With a total of $400,000 grant funds awarded, SoCalGas is supporting 13 nonprofits' innovative climate solutions in communities throughout Southern California
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SoCalGas announced today that 13 innovative organizations were awarded project grants of up to $40,000 each through the company's SoCal Climate Champions Grant. These grants aim to support projects that focus on resilient energy, clean air, and organic waste to reduce, mitigate, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions.
The SoCal Climate Champions Grant recognizes programs, projects and research submissions that address climate solutions for communities in SoCalGas' service areas. Since its start in 2021, the grant has distributed $1 million in grants to nonprofits innovating for a more sustainable future. The SoCal Climate Champions Grant is part of a renewed focus on SoCalGas' Environmental Champions Initiative that began in 2015. Since then, the SoCalGas' Environmental Champions Initiative has awarded more than 200 grants, totaling over $3.8 million to support projects that improve the environment or lower emissions.
"Grant recipients are implementing climate solutions that closely align with SoCalGas' ASPIRE 2045 Sustainability strategy. Our recipients are trailblazers, and we are proud to support projects that bring our communities closer to meeting California's net-zero emissions goals," said Jawaad Malik, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at SoCalGas.
"With this grant from SoCalGas, Trust for Public Land will be able to expand and implement Green Schoolyard transformations across Los Angeles County, increasing climate resilience in the communities that need it most. It's exciting to see partners coming together to recognize and act on innovative climate solutions for Southern California," said Guillermo Rodriguez, Trust for Public Land's California State Director and VP – Pacific Region, a SoCal Climate Champions Grant recipient.
The 2023 awardees are the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council, Santa Monica Mountains Fund, The Ecology Center, Wyland Foundation, Akoma Unity Center, San Bernardino Valley College, Trust for Public Land, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, Go Green Initiative, Friends of Ballona Wetlands, GrowingGreat, and Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.
This initiative is part of SoCalGas' ASPIRE 2045 sustainability strategy, including a plan to invest $50 million over five years in underserved communities. SoCalGas is working with stakeholders to decarbonize its operations and support California in creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service to over 21 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines will continue to play a key role in California's clean energy transition—providing electric grid reliability and supporting wind and solar energy deployment.
SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy infrastructure company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas aspires to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 and to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply to core customers with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for customers. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), an energy infrastructure company based in San Diego.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company