Center for A Sustainable Coast
Advocating responsible decisions that sustain coastal Georgia's environment and quality of life.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Coal Ash Legal Fund
Critical threats to water resources and public health are being imposed by the disposal of toxic coal ash, particularly in rural areas of coastal Georgia. In 2016 the Center established a special fund dedicated to protecting at-risk areas from this threat, initially in Wayne County, Georgia. Expenditures vary dedpending on legal actions needed to confront imminent threats.
Regulatory Enforcement
Review environmental permitting activities and enforcement, analyze legal requirements compared with case facts and circumstances, prepare statements of opinion, communicate with regulatory agencies and permit applicants, and, as needed, take legal action in seeking to ensure compliance with all applicable laws.
Coastal Policy & Trends
Review and evaluate existing and proposed laws affecting coastal development, quality of natural resources, coastal hazards, and regional sustainability. Prepare and disseminate positions on related issues, and propose legislative, legal, and procedural remedies.
Climate Change & Energy
Analyze research on climate change and energy policy, formulate and advocate positions on these issues in relation to coastal resource management objectives, and collaborate to implement remedies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate-change impacts. Assist local, state, and federal initiatives to develop public policies that will help reduce the impacts and causes of climate change.
Where we work
Awards
Annual Liberty Award 2007
Common Cause Georgia
External reviews
Photos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
- Raise public awareness and motivation related to coastal sustainability by collaborating with other non-profit organizations.
- Protect vital coastal resources by ensuring (1) proper enforcement of existing laws, and (2) adoption of new policies that account for and control the systemic consequences of human activities affecting coastal sustainability.
- Improve accountability of decision-making to achieve more responsible outcomes, in advancing legitimate coastal resource "management."
- Special priority on diminishing the adverse impacts of climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
- Monitor and assess coastal development proposals, regulatory permitting actions, and natural resource conditions and trends.
- Produce analytical reports and recommendations about the outcomes of these assessments.
- Take action by commenting on specific proposals (including legislation) and urging other activists to voice viewpoints.
- As justified, take legal action to control or prevent ill-considered decisions from causing adverse consequences.
- Educate the public about both individual issues and general processes affecting coastal sustainability and quality of life.
- Integrate economic and fiscal considerations with environmental analysis to achieve more responsible decision-making.
- Explore and promote opportunities for reducing greenhouse gases by advancing the transformation to clean-energy.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
- Extensive experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis applicable to public policy and the coastal environment.
- Computer-enhanced research capabilities that encompass data gathering and research on coastal ecosystems, human activities affecting coastal sustainability, and methods for evaluating multiple interactive influences of policies and practices as they affect coastal sustainability.
- Advanced writing skills used to explain complex issues and critical decision factors relevant to public interest and coastal quality of life. These skills have been used extensively in producing an unparalleled record of publication on coastal issues in general media. We have also applied these skills in producing special reports such as "The State of Georgia's Coast," "A Citizen's Guide to Coastal Development," and "Coastal Georgia Sustainability Criteria."
- Creative problem-solving abilities applied to proposing new approaches for solving entrenched problems critical to coastal sustainability.
- Strong record of collaboration that boosts benefits of multiple groups and public interests working on the same issues. Have successfully addressed water protection, climate-change, and pollution-prevention issues through such collaborative activities.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
- There is still a great need for evaluating the impacts of decisions once they have been made. Too little scrutiny is applied in determining the cumulative and long-term consequences of many coastal development decisions, including many that are regulated. Not only are such assessments costly and thus vulnerable to budgeting constraints, but politicians and public officials are reluctant to risk exposure to information that may reveal failure of past actions. Priorities are inappropriately given to new projects without previous ones being properly evaluated.
- Similarly, there is unjustified emphasis on the claims of economic and job-creating benefits of proposed programs or projects without any accountability for substantiating those assertions once implementation has been completed.
- As a result of these two deficiencies, programs that aspire to "manage" public resources almost never actually do. Management is only possible if information about management practices is sufficient to support reliable evaluation of those practices and if the "managers" have sufficient authority and political will to revise practices and -- as needed -- adopt new ones to achieve measurable management objectives. Both budgetary limitations and political motives are major impediments to achieving coastal management.
- Further evidence of these problems is the lack of coordination among public agencies that, under coastal management programs, are allegedly obligated to practice such coordination and well-exercised communication channels on a routine basis. The result is that timely information needed to prevent and control degradation and destruction of natural resources is often lacking.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Center for A Sustainable Coast
Board of directorsas of 07/31/2022
Mr. Steve Willis
No Affiliation
Dorset Hurley
Steve Willis
No Affiliation
Jim Reichard
Georgia Southern University
Dorset Hurley
No Affiliation
David Kyler
Center for a Sustainable Coast