Board Retreat Charts Path Forward for MGE
Our board retreated in January to look back and plan forward. Invigorated by some new voices on our board, we’re charging forward.
Our board gathered to review the successes and lessons of 2024 and build a strong roadmap for 2025, together. With the help of outgoing board member Keith McNulty, we welcomed several new board members to the fold:
Andre Darnell, Meta Network Engineer
Anita Paolucci, Marketing and Sales Specialist, Community Volunteer
Jessye Vitier, GAIA Sustainable Building Consultants
2024 In Review
Last year, we rolled out a new program, Roots of Resilience. Through that effort, we planted our first mini-food forest, held two “Growing Kit” events, and participated as a part of the Austell Agriculture Plan Committee, launching a community-wide plan. We could not have launched this program without the support of our partner network:
Kennesaw State University
AmeriCorps
Foodwell Alliance
Austell Community Taskforce
RCE Greater Atlanta
Our School Impact Program grew to recycle 40,500 pounds of material from six schools and 6,775 students and families. We hosted recycling events for Halloween costumes, school supplies and holiday lights. The holiday lights drive alone yielded 700 pounds of lights! Most impressively, we launched an environment-themed, bilingual In-School Field Trip Program.
Our community events continued to draw new community members into the MGE family. We hosted our Second Annual Recycling Routable, made possible through sponsors Ripple Glass, Kroger, and Better Earth. We held a Climate & Cocktails event, as well as 13 other events with partners including Austell Community Task Force, KSU, Joyful Jarra, Mountain View Public Library and eco-startup Nabo.
In addition to these events, engagement is growing with our digital media platforms, with a 96% growth across social media and monthly eNewsletters.
Coming Up in 2025
Moving forward, our board adopted five core strategies as a part of our new three-year strategic plan:
Expand our program reach and impact
Amplify our brand and community presence
Enhance financial sustainability to support program growth
Develop volunteer capacity for program implementation
Strengthen our operational infrastructure
Initiatives within these strategies mean increasing or geographic impact and continuing to enhance our public relations and marketing efforts to reach a broader audience. To do this, we are doubling down on fundraising efforts, with a specific emphasis on increasing grant funding and building up our individual giving, specifically through monthly recurring gifts.
As a completely volunteer-run organization, these goals are ambitious and we cannot achieve them without the input of gifts and talents from community members with a passion for sustainability. We are looking to expand our board of directors, create a board of advisors, and develop a bigger pipeline of volunteers.
Can you help? If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer for My Green Earth, please contact bethany@mygreenearth.org. Together we can make big changes in our community!