Article by Andy Carman / Director of Environteers.org. One of 50 exhibitors at Blue Innovation 2022 on September 11, 2022.

Contributing to Our Community

For 2 years, Andy Carman searched and deliberated on how to best contribute to our community. He saw that while there were dozens of great local organizations, there was no media source publicizing their work, no convenient access to all of the groups.

This sparked the vision for an Environteers website featuring all local environmental entities. The mission is to make it easy for Santa Cruz County residents to keep informed and take action to protect and restore our environment.

Several of us — all volunteers — worked together to first develop the concept of Environteers and then the website in August 2016. The team consists of Andy Carman, Terry Grove, Sonia de la Rosa, and our website designer Bonno Bernard. David Thiermann joined our team recently to provide inspiring coaching and guidance.

To expand our reach, the Environteers Weekly Update was launched in December 2018. I like to say that this newsletter is the best environmental weekly newsletter in the world, for Santa Cruz County. About 500 people read it each week! And it is free!

The website and newsletter promote the 100+ dedicated environmental organizations, parks, museums and institutions in Santa Cruz County with links to their sites, volunteer opportunities, and upcoming events such as hikes, films, and lectures.

Subscribers to the Weekly Update express appreciation for it’s beauty and the wonderful variety of compelling opportunities and events in our county, as well as the coverage of regional and global issues.

Local Photographers & Artists

The photos and paintings of 20 local photographers and painters including Shmuel Thaler, Erika Perloff, Marie Gabrielle, Sandy Cherk, John Flores and Kevin Lohman contribute mightily to it’s beauty. The Update features 3 Learning articles, 3 Eco-Actions and 3 good news articles. It publicizes the educational and volunteer activities of our 100 local entities as well as well as state and national organizations, - making it easy to keep informed and in action!

We are committed to restoring our climate and environment. This global challenge is the most massive long-term mission humans have ever mounted. And it’s the first time that the entire world is united in a common mission to preserve our civilization and ecosystem.

Given the immensity of this undertaking, people can feel overwhelmed and need to know specifically what they can do to make a difference. And this was the point of creating a resource that provides easy access to all of our environmental organizations’ events and volunteer opportunities.

We want you! Please go to the website at Environteers and subscribe today.