Green Alliance Partners With NH Coast for Clean Water

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, based out of Portsmouth.

In 2008, a group of citizens formed NH Coast based on concerns 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 wanted 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 protecting 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 this past April. Jewett Farms & Co. and Greenovations hosted a Dockside Party to benefit NH Coast onboard the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company's M/V Thomas Layton this summer. And 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.

To learn more, visit www.greenalliance.biz.