Whidbey Climate Fund 2025 Grants

Ballydídean diverts over 2,000 pounds of produce from landfills each week by collecting food waste from three major South Whidbey businesses. Volunteers and staff sort and distribute the produce to feed 80 animals, eliminating most feed costs and improving animal health. This allows the organization to purchase grain feed opportunistically and redirect funds to employ local high school students for after-school processing work. The program reduces waste, supports youth employment, and strengthens community sustainability. By closing the food waste loop, Ballydídean models an efficient, climate-conscious system of resource reuse. This grant will enable them to establish a new paid position and create more reliable/repeatable processes.

This initiative will create two new garden spaces and restore its greenhouse to enhance garden-based learning. The proposed Native Plant Food Forest will improve soil, store stormwater, and showcase indigenous foodways and climate resilience. An ADA-accessible Sensory Garden will feature pollinator-friendly, multi-sensory plants to support students with diverse physical and developmental needs. These gardens aim to bridge the Nature Gap by giving children direct access to natural spaces and fostering environmental stewardship. The project also contributes to climate goals by improving air quality, managing stormwater, reducing emissions, and promoting composting. We are especially pleased this project is in Oak Harbor.

ISF will expand its zero-waste audience education initiative in partnership with rePurpose Whidbey. The program replaces traditional garbage cans with a waste-sorting system and trained stewards who guide patrons in composting and recycling, significantly reducing landfill waste. Funding will support improved signage, deeper education efforts, and a part-time Zero Waste Coordinator to enhance system efficiency and reporting. As a climate-conscious outdoor festival, ISF engages audiences in sustainability and model replicable practices for other events. The project advances waste reduction, lowers carbon impact, and fosters community-wide climate awareness, encouraging other Whidbey venues to do the same.

WCC was a grant recipient last year and we are very pleased with what they accomplished. This year in partnership with rePurpose Whidbey and WasteWise, they will launch a commercial food scrap diversion program beginning with waste audits to identify and reduce landfill-bound materials. These audits reveal that food scraps make up the majority of business waste—over 85% in some cases—and offer actionable steps like replacing single-use items and improving recycling and composting practices. The project will require new equipment to safely and efficiently haul heavy 55-gallon barrels, enabling the Collective to scale up operations and open a new revenue stream. Once collected, food scraps will be processed using low-emission methods like Bokashi fermentation, vermicomposting, and Johnson-Su Bioreactors, which trap carbon and produce nutrient-rich soil amendments. The initiative aims to reduce emissions, support local sustainability, and work with local governments to expand access to commercial composting.

The videos will showcase how local producers build climate resilience through sustainable farming and cooperative distribution. They will feature producers, the Food Hub, and a wholesale customer, and will be promoted via YouTube, social media, and a public launch event. By highlighting practices like regenerative agriculture and low-mileage food distribution, the project aims to educate the public and increase demand for local food. WIGC’s Food Hub reduces transportation emissions and supports a replicable model for statewide producer-owned networks. The campaign aligns with the Climate Fund’s goals by demonstrating how local food systems contribute to climate solutions. The impact will be better support for our local farmers, more customers, and something for our Tourist Bureau to promote.