Sustainable Community
Equity & Diversity / Social Sustainability
CAFE - Community for the Advancement of Family Education
CAFÉ is a non-profit organization that advances family and community growth through education. They serve our culturally diverse community providing opportunities in leadership, civic and social engagement, literacy development, and academic advancement. CAFÉ's alliance with regional partners creates a unified community that seeks to empower all of its members.
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CAFÉ's Alianza Ambiental Environmental Justice program helps prepare vulnerable community members for wildfire and smoke risks.
The Indigenous Roots and Reparation Foundation (IRRF) is an Indigenous-led nonprofit established in 2021 to preserve history, culture, traditions and language through education and advocacy. Their goal is to provide a space on ancestral homelands for members of all tribes to practice cultural traditions, ceremony, and fellowship. Itl also serves as a hub for tribal members displaced by wildfire. IRRF strives to build relationships within our community for the purpose of Earth preservation, recognition of the intrinsic value of all species and ecosystems, ensuring clean water and air, and returning human activity to a balanced, sustainable level.
IRIS - Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship
IRIS fosters sustainable rural communities in North Central Washington by gathering and sharing success stories that enhance a sense of belonging, inspire action, and build community. They believe that thriving communities in a healthy environment create success.
NCW Equity Alliance champions education, advocacy and reconciliation through collaborative efforts. The NCW Equity Alliance supports diversity and inclusion initiatives across all layers of government, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in Chelan and Douglas counties.
The NCWEDD is responsible for regional economic development strategy and planning and collaborates with various private and public agencies to accomplish this goal. The NCWEDD brings together the private and public sectors in a partnership necessary to provide a coordinated strategy and an ongoing economic development program for the region.
Climate Change & Resiliency
Melding the ancient practice of creating biochar with cutting-edge processing technology, C6 aims to take excess forest biomass and turn it into a valuable, carbon sequestering, agricultural resource - designed biochar- rather than leaving it burn in the next fire. This nonprofit organization is based in the Methow Valley and is planning a biochar facility at the Winton site outside of Leavenworth near Coles Corner.
350 Wenatchee is part of 350.org's network, and they regularly partner with Climate Conversations NCW to advocate for climate policy in the Wenatchee area. Join the conversation on Facebook here.
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Along with working to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we must build resilience to the impacts of climate change. In 2019, Chelan County began a multi-year effort, bringing together more than 100 people from organization throughout the county. Sustainable NCW is helping with the effort on outreach and education for this project. Visit the link above for updates on this plan.
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Clean Air Methow seeks to create solutions for a sustainably clean airshed and “breathing room” for everybody. Due in part to the Methow Valley’s geophysical landscape and the widespread use of woodstoves, outdoor residential and silviculture burning, the towns of Twisp and Winthrop experience some of the worst PM2.5 air pollution in the Pacific Northwest. This longstanding problem is being exacerbated by increasingly frequent and severe wildfire smoke.
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Sustainable Housing
Since October 1965, the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council has been helping people and changing lives. They are a private non-profit organization providing assistance with home heating, energy conservation, housing, education, adult literacy and food distribution.
The Housing Authority, formed in 1981, is governed by an 11 member Board of Commissioners who are appointed into three-year terms by local government representatives.