everyone deserves clean water; without it, we will not survive. 4
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You are a true partner in our work, allowing us to carry out our mission to protect our natural resources and the places we love. Our partners share why they are committed to Clean Wisconsin.
Dr. Ann Behrmann, MD Pediatrician I think citizens of Wisconsin who have the financial means ought to be putting their money where their heart is — and that is in a clean Wisconsin. All of us ought to be supportive of Clean Wisconsin! We all, regardless of our political persuasion, should want to breathe clean air and drink clean water. Hear more about why Dr. Ann Behrmann supports Clean Wisconsin at
www.cleanwisconsin.org/ann-behrmann
Why Vincent H. is passionate about Clean Wisconsin:
I love Wisconsin and her environment. If you guys did not exist, [what] would I do? I support this movement and always will! 2013 annual report
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…. we made our voices heard to protect our health and our natural resources... Groundwater for all
Groundwater
Highland
Waukesha
When Wisconsin passed its first groundwater protection law in 2004, it was considered progressive: now, it’s proving inadequate. Today, dried-up rivers, lakefront property turning to mud and unsafe drinking water are realities for many Wisconsin residents as large wells are allowed to pump groundwater with few restrictions, and over-pumping has become a huge issue, especially in Central Wisconsin. With applications for these large wells up 40% in the last two years alone, this problem will only get worse.
However, that didn’t stop legislators and special interest groups from introducing bills in 2013 to roll back groundwater protections and basically prevent DNR from protecting our private wells, drinking water and waterways from excessive groundwater pumping. But thanks to your voice and concern, we sent almost 6,000 messages to legislators and decision-makers and held back multiple attempts to endanger our groundwater. Together, we also raised the profile of this growing problem in Wisconsin. We know the issue will resurface in coming years, but with such an outpouring of support, we know we can continue to make a strong case for groundwater laws to protect our properties, our health and our waters for all.
Thank you for making your voice heard!
Messages sent to legislators, 2013-’14 legislative session
9,420
Frac Sand Issues
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6,042
www.cleanwisconsin.org
Mining
5,790
Groundwater
4,820
Stewardship Fund
Highland Wind: A victory for clean energy Thanks to you, clean energy scored a huge victory in Wisconsin in late September 2013 when the Public Service Commission (PSC) finally approved the 102-megawatt Highland Wind project in northwestern Wisconsin. This certainly was a hard-fought victory for Clean Wisconsin. For more than two years, we worked at the PSC, advocating for and providing expert testimony in support of Highland. While opponents spent more than $400,000 to fight the project, in the end our legal and science expertise, coupled with your deluge of comments to the PSC, helped make Highland a reality.
Highland is more than just a milestone for Clean Wisconsin. In addition to providing renewable energy for 29,000 homes, the PSC’s approval of Highland provides a degree of certainty to Wisconsin’s wind industry after several years of stall tactics and inaction. It is a strong show of support and a boom to Wisconsin’s energy economy, offsetting some of the more than $12 billion we send out of state each year to import dirty fossil fuels that pollute our air and water. Highland Wind is a shining win for Wisconsin’s natural resources, public health and our economy.
Waukesha Diversion: History in the making We’ve been awaiting the City of Waukesha’s application to divert water from Lake Michigan for several years, and in October 2013, it finally arrived.
As written, the application fell short of the protective standards established under the Great Lakes Compact and Wisconsin law and as anticipated, several key questions remained. For instance, we’ve long asked Waukesha why it keeps ignoring it’s water conservation plan, once the strongest in the state, and if Lake Michigan water is truly their best and only option.
This is history in the making, and it’s important that we get this right. Thankfully, thousands of you agreed, and together we submitted nearly 3,700 comments to the state Department of Natural Resources on Waukesha’s application. With such a strong show of concern, the DNR has gone back to the city several times, seeking more information to address the application’s key deficiencies. With the application still under review, we remain vigilant in the process to uphold the Great Lake Compact and protect the shared resource that is our Lake Michigan.
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…and are securing a brighter future for Wisconsin’s environment. Both in 2013 and looking to 2014 and beyond, our staff is excited to be engaged in a number of new initiatives to extend our work, set ourselves up for success and train future environmental leaders.
Legal Advisory Council
To achieve our vision for a strong, expert legal department, we knew we needed advice and assistance from experienced members of Wisconsin’s legal community; to that end, we created Clean Wisconsin’s Legal Advisory Council in 2013. With a rich mix of individuals from Wisconsin and beyond, council members advise and assist our legal staff in their areas of expertise to ensure we intelligently and strategically pursue legal work that furthers our mission for clean air, clean water and clean energy and to protect the places we love.
Growing into Milwaukee
While we have long worked in Milwaukee on issues facing Lake Michigan and local waterways, Clean Wisconsin is elated to be part of the 30th Street Industrial Corridor Project. In partnership with Milwaukee Metropolitian Sewerage District, this on-the-ground project to help install rain barrels, rain gardens and other simple, low-cost landscape techniques will reduce polluted runoff and alleviate sewer overflows and basement backups, problems that plague this Milwaukee neighborhood. We are excited to be part of this work to protect the environment, residents’ homes, their health and their water with commonsense practices and to further expand our reach into Milwaukee.
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Epicurean Evening
Wisconsinites are committed to local, quality food, but we all know that healthy food needs healthy air, water and soil. To that end, we’re A night with celebrity chefs for hosting our inaugural An Epicurean Evening: A night with celebrity chefs for Clean Wisconsin on October 8, 2014. Our first major fundraising event, we’ve brought four of Madison’s most progressive, sustainably focused chefs on board for what is sure to be the premier culinary event of 2014. We look forward to offering more and new events to Clean Wisconsin’s repertorie in coming years to provide you, our valuable supporters, with more opportunities like this to learn about, participate in and support our work. Find more information at www.wisconsinepicureanevening.org.
The future of Clean Wisconsin
With a focus on introducing some of the best and brightest young minds to the environmental field, we’ve stepped up our commitment to hosting interns, externs and volunteers. In 2013, almost 20 interns, externs and volunteers shared their knowledge and excitement with us and worked in every department. In addition to helping with daily office tasks, they researched sustainability initiatives around the state, wrote legal briefs and letters to the editor, organized farmers on the issue of climate change and much more. In addition to those 20 interns, externs and volunteers, we partnered with UW-Madison’s We Badger Volunteers program and Madison College’s summer Nature & Conservation Photography class, which dedicated its entire session to capturing conservation photography, including some of the photos found in this report. We’re happy to have another strong crop of young environmentalists with us in 2014.
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Thank you for your generosity Funders
Carolyn Foundation Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Clean Water Fund Clif Bar Family Foundation Crown Family Philanthropies Energy Foundation HJ Hagge Foundation Joyce Foundation Kresge Foundation Madison Community Foundation McKnight Foundation Oberweiler Foundation Public Service Commission of Wisconsin REAMP State of Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
Other Support Community Shares of Wisconsin
Financials GRANTS
MEMBERS & LEGACY FUND 26.3%
54.1%
ADMINISTRATIVE
PROGRAMS
11.3%
OTHER 10.9%
INVESTMENT INCOME 8.7%
Total Support & Revenue $1,099,917
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DEVELOPMENT 8.0%
Total Expenses $1,596,962
80.7%
Anonymous (5) Amy Gilliland Carl Sinderbrand Daniel Smith MD & Marcia Smith DW & Christena Benson Edward & Ann Hastreiter Gof & Mary Thomson Gretchen La Budde & Michael Whaley Henry Anderson MD & Shirley S. Levine Jack Westman MD Karin Sandvik Katharine Odell Kurt Sladky & Deb Neff
www.sustaineng.com | Madison
Laurie & Richard Kracum Liz Middleton Luke & Carol Fairborn Margaret Baack & Michael McAdams Margi & David Kindig Peggy Scallon MD & Mark Redsten Richard Gosse DDS & Karen Gosse Robert Hagge Jr. Roland Schroeder & Mary Mowbray Susan & Jerry Greenfield Thomas Schlueter MD & Ellen Neuhaus MD
www.crossroadscommunityfarm.com Cross Plains
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Board of Directors
Members
Officers Chair Margi Kindig, Madison Vice Chair Chuck McGinnis, Middleton Secretary Gary Goyke, Madison Treasurer Gof Thomson, New Glarus Board Emeritus Kate Gordon, San Francisco
Belle Bergner, Milwaukee Shari Eggleson, Washburn Luke Fairborn, Whitefish Bay Elizabeth Feder, Madison Scott Froehlke, Montello Karen Knetter, Madison Lucia Petrie, Milwaukee Carl Sinderbrand, Madison Bruce Wunnicke, Richland Center
Interns, Externs & Volunteers
Communications
Legal Department
Brady Loomis, Intern Jan Szamanda, Volunteer WE Badger Volunteers Group
Development & Membership Jackie Csedo, Volunteer Marie Faust, Intern Elsa Nekola, Volunteer
Energy Department
Sean Carroll, Climate Organizer Adélaïde de Valence Sean Johnson
Paul Mathewson, Spring Legal Extern Laura Schrieber, Summer Legal Intern Pamela Ritger, Summer Legal Intern Mark Weinstein, Fall Legal Intern
Science Department
Jiwon Jun, Research Intern Julian Holtzmann, Pubic Health Student Researcher Jenna Lewein, Science and Policy Associate
Water Department Scott Laeser, Volunteer Zach Schuster, Volunteer
we believe
everyone deserves clean air and clean water our mission is
to protect and preserve Wisconsin’s air and water and to create a cleaner environment by being the leading voice for environmental protection
with special thanks to our members and supporters
your generosity makes this possible thank you
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Clean Wisconsin Staff
Mark Redsten
Executive Director
Melissa Gavin Organizing Hub Coordinator
Angela Cao
Tyson Cook
Development Director
Director, Science & Research
Emily Jones
Amber Meyer Smith
Water Quality Specialist
Pam Ritger
Grants Manager
Director, Programs & Gov’t Relations
Keith Reopelle Senior Policy Director
Amanda Wegner
Creative Director
David Hunt
Communications Director
Ezra Meyer
Water Resources Specialist
Sarah Shanahan Midwest Clean Energy Coordinator
Elizabeth Wheeler
Staff Attorney
Jake Immel
Membership & Development Coordinator
Katie Nekola
General Counsel
Katy Walter Clean Energy Specialist
David Vitse
Office Administrator
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ŠEmma Cassidy, 2013
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www.cleanwisconsin.org
634 W. Main Street, Suite 300 Madison, WI 53703 608-251-7020
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Printed on 100-percent recycled paper. www.cleanwisconsin.org Š Clean Wisconsin, August 2014