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GroundUP Organics 

Description

GroundUP Organics engages youth in the process of recapturing, processing and redistributing organic compostable materials from sources located in their community. GroundUP focuses on food justice and environmental management as key driving factors of a strong, just and healthy community.

Youth ages 14-19 work together to plan, design, enhance and manage waste through organic composting, building life skills as they learn about environmental impacts on their neighborhoods and families.

Mission Statement
GroundUP Organics brings environmental justice, community engagement, entrepreneurship and personal development  together using hands on learning examples to help participants understand why and how we can increase the positive impacts on our health and the environment using simple methods.
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GroundUP Organics
1810 E Yesler Wy 
Seattle 
WA
98122 
(206) 852-7631 

Karen Toering 
Director 

Programs

GroundUP Organics Programs

The program has three sub-goals:

  • Establish a model community-based food and yard waste composting training system in closed loop community and neighborhood locations. Reduce the costs and amounts of compostable materials from a community to encourage waste reduction and soil augmentation within a healthy, sustainable environment.
  • Provide a culturally and linguistically appropriate STEM principles to low income and cultural communities focused on the benefits, methods, and process of collecting and managing compostable materials.
  • Create employment, pre-employment job training, and small-business skills building for teens, young-adults  and low income families that match current “green” sector trends.
  • Our program focuses on training in the science behind creating compost, as well as the tie-in to compost development, closed loop systems along with educational and entrepreneurship opportunities in urban agriculture and urban ecology.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Since its inception in 2008, GroundUP Organics has been Seattle’s only POC-led youth urban agriculture, food justice & leadership program. We are proud of the work our youth have accomplished to date and some of the highlights are:
  • Hosted Regional Peoples Food Summit featuring Will Allen, at which time Mayor Mike McGinn declared 2010 as "The Year of Urban Agriculture"
  • Trained  510 youth in Urban Agriculture and Food Justice across multiple programs across the city 
  • Certified 9 youth as master compost soil builders
  • 4% of students in GroundUP programs were Developmentally delayed
  • 31 middle school children: 32% of all students trained were ESL
  • 11 youth continued on to college = 91% of HS seniors who participated in program graduated
  • Provided employment for 13 FTE equivalent professional youth development and environmental specialists.
  • Diverted almost 4.6 tons of solid waste material through composting.
  • Harvested and distributed over 1.5 tons of fresh healthy to low income families

Evaluation

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
There are no recent grants awarded to this organization.

Financials

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