Environmental Initiative is a nonprofit organization that builds partnerships to develop collaborative solutions to environmental problems by:
Planning and hosting events for leaders from business, nonprofits and government to share reliable information, network and learn from one another.
Engaging environmental leaders from business, nonprofits and government to design solutions for environmental and economic progress through dialogue.
Taking action and implementing on the ground projects.
As a catalyst, convener or implementer, Environmental Initiative develops creative solutions to environmental problems with our partners. What we do »
HISTORY
Our founders recognized we do can better for the environment by working together. Creating an organization dedicated to facilitating partnerships among diverse interests could overcome political stalemate and unlock vast new opportunities for environmental and economic progress.
In early 1992, leaders from seemingly adversarial interests came together around this vision of partnership. Brett Johnson of BRJP Publishing convened a group of leading Minnesota businesses, environmental advocacy nonprofits and state agencies to discuss this collaborative model. Our organization grew out of these early conversations, and was founded in 1992 under the name, Minnesota Environmental Initiative (MEI). Ciaran Mannion served as the organizations first Executive Director and worked tirelessly to put MEI’s mission into action.
Now called Environmental Initiative, we carry forward the tradition of building partnerships to develop collaborative solutions to Minnesota’s environmental problems. Outcomes of Environmental Initiative’s work have run the gamut from the thousands of diesel engines retrofitted with pollution-reducing equipment through Project Green Fleet to the Clean Water Legacy Act that aims to clean up state’s lakes, rivers and streams.
Our founders choose to incorporate the word initiative into our name to reflect their vision that dialogue and collaboration would result in concrete action for a better environment. Our history demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach to tackling environmental problems. Nineteen years later, Environmental Initiative represents a nationally unique resource for successful environmental problem solving and our organization sits at the hub of a community of engaged partners working together to make a difference for our shared environment.
