Studies have shown that local businesses tend to be more supportive of local nonprofits than big
box stores and retail chains, a fact demonstrated by the growing relationship between the New
Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership (NH Coast) and the Green Alliance.
In 2008, a group of citizens came together to form NH Coast out of a shared concern about
declining water quality levels in the Great Bay estuary. That same year, the Green Alliance was
launched by local journalist Sarah Brown and business partner Andrew Kellar, then the owner
and founder of Simply Green Biofuels, to promote local green businesses and foster the growth
of a green economy in Southern New Hampshire and Maine.
Over the years, the two organizations have developed a natural friendship based on a shared
desire to restore the clean water and thriving ecosystems that have defined quality of life here
on the Seacoast for generations. Green Alliance Business Partners have donated thousands of
dollars to help support NH Coast’s nonprofit mission to combine sound science with education,
collaboration and advocacy to protect the natural resources of the Granite State’s coastal
watershed.
Nowhere is the impact of this support more evident than in the success of NH Coast’s popular
Rain Barrel Program. Donations from Green Alliance Business Partners like Altus Engineering,
Cornerstone Treecare, Ecomovement, Greenovations, Jewett Farms & Co., and ReVision have
played a big role in enabling NH Coast to distribute more than 100 energy and water saving rain
barrels to Seacoast residents at local farmers’ markets, community events and workshops – many
of them free of charge.
In keeping with the green spirit that defines both organizations, NH Coast staff and volunteers
handcraft each rain barrel from a reclaimed plastic drums purchased from a local recycler in
Northwood, helping to reduce the amount of waste destined for local landfills. Each rain barrel
installed by a local homeowner helps to take a small chunk out of the stormwater run-off that
contributes to over 80 percent of surface water impairments in New Hampshire, while also
conserving water, saving energy and reducing carbon footprints.
Of course, donations are just one way to support a local nonprofit, and Green Alliance Business
Partners are going beyond the call of duty by doing their part to protect the local environment
even outside of regular business hours. ReVision Energy sponsored and played host to one
of NH Coast’s popular “Make your own rain barrel” workshops at their new solar showroom
and workshop in Exeter on a sunny spring Saturday morning in April. Jewett Farms & Co.
and Greenovations hosted a Dockside Party to benefit NH Coast on board the Isles of Shoals
Steamship Company’s M/V Thomas Layton this summer. Ecomovement’s Rian Bedard installed
multiple NH Coast rain barrels at his home to save water.
Now, the Green Alliance and NH Coast are partnering up to offer Seacoasters a special
Combined Membership for only $50 – that’s $20 off the usual cost of joining both of these
eco-minded organizations. You get all the benefits of a Green Alliance membership, including
discounts at more than 90 local green businesses, and the benefits of joining NH Coast, including
invites to next year’s batch of “Make your own rain barrel” workshops.