Individuals, non-profit organizations, government entities of Whidbey and businesses with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor are all invited to apply for the chance to receive a grant for a project that would help mitigate climate change on the island.

Since 2023, nonprofit Whidbey Climate Action has been building a fund to invest in local projects that reduce greenhouse gases and enhance sustainability for future generations.

“We Americans have a big carbon footprint,” said Terra Anderson, one of the organization’s founders and a member of the board. “Our notion was that we would reach out to the community and invite them to contribute to a local fund for projects.”

Last week, in partnership with the Whidbey Community Foundation, the organization launched a request for proposals for these projects.

According to Anderson, donors have contributed $17,000 to the fund that will be given away during this very first grant cycle. Individual grants will be around $4,000 to $5,000 each.

Potential projects could improve the local food system or aquifer health, regenerate soil and sequester carbon, among other things. Some examples Anderson gave included a composting facility, the planting of hedgerows and a biochar project.

“We don’t know what kind of ideas are out there,” she said. “We’re hoping that we’re going to get some really exciting ones.”

The deadline to submit a proposal is 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30. A team of people from Whidbey Climate Action will evaluate the proposals and give recommendations to the Whidbey Community Foundation board of directors, which will distribute the grants on Dec. 1.

For more details, visit whidbeyclimate.org/fund or whidbeyfoundation.org/apply-for-a-whidbey-climate-fund-grant.

Anderson herself is a regular contributor to the Whidbey Climate Fund.

“Whidbey Island people care. They’re motivated here,” she said. “My dream is that everybody on the island, once a month, will get on to the website and make their contribution.”

The website provides suggested donations to compensate for emissions from everyday activities, such as $200 for a round-trip flight for two to New York City, which burns about two tons of carbon dioxide.

“Unfortunately, airplanes are the worst polluter because they throw the emissions out there at 30,000 feet,” Anderson said. “For us normal beings of the human sort, that’s the worst thing that we can do. But we’re going to go visit family, we’re going to fly so mitigating it is the best thing we can do.”

Anderson and her husband, who are now retired but both used to work at Boeing, gave up their dreams of traveling the world when they discovered the enormous size of their carbon footprints due to regular air travel.

The Whidbey Climate Fund is one of the organization’s largest ongoing efforts, in addition to its monthly Climate Conversations.