Green Choice Awards Publishes First-Ever List of Best Environmental Nonprofits

“HVNPG has made Hayes Valley a wonderful place to live. Their work with the peace wall and the gardens has improved the quality of life for our community, has given us a feeling of pride in our neighborhood and brought us closer together.”

Honorable mention:  Back to Natives Restoration, Bethesda Green

Annual Budget Between $250,000 and $1 Million
Slide Ranch
Muir Beach, Calif.
At Slide Ranch, spend the day in the organic garden, walking the trails, milking a goat or just sitting on the bluff above the roaring ocean. It is a place to connect with nature and learn about the growing of healthy food and our interdependence with the environment.

“Slide Ranch is a special place...from the fennel forest to the goats, from the wonderful counselors and staff to the amazing location. My girls are learning about their environment and nature in a way I wish I could have experienced at their age.”

Honorable mention: WAGES (Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security)

Annual Budget More Than $1 Million
Chewonki Foundation
Wiscasset, Maine
The Chewonki Foundation instills a life-long appreciation of nature through programs such as canoe and sailboat explorations on the rocky coast of Maine and wilderness backpacking trips that teach forest management.

“Chewonki gave each of our sons terrific grounding - reverence for nature, community, and self, music, humor, fairness and fun. Our family has been partaking of Chewonki programs for over 30 years and it is very much a part of our lives.”

Honorable mention: International Rivers

Best of Northeast
Global Links
Pittsburgh, PA
This organization refurbishes, sorts, and sends donated hospital equipment (everything from beds and wheelchairs to IV poles and dialysis machines) to Latin American and Caribbean countries. Global Links recovers over 100 tons of medical materials a year.

“I never knew so many things would wind up in landfills if it were not for global links salvaging these items and sending them to others who could put them to good use, people who are so appreciative to receive them. To play a small part in this endeavor, has been very rewarding to me.”

Best of Southeast
Solar Electric Light Fund
Washington, DC
SELF provides power to villages in developing countries for water pumps, schools, health clinics, homes and drip irrigation to grow crops.

“From my own interactions with SELF's solar-powered drip irrigation project in northern Benin, I have witnessed SELF's ability to dramatically change lives on the ground, and to implement projects in a sustainable and culture-conscious manner.”

Best of Midwest
PLACE
Minneapolis, Minn.
PLACE is a nonprofit developer that works with cities to build green and affordable housing.  “I'm confident that PLACE has extended their reach as far as possible to provide affordable housing for artists within a socially and environmentally balanced community while accentuating the beautiful views and respecting the local landscape.”

Best of Southwest
Center for Biological Diversity
Tucson, Ariz.
Using science, law, and creative media, the Center for Biological Diversity works to protect the habitats of endangered species.  They wrote the petition that got the polar bear listed under the Endangered Species Act, and they have been successful in protecting the orca habitat in the Northwest and the wolves in the Rockies.

“As a donor, it's really satisfying to see the results of the Center for Biological Diversity's campaigns on almost a constant basis. There is never a question that they are using every cent to defend our planet and the creatures who inhabit it. It makes me feel great to be able to be a part of their incredibly important work.”

Best of West
Foundation for Sustainable Development
San Francisco, Calif.
By partnering with more than 200 community-based organizations throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America, FSD works to support sustainable change.  Projects include construction of communal clothes-washing areas and non-polluting bathrooms, teaching organic farming methods, and establishing vegetable nurseries and organic gardens at local schools.

“In Bolivia, we work with over 35 NGO's in Cochabamba who are dedicated to various development areas such as human/women's rights, environment and natural resources, microfinance, education, and public health. Through FSD, I have gained greater perspective on the hardwork involved in getting development projects up and running.”

About the 2009 Green Choice Awards
The awards were hosted by GreatNonprofits. Reviews appear on both GreatNonprofits.org as well as GuideStar.org.  Nonprofits with the most positive reviews in their budget category are determined the winners of the 2009 Green Choice Awards. Those who submitted reviews are eligible to win prizes, such as an autographed copy of Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded, earth-friendly wines from Fetzer wineries, subscriptions to the Stanford Social Innovation Review, a getaway at Joie De Vivre hotels, gift certificates for Whole Foods, coupons for Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and more.  Reviews were accepted through April 29.