At Sustainable San Mateo County, we are grateful for the support of volunteers who contribute hundreds of hours to conceive, plan and execute our programs. They also join us in advocating for change. Operating funds come from individuals, businesses, government agencies and foundations. Here’s how you can get involved with SSMC.
Join us!
Volunteer
SSMC volunteers help do research, plan our programs and celebrations, meet with local leaders to help drive sustainability policies – and more! Click on the green button to learn about specific opportunities.
Donate
If you can’t give your time – and even if you can – we’d appreciate your donation to SSMC. Your contributions enable us to share sustainable solutions with more residents and local leaders and accelerate sustainability on the ground. Learn about donation opportunities, including how to donate a portion of your purchases on Amazon Smile or eScrip.
Sponsor
By sponsoring our Indicators Report Launch, Sustainability Awards or other programs, you will receive community recognition as a sustainability supporter. We’ll acknowledge your generosity in our newsletter, on our website, in printed materials and during our programs.
Subscribe
Sign up for our free e-newsletter to learn about our activities and sustainability news.
Attend Events
Browse our Calendar to learn about upcoming events that we and other like-minded organizations offer.
Become a Partner
We believe strongly in the power of partnerships. If you are advocating for a sustainable policy or you are seeking partners for a new sustainability initiative, let us know. Email advocate@sustainablesanmateo.org.
“The team at Sustainable San Mateo County is the gold standard in supporting local environmental work. They provide elected officials with critical data and ideas to help us meet our climate action goals and have been a wonderful partner in our work to ‘green’ San Mateo County.Please join me in supporting this organization so we can continue our journey of holistic environmental research and action.”
“SMMC’s Annual Indicators Report is a valuable resource that benefits not only the County of San Mateo and our cities but all stakeholders through its detailed analysis and insightful recommendations that help guide our decision-making. In doing so, the report helps all of us enhance the quality of life for residents in a thoughtful and measurable way.”
“I love your dashboard and refer to it all the time. The fact that it’s regularly updated makes it all the more valuable to users. I’ve always been in awe of the comprehensive work you do for our county.”
“I just saw your dashboard, and it’s amazing! San Mateo is lucky to have this resource. I could easily see this being a blueprint for similar tracking in other counties.”
“What I most like about Sustainable San Mateo County is how they gather the best examples of environmental projects and present them in a way that I can take back to my city to implement. Most elected officials are part time and some of us represent small cities with small staffs, so having a group like SSMC really helps reduce our research time so we can spend more time implementing projects to help our environment.”
“We’ve worked with SSMC the past five years (since we started up) and have a tremendous amount
of respect and appreciation for the organization. We look forward to attending the awards ceremony
every year; it is a joyous celebration of the amazing sustainability work done locally and a great way to learn about different projects and efforts in the region. SSMC was a founding member of the Campaign for Fossil Free Buildings in Silicon Valley, and their participation is a big reason for the success of the campaign.”
“The Dashboard is really impressive. It’s very helpful to see where we stand, compared to the rest of the county.”
“I really am pleased that you have updated the Ideas Bank and made it easier to use. These solutions for cities are so inspiring that I’d like to see you share them on a regular basis.”
“The new Ideas Bank is a great resource for exploring tried and tested sustainability policies and programs. It’s my go-to place for learning about proven solutions that can help my city become more sustainable.”
“The Ideas Bank is a treasure trove of ideas. Members of the Fossil Free Building group are using it to find high potential solutions. And because these have been successfully implemented elsewhere, it’s going to make our work getting buy-in and moving to execution faster and easier.”
“We all will need to work together to create a sustainable future. SSMC connects local sustainability leaders, organizations and businesses to start and sustain the work ahead!”
“Sustainable San Mateo County’s 2023 Indicators Report on children, youth, and families was a powerful affirmation for those of us working in early childhood. Having the report elevate the need for child care support was both validating and catalytic. It helped build momentum for the 2024 Fund the Future report by the Commission on the Status of Women and contributed to the Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote to pursue a new county-level office focused on children and families. The work of Sustainable San Mateo County helped move key ideas into action—and reminded us that when children thrive, the whole community benefits.”
“I received great mentorship during my SSMC internship. They helped me get in contact with important people working on real world issues and I got to have some valuable conversations with people in local governmenta and advocacy. This was really beneficial for me. The internship helped me understand the process of local government and change making, and helped me realize I have a strong interest in bringing about change. I’m looking to take carry on the skills I learned and use it in my furutre work in city planning.”