Climate Action through Community-Driven Philanthropy, with Jared Blumenfeld

Climate Break

What is the Waverley Street Foundation?

The Waverley Street Foundation, founded by Laurene Powell Jobs in 2016, aims to attack climate related issues through funding community-led programs, leading to community action against climate change. The Waverley Street Foundation specifically funds programs related to renewable energy and regenerative agriculture, as these sectors have an immense impact on the environment and vulnerable communities. The Foundation’s approach to achieving climate-related goals is unique, as their solutions revolve around investing in prominent community institutions in order to benefit the entire community, showing people that we all benefit from a healthy planet.

Regenerative Agriculture as a Climate Solution

Regenerative agriculture is the practice of using farming and agricultural techniques to help reverse climate change, including some techniques that date back to Native American cropping systems and the way in which they interact with the soil. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the goals of the practice include helping to “mitigate climate change, improve soil health, restore biodiversity, enhance ecosystems, and contribute to human health.” By focusing on the larger community impacts of sustainable farming practices, the Waverley Street Foundation promotes a close connection between people and their food systems. As an example, the Foundation established agreements with local school districts to support fresh and nutritious lunches, bringing  local regenerative farmers into the supply chain, thereby improving farmers’ economics, and allowing them to decide to continue planting regenerative crops.

Other Community-Based Climate Initiatives

The Waverley Street Foundation is also currently working on converting health clinics from being run on diesel fuel to solar in India. This not only reduces pollution and carbon emissions, but can also help make healthcare more affordable for residents, while providing new local jobs installing, fixing, and financing the panels. In order to evade the most devastating climate change impacts, emissions need to be reduced by almost half by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.

The ultimate goal of the Waverley Street Foundation is to approach climate change with a new outlook: “Cultivating Health, Justice and Joy,” emphasizing the role that climate change has in harming vulnerable communities’ everyday lives rather than solely focusing on technical solutions. Jared Blumenfeld, the president of the Waverley Street Foundation, argues that “unless we can make the case to them, that climate action is going to support and make their communities stronger, I don't think we win many of the other arguments.”

About Our Guest

Jared Blumenfeld is the former Secretary of CalEPA and current President of Waverley Street Foundation, the climate philanthropy funded by Laurene Powell Jobs. Blumenfeld also served as Director of San Francisco’s Department of Environment. Currently, at Waverley, he is working on critical environmental issues, such as oil litigation, renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, and food systems.

Resources

• Waverley Street Foundation, Work
• Waverley Street Foundation, What if lunchrooms served the freshest food in town?
• Regeneration International, Why regenerative agriculture?
• California Department of Food and Agriculture, Defining Regenerative Agriculture
• for State Policies and Programs
• United Nations, Renewable energy – powering a safer future
• Waverley Street Foundation, About

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/climate-action-through-community-driven-philanthropy-with-jared-blumenfeld/