SNAP Creating Opportunities-Building Community

March 19, 2013

Dana Karlsson Campion, Grants Manager
Cedar Tree Foundation
100 Franklin Street,
Suite 704
Boston, MA 02110

Dear Dana Karlsson Campion,

Enclosed you will find my proposal for the Healthy Homes workshops at Spokane
Neighborhood Action Program (SNAP). Students of Eastern Washington University have
helped me to compile this proposal as a part of their efforts to support Healthy Home
values like eco-conscious living. I am privileged to present you with my findings and
research, which outline a need for a Healthy Homes workshop and provide evidence that
SNAP is the best organization to implement it in the Spokane area.

SNAP is a well-known and respected non-profit organization that has been serving Spokane
residents for over 50 years. Our mission is to provide access to resources, which create
opportunities, with dignity, for low-income people. In 2011, we served 47,902 people by
helping them make safety repairs to their homes, learn how to conserve energy, and
transfer into permanent housing. We strive to achieve excellence at everything we doan
attribute we can confidently infuse into our Healthy Homes workshops.

Many low-income individuals do not have the education or resources to implement eco-
conscious habits in their homes. In a country where waste is prominent and toxic chemicals
pervade almost every home in the form of cleaning solutions, it is now more important
than ever to gain the education and tools to practice living green. Spokane Neighborhood
Action Programs is excited to have the opportunity to help individuals make positive
changes that will affect not only their own lives but their fellow community as well.

Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call
me. You can reach me at (509) 744-3370 ext. 210 or by email at kreber@snapwa.org.

Sincerely,




Kim Kreber
Conservation Education Coordinator

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Abstract 2
Problem Statement 2
Goals and Objectives 4
Tasks and Activities 5
Evaluation 7
Dissemination 8
Sustainability 8
Appendix A: Workshop Budget 11
Appendix B: Additional Budget Items 13



2
ABSTRACT
The Living Green Program, within Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP), is
seeking $6,850.74 to fund the pilot program expenses of providing Healthy Homes
workshops that will educate Spokane, WAs low-income community in a sustainable
lifestyle one that is healthy, ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just. The
Healthy Homes workshops will teach energy saving habits to lower energy costs, and
provide green cleaning supplies that will benefit individuals health as well as the
environment. The Living Green Program will conduct four pilot workshops with follow-up
evaluations and focus groups to gather information to improve and direct the workshops
toward community needs.

The proposed funds will be used for curriculum development and research; marketing and
advertising; training of workshop leaders; four pilot workshops, including print materials,
three interactive models, and 140 eco-friendly take-home starter kits; and follow-up calls
and evaluations. Upon development of the program through these four pilot workshops,
more funding will be sought to keep the program active.

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Low-income people do not the resources to implement valuable, sustainable living
practices. This issue is far reaching in that it affects many different publics and has a
plethora of negative consequences. The greatest concerns pertaining to this dilemma are
the environment, health, and the ability to save money.

One of the most important things we can do as a nation is to preserve our environment and
take steps to ensure a healthy future. Unfortunately, the United States has developed a
practice of waste that is extremely harmful to our environment. The U.S. has only five
percent of the world's population yet generates 19 percent of its wastes. It uses 20 percent
of the world's metals, 24 percent of its energy, and 25 percent of its fossil fuels.
1
An
immediate response to the growing waste issue in the United States is necessary in order to
preserve our environment and protect our communities.

Health is also a major concern when it comes to sustainable living. Poverty knows no
discrimination; it affects children, the elderly, and families. Those who live in a state of
poverty are most prone to the effects of poor living conditions. Unclean environments and
toxins found in cleaning products can be directly linked to common and severe health
problems. For example, asthma has been increasing at an exponential rate in the United
States. The rate of the number of people diagnosed with asthma grew by 4.3 million from
2001 to 2009.
2
During the same time period, asthma rates rose the most among black
children by almost a 50 percent increase.
3
Asthma was linked to 3,447 deaths (about 9 per

1
Horrigan, Alice; Motavalli, Jim
E Magazine
03-13-1997
2
Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP)
3
Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP)
3
day) in 2007.
4
The most common triggers of asthma are tobacco smoke, mold, pet dander,
and outdoor air pollution.
5


In the city of Spokane, WA, environmental education is seriously lacking. Though Spokane
puts out a large amount of waste (population of about 475,735), recycle programs are
almost non-existent.
6
Eco-conscious cities such as Portland, OR make recycling a priority by
providing recycle bins to every residence, a service that is unavailable in Spokane.
7

Learning how to create a clean living environment is especially important in Spokane
where city living can promote greater health risks than lifestyles in more rural areas.

In Spokane, residents are at greater risk for pollution related health problems because it is
located within a valley, a geographical feature that has been found to hold in air pollution
more so than other areas. Air is usually more polluted in urban areas and near major
roadways where emissions from industry and vehicles are closer to communities. Poor air
quality may also occur in valleys where airborne chemicals and particulates can settle.
8

I-90, a highway that trails through the heart of Spokane, brings many outside commuters
who contribute to high emissions in Spokane, another factor for air pollution.

The amount of people living below the poverty level in Spokane is at 14.4 percent, so a
large portion of the population does not have access to the education or tools to practice
sustainable living.
9
Without the proper education, Spokane residents will not have the tools
to preserve their environment and are at risk for moderate to severe health issues.

The Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP) seeks to provide Healthy Homes
workshops to educate low-income people about sustainable living. Since 1966, they have
strived to provide quality assistance to low-income individuals in efforts to eliminate
poverty. In 2011, 47,902 people benefited from services such as housing assistance, small
business loans, home weatherization, and food programs. Also, 593 homeowners benefited
from SNAP who helped them find ways to conserve energy and lower energy bills. SNAP
has a strong community presence through which it has acquired many valuable
partnerships with businesses such as Avista and Inland Power and Light. SNAP also has the
benefit of thousands of volunteers who contribute time and energy to make it a successful
program. With locations all over Spokane County, many households would have access to
the education and resources that would be provided by Healthy Homes workshops.

To provide Healthy Homes workshops, SNAP will need to employ individuals to raise
awareness about the program and to execute the workshop itself. SNAP plans to use funds

4
Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP)
5
Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP)s
6
United States Census Bureau, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/53/53063.html (2012)
7
The City of Portland Oregon, Planning and Sustainability, http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/41461,
(2013)
8
Washington State Department of Health, Health Risk Assessment,
http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/334-174.pdf (September, 2008)
9
United States Census Bureau, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/53/53063.html (2012)

4
for marketing costs, workshop booklets, workshop models, take-home kits, workshop set
up and breakdown and presentation. To ensure program success, SNAP will build a
workshop curriculum and conduct four pilot workshops with a follow-up evaluations and
focus groups. If the pilot workshops are successful, more funding will be sought to keep the
program active. Therefore, Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs is seeking $6,850.74 to
fund the pilot program expenses.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Every one of our goals and objectives center around providing the best possible workshops
and informing the low-income of this resource, so they can use it to lower their energy
costs as well as live to a healthier standard. The following are the goals and objectives of
the Healthy Homes workshops that Living Green is going to provide with the proposed
funds.

GOALS OBJECTIVES
Goal 1: To provide education to the low-
income in Spokane County on
sustainability and having a healthier home.
Objective: Those who are low-income will
become educated with the provided
workshops on Healthy Homes.
Objective: The provided kits at the Healthy
Homes workshop will give participants the
tools to practice sustainable living in their
homes.
Objective: Employees will learn how to
educate low-income communities and
execute workshops.
Goal 2: Develop sustainability in the Living
Green program by hosting four pilot
Healthy Homes workshops
Objective: Based on the pilot workshops,
Living Green will know how to improve or
change their program to make it sustainable
in the community.
Goal 3: Help those who are low-income
develop a plan of how they are going to
lower their energy bills.
Objective: Energy bills will be lowered with
the resource guides Living Green provides at
the workshops.
Objective: Participants will be living
sustainably.
Goal 4: Help those who are low-income to
create a healthier living environment in
their home by demonstrating how to use
eco-friendly cleaning products in the
Healthy Homes workshops.
Objective: Participants will live in a clean
and healthy home.
Objective: The environment will be
healthier because low-income communities
know how to run their house sustainably.
Goal 5: Get the word out about Living
Green among low-income
Objective: The workshops will be
advertised through SNAPs outreach
programs and through partner agencies like
Head Start and ECAP.


5
TASKS AND ACTIVITIES
Living Green aims to educate low-income communities in Spokane County on sustainability
and maintaining a healthier home. In order to meet this goal, Living Green plans on
beginning a program to teach community workshops, titled Healthy Homes (HH). These
workshops will teach community members to both lessen environmental impact with the
products they use and with improved resource reduction.

The Healthy Homes workshops will be presenting the significance of using CFL light bulbs,
cleaning refrigerator coils two-times per years, and keeping the refrigerator and room
temperatures at an appropriate level. When discussing how to best reduce water usage, the
workshops will teach participants how to set their water heater at a comfortable, yet
efficient, level; how to insulate water heaters with tank wraps; and how to install faucet
aerators and low-flow shower heads.

Workshop Leadership Training
Living Green leadership of employees and volunteers will be trained on how to
demonstrate different tasks a person can perform to make their homes healthier.
Leadership will attend a Healthy Homes workshop and create their own plan for their
household to live sustainably. The employees and volunteers will then further be trained to
help the workshop participants create the same style of plan for their homes. In addition,
they will be trained on how to demonstrate what is in the Take-Home Starter Kit, including
how to use the cleaning products to create non-toxic cleaning products. The workshop
leaders will be able to show the attendees why what they are learning is going to help
lower their energy bills and also help the environment.

Workshop Take-Home Starter Kits
Living Green will provide those who attend the Healthy Homes workshops with kits that
attendants are able to take home and use after the workshop demonstration. These kits
will include environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, CFL light bulb replacements, and
the program curriculum. With these starter kits, our participants will be well on their way
to finding success for a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Take-Home Starter Kit Inventory
Product Quantity Cost*
Vinegar One 64 oz. bottle $ 3.48
Lemon juice One 32 oz. bottle $ 2.50
Baking soda One 1 lb box $ 1.00
Olive oil One 17 oz. bottle $ 6.99
Castile soap One 4 oz. bottle $ 1.34
Tea tree oil One 2 oz. bottle $ 10.62
CFL light bulbs Four pack $ 2.57

Total: $ 28.50 with tax
*Based on online prices

6
Promoting and Advertising Workshops
Living Green aims to first serve the low-income communities with the Healthy Homes
workshops. In order to find such an audience, the Healthy Homes workshops will be
advertised through Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP) outreach programs
and through partner agencies like Head Start and ECAP. Flyers containing information
about the workshops will be handed out to those who currently use SNAPs services as well
as posted in public areas.

Long Lasting Success for our Participants
Living green means making choices in our day-to-day lives that reduce our impact on the
environment and move us in the direction of a sustainable lifestyle one that is healthy,
ecologically sound, economically viable and socially just. We will foster the creation of
these habits by working with each participant to create a signed action plan, tailored to
their personal living situation. These action plans will include projects that the participant
commits to completing by a certain date, and daily habits that the participants agree to
consistently follow. In order to track progress we will conduct follow-up calls on a one-
week, six-month, and one-year basis.

Program Budget
In order to start the Healthy Homes workshop program, Living Green is requesting
$5,303.20 for the first four workshops, as well as $1,547.54 in additional startup costs. This
totals to $6,850.74 overall for the programs startup and trail costs. Additional details of
these costs can be found in the sections below titled Workshop Budget and Startup
Budget.

Workshop Budget
The bulk of the budget for Healthy Homes workshops can be found in the take-home
starter kits for the workshop attendees. In order to best guarantee success for our
community in living green practices, the participants must be given the tools they need to
practice sustainability after the workshop is over. These take-home kits will cost $28.50
each, or $997.50 per workshop with 35 attendees.

Another tool attendees will go home with the classroom curriculum, which will contain
eco-conscious information to help them remember and implement living green practices.
The total expected cost for print materials is $175.00 per workshop with 35 attendees.

The last workshop expense will be the staff costs. The base wage for staff members is
$17.64, and the staff will be onsite for the workshops a total of 5.5 hours, leading to an
overall cost of $97.02 per workshop. Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP) also
requires 29 percent of staff costs for fringe benefits and 29 percent of staff costs for
overhead. This leads to a staff cost total of $1,970.15 per workshop.

The overall workshop budget funding that Living Green is requesting for four pilot
workshops is $5,303.20.

7
Startup Budget
As with any starting program, the Healthy Homes workshop program will entail some
additional budget costs aside from the budget for the workshops. This budget will consist
of workshop curriculum development, training of the workshop leaders, and workshop
model costs.

The workshop curriculum development expenses will first cover research. This research
will take approximately two working days, or $282.24 in personnel costs. The Living Green
coordinator will conduct the research at the Spokane Library and at the Spokane
Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP) office. This research will consist of making phone
calls to other successful programs, and finding sustainability information at the library and
over the Internet. From this research, the Living Green coordinator will spend four
workdays developing a curriculum, totally $565.48 in personnel costs.

The last major workshop development portions will be the evaluation and focus group
portions, budgeting $220.50 and $35.28 respectively. The training the workshop leaders
portion of the budget will consists of print materials and personnel costs for finding and
recruiting a volunteer workforce to teach the workshops throughout their communities. In
total, this portion of the budget consists of $294.04 for the Volunteer Workforce.

The last additional cost Living Green requires to start their workshop program is three
workshop models. These models will be interactive in nature, allowing the instructor to use
them in order to teach the audience healthy home practices.

In total, the budget for additional startup costs will be $1,547.54.

EVALUATION
The importance of living green is becoming more and more popular within the United
States and gaining even more importance in the city of Spokane. Teaching low-income
families how to live conscientiously with nature and natural things will better the
environment. The Living Green program, within the Spokane Neighborhood Action
Programs (SNAP), will teach the sustainable living practices in actual workshops, giving
attendees hands-on experience and some take-home starters kits to increase the likelihood
that they will maintain eco-friendly knowledge and skills for the rest of their lives.

Before any low-income participants actually come in, we will be doing some focus groups
for the Healthy Homes workshop to get a good start. The groups will consist of public
volunteers and they will receive pilot workshops that would potentially be given to the
future community participants. The entire workshop from setup to breakdown and how
the staff and participants interact together will be watched and evaluated by the Living
Green Coordinator. Any changes or improvements will be made where needed from these
pilot workshops.

After the focus groups, we will begin doing workshops with the low-income community. An
informatory evaluation, in survey format, will be handed out before and after each
8
workshop to every participant to ensure quality and service. At the beginning of each
workshop participants will be asked to rate their knowledge and interest in sustainable
living habits. At the end, they will be asked again to rate their knowledge, understanding,
and interest. Each participant will also be asked before leaving the workshop to identify
three significant actions they plan to adopt over the next year that come directly from the
workshop and how the workshop could possibly be improved. These evaluations will
increase the ability to keep the information fresh and modern with todays research.

These evaluations will be the tally at which we measure progress and how well we are
teaching the workshops. The Living Green Coordinator will be taking the data collected
from the evaluations and surveys and putting it toward making the workshops more
understandable and pivotal toward the low-income community. This research will be
beneficial to both the staff and the participants of the workshops.

The participants will be walking away with the knowledge of how to have eco-friendly,
healthy homes. We are hoping to change a focus on their paradigm to see that living green
is actually affordable and easy to do.

The Living Green staff will conduct a one-week follow-up phone call to each workshop
participant to maintain the relationship and offer support and encouragement. Staff will
also be doing follow-up phone calls at six-months and 12-months. During the six-month
follow-up, the staff will call the participant to monitor progress, address any barriers, and
track how the participants actions have directly affected their household costs and
personal health. Lastly, the 12-month follow-up will ask participants to give a final result of
how well their new eco-conscious habits have bettered their lives and the world around
them as a whole. Through this compiled research, we can measure the impact our
workshops have throughout the community. The follow-ups will ensure that the ideas
learned in the workshops are not being forgotten over time and will give a better chance
for participants to ask questions if there was any confusion or forgotten information.

DISSEMENATION
Living Green with the help from Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP) will be
creating flyers to promote the workshops as well as publishing the findings on the Living
Green website and in the monthly newsletter. The flyers will be pinned on bulletin boards
and distributed in public areas to allow for direct contact with potential participants. The
findings that will be published online and in the newsletter will contain workshop
highlights in addition to more eco-conscious habits for individuals to employ.
SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
Financial Sustainability
In previous years, the Living Green has been funded by the Department of Ecology,
Department of Energy Weatherization, Avista Utilities & Energy Assistance, Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and Low Income Repair Assistance Program
9
(LIRAP). Living Green is also currently seeking funding from the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), Home Depot, Verizon, and Safeway.

The amount of $6,850.74 that Living Green is requesting from The Cedar Tree Foundation
will fund four pilot Healthy Homes workshops along with the startup and follow-up costs of
the program. The funds will be used to train leaders how to execute the workshops, and
provide materials for the workshops, such as resources and tools for the take-home starter
kit that each participant will receive. The funds will also be used to evaluate how each
workshop went and how to improve future workshops. After the four pilot workshops have
been executed and evaluated, Living Green with have results to show future funders that
the program is creditable and needed in the community.

Managerial Sustainability
The Living Green Program will be managed by Kim Kreber who is currently the
Conservation Education Coordinator for Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP).
Ms. Kreber has taken charge of revitalizing the Living Green Program since she started
working at SNAP in October of 2010. She will have a team of volunteers that will be
recruited to help her run the proposed Healthy Homes workshops.

Social Sustainability
The people who will benefit most from this program and the Healthy Homes workshops are
those who are low-income, which is the demographic that SNAP serves. However, those
who will also benefit from this will be the volunteers. These volunteers will be trained on
how to run the Healthy Homes workshops, where they will not only learn how to run the
workshops but also gain knowledge of what they could be doing in their own homes to live
green. As they continue to run the workshops, volunteers will be able to learn more about
what it is to live green and likely spread the word about what they are doing to other
Spokane demographics.

Technical Sustainability
Living Green has an electronic newsletter that is distributed once a month. As of August
2011 Living Green had about 2,127 people who receive this newsletter.
10
Living Green also
has a website that provides information on what the program is about, what workshops
they offer, and the services that they offer. In the Spring of 2013, the students at Spokane
Falls Community College in Spokane, WA will be updating the website for Living Green.
This technology will provide sustainability to the Living Green program because
participants in the Healthy Homes workshops will be able to access any other resources the
need from the Living Green website.
11


Environmental Sustainability
The Living Green program is all about being eco-friendly and sustainable. Therefore, the
material that participants will learn in the workshops, the information on the website, and

2 this info also came from Kim but she didnt provide where it came from.
11
Im not sure if I should have added this info about SFCC updating the website but the section is technical
sustainability and has to do with Living Green being sustainable with technology.
10
the information Living Green provides will generate positive environmental results. When
someone attends a Living Green workshop such as Healthy Homes they are going to learn
not only how to keep their energy costs down, but also help the environment. Participants
in the workshop will learn how to clean their home with eco-friendly cleaning supplies so
that what gets washed down the sink doesnt end up polluting water sources and hurting
the environment.

11
APPENDIX A: WORKSHOP BUDGET


ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION COST OF ITEM TOTAL COST OF
ITEM


WORKSHOPS
Time Spent by
Conservation
Education
Coordinator
Personnel Cost:
$17.64 per hour
Coordination Scheduling calendar &
facilitators; putting kits
together
1 hour per
workshop
$17.64
Setup and
Breakdown
Driving to location, setting
up models & materials;
breaking down &
transporting after the
workshop
1 hour per
workshop
$17.64
Presentation Conducting the workshop 2 hours per
workshop
$35.28
Evaluation Initial 3 action items per
participant, suggestions for
changes/strengths of
program; entering data into
Living Green electronic
database
1.5 hours per
workshop
$26.46
Overhead Rent, WAN, supplies,
janitorial, etc.
29% of staff costs $28.14
Fringe Benefits Vacation, sick days, etc. 29% of staff costs $28.14
Total Personnel
Costs
$153.30 per
workshop

PRINT
MATERIALS

Workshop guides 50 pages estimated for each
Average $.10 per page
35 participants in a class
$5.00 each guide x
35 participants =

$175.00 per
workshop
Total Print Costs $175.00 per
workshop
12




WORKSHOP KITS
Healthy
Homes
Green Cleaning Kit includes:
- 1 Bottle Vinegar
- 1 Bottle Lemon Juice
- 1 Bottle Baking Soda
- 1 Bottle Olive Oil
- 1 Bottle Castile Soap
- 1 Bottle Tea Tree Oil
- CFL Light bulb 4 Pack
$28.50 each x 35
participants
$997.50 per
workshop
Total Take-Home
Kit Cost
$997.50 per
workshop
Total Cost $1,970.15 per
workshop
TOTAL Costs of All
Workshops
$1,970.15 X 4
Workshops
$5,303.20
13
APPENDIX B: ADDITIONAL BUDGET ITEMS

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION COST OF ITEM TOTAL COST OF
ITEM
DEVELOPMENT
OF WORKSHOPS
The workshop will be
developed in 4 phases

Research Healthy Home Practices
current scientifically &
best practices for creating
& maintaining a
comfortable, safe &
environmentally friendly
household
16 hour total $282.24
Develop
curriculum,
handouts & guides
Create workshop
presentations that
emphasize multiple
intelligence; post
documents on website
32 hour total $565.48
Evaluation Review pilot participant
feedback and view video
recording; modify as
needed
12.5 hour total $220.50
Focus Group Invite alumni of
workshops to participate
in a focus group session.
2 hour total

$35.28
TOTAL COST $1,103.50 for
Workshop
Development

TRAIN THE LEADER
Volunteer Recruitment Recruitment of volunteer
educators is performed
throughout the year, but
mainly in the summer &
spring based on program
needs in the fall & winter
months.
10 hours per
year
$176.40
Volunteer Training
Sessions
Each volunteer will attend
a training session to
become an official
educator. They may
schedule individual
sessions with the
1 hour total $17.64
14
Conservation Education
Coordinator as needed.
Training Manuals Each volunteer receives a
training manual with
curriculum, research
articles, procedures,
timesheets, etc.
$10.00 each x
10 volunteers
$100.00
TOTAL COST $294.04 for
Volunteer
Workforce

WORKSHOP
MODELS
3 interactive models that
assist in demonstrating how
to apply the workshop
concepts

Healthy Home (1) Display board of air
pollutants
(2) Display board of
common bacteria, molds
(3) HEPA vacuum and/or
filter
$50.00 per model
x 3
$150.00
TOTAL
COST
$150.00 for
Workshop
Models

TOTAL
Costs of
Starting
Expenses
$1,547.54

TOTAL
Request
Costs
$6,850.74