Feature Story

By Eric Ervin

Lagniappe writer

This is not your extremist aunt or uncle’s environmental group. Members don’t tie themselves to trees in order to stop development or throw blood on those who wear mink coats. They don’t think it’s necessary to set fire to a mansion in order to teach preservation and conservation.

The Alabama Coastal Foundation’s focus is on education and forming partnerships, but in a non-confrontational manner. Members still want to teach others how to protect and preserve the environment, but take a different approach than some other environmental groups.

“We’re all about presenting practical solutions without creating an adversarial environment,” said Executive Director Bethany Kraft. Kraft depicts her work with the 15-year-old foundation as more than a job – it’s a love affair.

“I have a calling to do this type of work,” she said. “I think what attracted me to the Alabama Coastal Foundation is not only the work it does in education, but in teaching low-impact economic growth, which is an important topic in Mobile now with the growth we’re experiencing. How we grow is a really big issue.”

Kraft said response to the group has always been positive and supportive. The foundation has a working relationship with businesses and cities in Mobile, Baldwin and Washington counties.

“We really work to involve businesses and other organizations,” Kraft said. “In order to make change, you must work together.”

Current projects include the Coastal Kids Quiz, Bay Buddy Program, Osprey Platform Program, Hazardous Waste Removal, Big Creek Lake Watershed, Wolf Bay Watershed and Baldwin County Groundwater Festival.

The Coastal Kids Quiz and Bay Buddy Program are geared towards elementary school children. Kraft believes it’s important to teach conversation at an early age. In partnership with the Project CATE Foundation, Inc., the quiz is a question and answer competition for 5th grade students in public and private schools. Prizes include savings bonds for students and cash prizes for teachers. This year’s competition takes place April 26 at Daphne United Methodist Church, 2401 Main St.

“These kids will blow you away with how much they know,” Kraft said.

The Bay Buddy Program was developed through a partnership among the Alabama Coastal Foundation, Coastal Utilities Environmental Consortium and the Baldwin County Board of Education. The program teaches children about the affects of improperly disposing cooking oils and grease. The goal for the two children’s programs is that students would take the information learned in the classroom and go home where they will teach their parents and others about conservation.

“Children are like sponges in the way they absorb information,” she said. Members and volunteers with the foundation aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. In addition to the educational programs taught, they’re out planting trees, and helping clean up waterways and other areas. Kraft said the group has restored five acres of degraded marshland on Mon Luis Island in Fowl River. Invasive species were removed, and the area replanted.

“It’s always a busy day,” Kraft said.

Making a difference

Kraft said one person can make a huge impact on the environment just by changing some of their living habits. These changes will drastically make a positive impact on the environment, she said.

“It may feel like you’re only one person and you can’t do a lot, but one person can make a big difference,” Kraft said. “There are all types of things we can do (to preserve the environment).”

Kraft believes a majority of people care about preserving and protecting the environment, but simply don’t know what they can do to make a difference. The group regularly sponsors workshops on conservation.

“I don’t think I ever meet someone who doesn’t care about the environment,” she said. “No one is really anti-environment.”

Kraft said grease disposal one of the biggest household waste problems affecting the environment. She said grease should never be poured down kitchen drains, which could harm a community’s drainage system. She said residents can pick up plastic containers for storing grease at the offices of the Mobile Area Water & Sewer System and city of Daphne. Once the containers are full, residents can drop them back off for proper disposal. The Mobile Area Water & Sewer System is the foundation’s partner in the Big Creek Resource Alliance, a watershed management initiative for Mobile’s drinking water source.

Other tips to preserving and protecting the environment at home, include turning off the lights when a room is not in use and using less hazardous and harmful cleaning agents. Moving outside of the home, Kraft offers more tips to living a low-impact life. She said the use of fertilizer on a lawn could create harmful runoff and affect a neighborhood’s sewer system.

In order to reduce water pollution, erosion and flooding in the yard, Kraft suggests homeowners create a rain garden. Comprised of plants and mulch, a rain garden absorbs rainwater runoff from roofs, driveways, walkways or other poor drainage areas. The water soaks into the ground, instead of flowing into storm drains. The foundation holds workshops on how to construct a rain garden.

The future

Kraft says the foundation has staying power and she believes it will be around for many years to come.

“It’s rare for an organization of this kind to be able to sustain itself for 15 years,” she said.

Kraft sees the group soldiering on in the years to come, continuing to educate about conservation and participating in cleanup efforts in the area. She said the organization is always looking for volunteers to help in these efforts. The foundation is able to exist with the help of volunteers and fundraisers, Kraft said.

One of the its more popular fundraisers is the Crawfish Craze, which will take place May 8 at Five Rivers Delta Center, 30945 Five Rivers Blvd., in Spanish Fort.

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