Flourish Magazine

Summer 2013

Flourish Magazine, the North Bay's Guide to Sustainable Living. Serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties and sharing the stories of local people working towards sustainable living, organic foods and eco-conscious lifestyles.

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10,000 DEGREES ALUMNI CHART A COURSE FOR THE FUTURE How many "E"s are in "Sustainability"? Four: "Environment," "Equity," "Economy," and thanks to the Marin County Board of Supervisors vote in March, "Education." The Board focused on the critical need of "supporting disadvantaged students to aim toward college through scholarships, mentoring and outreach," and 10,000 Degrees has responded with our commitment: By 2018, every student with need living in Marin will have the support to get to and through college and we expect to do the same in Sonoma. 10,000 Degrees has been facing this challenge head on for more than 30 years. We know that the sustainability of our community depends upon supporting more students who we will proudly honor among our 17,000 (and growing) alumni. Below are some of their stories. JORGE LEE PEPE GONZALEZ BRIGITTE MORAN THE GREEN ENTREPRENEUR Mill Valley has produced its fair share of green minded business owners, but Jorge Lee brings it home, actually, into the home. Lee decided to put his Cornell degree into the air we breathe when he founded Marin House Cleaning. "By only using natural ingredients," says the Bay Area Green Business owner, "we're making the air inside better." While the Tamalpais High School and Georgetown MBA graduate has been recycling since he was a child, it was not until he enrolled in the 10,000 Degrees Institute that he was exposed to the college prep materials that are so common among Marin families. "10,000 Degrees created a chain reaction of events to help me get where I am today," says Lee of our mentor and scholarship program. And for that, we can all breathe a bit easier. THE EDUCATOR The son of a West Marin dairy farmer, Pepe Gonzalez now serves as Marin's youngest elementary school principal and leads both the Short and Laurel Dell schools. "If we put the right pieces in place for them," says Gonzalez of the students he sees everyday, "they will be able to get a college education, pursue a career and have a great life for themselves and their families." Those pieces, however, are still not in place for too many of Marin's youth. "It's no secret," says Gonzalez of Marin's achievement gap that impacts students from predominantly lowincome households. "If we can close that gap and make sure every kid has access to college, that's when we'll know we've made a difference." And that's the difference that will define us as a sustainable community. THE CEO There is no greater connection to the land than the food we eat. For many Bay Area residents, there is no better source of sustainable food than the farmers markets headed by Brigitte Moran. A French immigrant who arrived in this country as a 5-yearold, Moran now leads the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM) and its markets at locations including the Marin Civic Center, Oakland's Grand Lake, and San Francisco's new Clement Street Market. The support she received from 10,000 Degrees in 1983 was a game changer. "If it were not for 10,000 Degrees scholarships I would not be where I am today. I would probably still be waitressing. It made a huge difference and I'm very grateful." As AIM embarks on its legacy project — a year-round pavillion for farmers at the Civic Center — we humbly return the gift of gratitude. 10,000 Degrees Institute: '03 10,000 Degrees Scholarship: '98 - '01 10,000 Degrees Scholarship: '83 - '84

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