The Business of Giving

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You're listening to special programming sponsored by the cars marketing Chamber of Commerce. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada Las Vegas or the Board of Regents, the Nevada System of Higher Education.

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People live in the whole world addicted to the drama Hello, everyone, and welcome to the business of giving the podcast Oh also happy holidays. My name is Guy Dawson and I am the founder and executive director of the cause marketing Chamber of Commerce and we are a 501 C six nonprofit organization that brings businesses and nonprofit organizations together to create synergistic relationships that benefit the community. The business of giving podcast is all about fostering those relationships. And our mission is to continue to support the success of two pillars of the community, which are for profit businesses and nonprofit businesses. If you want to learn more about what we do at the cause marketing Chamber of Commerce, we can be reached at cause marketing chamber.com. This valuable show is made possible through the generosity of our series sponsor Seoul up an energy solution and conservation company specializing in solar and battery storage systems, including solar panels to learn more about them, they can be reached Seoul up.com. And I've been looking forward to having our guests on the show today for quite a while but giving you all updates about soul up and the Nevada Conservation League being in the studio. Well, the day is here. And also Maria Perez, the cause marketing coach, as usual is in the house. How are you Maria?

Unknown Speaker 2:10
I'm doing great today. How you doing?

Unknown Speaker 2:12
I am excellent. And I've been so excited to have our two guests that we have in the studio for today for this show. And maybe you would like to give our audience an overview of these two pillars of the community, the soul up and the Nevada Conservation League. Yes, well, we

Unknown Speaker 2:31
have Christy and Steve in the house today. They are an incredible example of coming together and creating some significant overall community impact for everyone that resides here. So we're super excited to have them. Christy heads up the National Conservation League and she'll be talking about some of their activities and letting us know exactly what they do for us as as members of this community. And Steve, who is the head of solar is going to talk about how impactful their partnership has has been for both their business and the community. So that's what we have in store for our listeners today. Yeah, welcome.

Unknown Speaker 3:11
Christy Watson is the executive director of the Nevada Conservation League. And of course, Steve Amelie is the CEO of soul up a title sponsor, company of our show and a real pillar in the community a go getter when it comes to this cause marketing sector welcome both of you to the show.

Unknown Speaker 3:32
Thank you so much.

Unknown Speaker 3:33
Thanks so much glad to be here.

Unknown Speaker 3:35
And Steve is did a show with us probably a couple of months ago, it was so impactful, his mentoring, his passion for what we're all about, which is give back to the community along with the success of people. It was just so great to, to just feel his passion. And part of his passion is these partnerships that he has with with nonprofit organizations in the community, Nevada Conservation League being one of them. And Steve, maybe we could get this broadcast started by talking about why Nevada Conservation League is important to you personally, maybe that's a good starting point.

Unknown Speaker 4:16
Yeah, absolutely. You know, when we talk about personally, I think our values of the business also aligned with our personal values with my business partner myself, we, you know, part of our quest was looking for someone or looking for an organization that shared those values, and that is, of course, saving our planet. And when we research there are many organizations out there but none is instrumental in especially legislation and promoting green energy initiatives and resources and the legislation that we've that that has been made available to us and I know Christie will talk about things and many of their accomplishments specifically one that is dear to my heart is the you know, wildlife crossings and many other initiatives that promote clean energy but It's not just the what they do and their objectives, it's their core values and their, their entire structure and all of their, their members. I'm so impressed I have the distinct pleasure of being allowed to serve on their board of directors as well. And when I say that's a privilege, I am so enriched not just by the other board members, but by the philosophies, and the really the tenacity of all of their team members. And you know, Christy has been part of that group. She just recently took the helm. But I think that she was kind of the puppeteer behind the curtain for quite some time. And she's really been a significant asset and really has brought, we'll be bringing Nevada Conservation League to yet another level.

Unknown Speaker 5:48
And Nevada Conservation League is a nonprofit organization that is doing a great deal to serve the community. Maria, maybe you have a question for Christy?

Unknown Speaker 5:58
I do, I would love for Christina to tell us who does the Nevada Conservation League serve? And what does the organization exist to accomplish?

Unknown Speaker 6:10
Yeah, so we work to protect Nevada's air, water and public lands. And we do that by passing policy statewide, and also working at the federal level as well. And then also by educating our community. So we get involved in everything from land conservation, to promoting clean energy and clean energy projects. And so some of the work that we've done recently, like for public land protection, for example, is we we were able to help lead a coalition of partners to designate epic with a national monument that's Nevada's newest monument. It's over 600,000 acres of public land that will be protected from development. But it's also very significant to tribes. It is the actual creation birthplace for 12 Human speaking tribes, and that is, you know, a global designation. And so that is, you know, something we're very proud of. And then we have loved working in the energy space with great partners to reduce Nevada's reliance on fossil fuel, and increased reliance on renewable energy. We believe that that is the secret to protecting the planet, the one planet that we that we have, we must work to protect it, especially when we have two of the fastest warming cities in all of the country being Las Vegas and Reno, it really is incumbent upon us and our members to do the work to push forward good policy. But we can't do that without partnering with a strong and responsible business community that values our land, air and water as well.

Unknown Speaker 8:05
And Christy I did I had a question for you. It seems like there's a lot of time in media and elsewhere, there's this promotion of an almost adversarial relationship between the business community and people who want to conserve our environment. With this partnership that you have specifically with solar up or or just in general, how are the business communities and people like you who are working very hard to conserve the place that we live in? Which is our environment? How are you able to work together so that we all benefit and we can remove some of the perception of there being an adversarial relationship when clearly with the things you're doing with Seoul up? It's an absolute partnership between business and of course, your nonprofit organization? Could you speak to that a bit?

Unknown Speaker 8:59
Yeah, so you know, for for us the way we see it is that, that every Nevadan deserves the right to a safe and healthy environment to live in. And that includes, you know, air quality, for instance. And so when we think through businesses and this opportunity for for both individuals, as well as businesses to take advantage of unprecedented investment in renewable and the renewable energy sector. This is this makes good sense for our health. This makes good sense for everybody in the state. And it's it's such a benefit to the to everybody's bottom line economically when we're when we're thinking through what we pay in utilities on a regular basis. Those have nearly doubled for most Nevadans. We do work to hold our utilities accountable and encourage our, you know, everybody that we're able to have Conversation with we encourage them to figure out exactly what benefits they would qualify for in order to have a more energy efficient home. A more weatherized home, whether that be reducing your energy uses by trading out and taking advantage of some state benefits to switch out to more effective appliances or to invest in your own solar for your home your own rooftop solar system so that you're able to create your own energy and be energy independent. And so there's there's a lot that that I think, benefits the economy here in Nevada, when we think through a clean energy economy, you know, Nevada has this unique opportunity to lead the way and diversify our our state and and our create more economic resilience by leading the way when it comes to not just renewable solar energy, but also the transmission of that energy to other western states. This is this is such a huge opportunity for Nevada to really get out of a boom bust cycle that we've always been used to where every single program that we that we have in the state will benefit from economic resiliency. And so we really see that this is an excellent move for, for businesses for the overall economy. And of course, or every every individual's health, personal health.

Unknown Speaker 11:27
Any thoughts about this? Maria?

Unknown Speaker 11:31
Well, I think it's just an amazing advocacy organization. And can you just tell our viewers and our listeners, excuse me? What how can they engage with your organization? How can they play a role above and beyond the resources you provide?

Unknown Speaker 11:49
Yes, so, you know, I encourage everybody to visit our website, it's Nevada conservation. league.org. And we always post our programs and events that we're that we're going to be embarking upon some of the ways that you can get involved is getting, getting in touch with us about our utility accountability program, about our the what, what is referred to as the Clean Energy Plan, all of the investments that have come out of the inflation Reduction Act, for example, that is has this opportunity to save everybody money to you know, create a situation where instead of having unreliable bills that are due to fossil fuels, and the just just the nature of that that commodity and it's in fluctuation solar energy is is it is always the same it is it is something that we can that is reliable it is we have you know, all these sunny days, every single year. And so we want people to learn more and more about how they personally can be part of some of the projects that we're working on to increase rooftop solar, other solar projects in the state. And then And then lastly, some of the other programs that we're working on with more upcoming public land conservation in the form of another national monument designation that we're going to be working on.

Unknown Speaker 13:14
Yeah, well, for those of you who are just tuning in, you are listening to the business of giving podcast at 91.5 FM KUNV. And, by the way, if you didn't know sole up and its channel partners are providing complimentary solar to local charities, supporting for hope, Link transitional housing properties, solar to feed pets of the homeless Volunteers of America, and opportunity village, their founder, which is Steve Amelie, who is a part of this broadcast today, sits on the board of Nevada Conservation League, the nonprofit that we are interviewing today, also wanted to remind you all that you can listen to this podcast on Spotify, Google podcasts and Amazon music, to listen to downloads of our podcasts, giving business dot transistor dot F M. And as I had mentioned before, we've been here with two people who are making the world a better place to live from the perspective of our environment, both of the owner of a solar company, and the executive director of the Nevada Conservation League. Steve, one of the things that we had touched on earlier, or you touched on when you spoke earlier was about legislation related to conservation. Would you like to speak to some of the things that you've worked on together with Nevada Conservation League in the area of legislation?

Unknown Speaker 14:43
Sure, hey, you know, first of all, first of what I wanted to talk about real quickly also was you know, about businesses and getting involved in it. I think we discussed before about this alliance of a partnership and I think that's kind of where I'll lead. You know, when we look at nonprofits, everyone, they think of that term as well, they don't need money. And they're a business just like any other business, but their income streams are entirely different than ours are. And the way that we view this is besides the individual donors, we as court, we, as leaders in the community have a corporate responsibility to align ourselves with people with like minded values. And from that comes the fruits that I'm about to discuss that you've asked me about, you know, one of the key notes of legislation, and this is where Christy didn't touch on, but there's so instrumental in in putting legislators or supporting and promoting legislators that that really align also with their values. And they were they were very, they're really part and parcel to getting these leaders elected. And just a tremendous lineup and tremendous support for them. One of the bills that was very important to us was the was kind of the predator in our own industry that we try to police we have predatory practices with regards to disadvantaged communities being taken advantage of by door knockers that were unlicensed, etc. And then we proposed a bill that we worked with the Attorney General's office called Senate Bill 293. And we had broad based support, but from the, from the chambers of commerce, and many in many other many other organizations. But also the Nevada Conservation League stood behind us as well. So they're not only a portion, a lot of what they do is this renewable and green space and water and air, but also consumer protection. And that's what attracted me most to not only supporting them financially, but being a member of their board and leadership team is that almost everything they do is looking forward to someone that doesn't have the ability to do it themselves. And part of their support. This legislation supports that as well. Other bills they supported were the electrification of vehicles, for the leveraging, leveraging federal funds to provide electric vehicles versus fossil fuel burning feet of vehicles, and just a myriad of other legislation that is very supportive of the green energy environment. Green Energy Transition. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 17:05
really impactful the the way that partnerships can work. So well. And how about you, Maria, do you have any thoughts on on the legislation? Any other questions that you'd like to ask Christy?

Unknown Speaker 17:18
Well, I'd like Christie maybe to tell us what what has been achieved through some of this legislation for for the regular person for the consumer. Maybe you could dumb it down a little bit. So now what do they enjoy? As a result?

Unknown Speaker 17:34
Yeah, so yeah, thank you. That's a great question. I think that just just to start off with what Steve mentioned. So when we passed the bill last session, that would create a more equitable environment for businesses to transition their fleets to electric vehicles, you know, our thought here was, of course, it's expensive fleet trans. Transition the entire fleet from fossil fuel to a, you know, a battery electric powered, is, it's no, it's no cheap feat. And we understand that. And so what we what we work to do is create a program that would leverage federal funds, and would give a benefit to companies that would want to transition their fleets but there would be certain qualifications that you would need in order to take advantage of that. So our smallest businesses would be able to make that investment. And then what they see over time is a real cost savings, because the maintenance on electric vehicles is so low comparatively. So there's more upfront costs, but we created a program that is going to help lessen that burden. And then the long term effect is that small businesses are going to be able to save money. You know, that's what we're always thinking about is how do we make sure that we are creating an equitable and just environment for every Nevadan to take advantage of the things that that we feel are important and that Nevada's tell us are important, you know, nothing that we get passed at the legislature is without a real consideration for who's going to benefit most and most often when we're reducing greenhouse gas emissions, those are our lowest, lowest income communities where there's more traffic and higher rates of greenhouse greenhouse gas emissions, some of the other legislation that we have been able to pass over the past couple sessions. And Steve touched on this a little bit, but consumer protections for solar company. So you know, when we think through that, that is such an important piece of making sure that everybody has a, you know, a good positive experience when they make this transition that people aren't afraid of, you know, what am I getting myself into and where do I have protections in case something goes wrong that is so important to this transition. We also pass wildlife crossings, which was another way that we leveraged federal funds to ensure that humans are saved by creating overpasses and underpasses there's there are a couple articles that are Recently out where there are some videos of you know, where you can see bears in Nevada and deer in Nevada using these wildlife crossings that we currently have. And we're studying them to make sure that where we build them are the spaces where there have been, you know, an abundance of wildlife lost due to vehicle accidents. And then another exciting one I want to highlight is the funding for the outdoor recreation program that is going to be stood up here over the next year in Nevada. And that is really all about creating the next generation of public land protectors. So this is going to benefit K through 12. Students through programs that will get students outdoors, some more outdoor education, you know, we had something like, over eight times the amount of dollars that we were able to secure, we had applications for eight times that amount. That's that's what the need is here in Nevada to supplement our you know, normal K through 12 education, but with outdoor appreciation and, you know, understanding what it is about our unique ecosystems in Nevada that need protection and making sure that the jobs of the future are going to those that are making decisions that are making these considerations. Because here in Nevada, we have a really strong outdoor economy that is growing, we saw it grow over the last five years, and it's just really blossoming. And we want to make sure that we continue to protect these spaces and that for generations to come, we're able to, you know, keep going outdoors and keep enjoying all that Nevada has to offer. And I you know, I do want to say to back about how to get involved. I mean, this is this is such a crucial part of our mission and our values is to pass this policy that does the work because without, you know, some sort of idea or program in place, we just don't really see anything getting getting done. Goodwill is is nice, but but we have to have more than just goodwill, we have to really have a strategic plan. And so we we love to have volunteers come up with us. We have a conservation Lobby Day each year. Steve joined us for that this year, we we bring about 100 people into the Legislative Building to meet with their personal decision makers to talk about why conservation issues are so important to them. We need people to give testimony, we need people to write letters, we need people to talk to their decision makers. And lastly, I also just want to highlight that every single bill that we got over the finish line, this legislative session had bipartisan support, and was signed by Governor Lombardo and so we look at our work as bipartisan. I mean, protecting the planet should not be a partisan issue. While we are a political organization, we certainly know that that means we have to support those that care about the Earth and and that there's no you know, there's no political, you know, color one way or the other that that has the exact right answer. We will support anyone that is a Climate Champion.

Unknown Speaker 22:47
Yeah, what a fantastic partnership I hear between your Nevada Conservation League and the things that Steve is doing over at Seoul up. Steve, would you like to speak to some of the other projects that you're working on? We know you're a busy guy in the nonprofit sector, what are some of the other things that soul OP is partnering with, to benefit the community?

Unknown Speaker 23:08
Sure. So you know, one that we're down here in Southern Nevada the hope link and I also have the distinct privilege of serving on that board. We were helping them with transitional housing. So for of their for their community rapid rapid housing areas or for standalone homes. We we reach out to our channel partners and our channel partners, specifically Marburger for the solar panels, iron Ridge for the mounting and racking and then solar edge for all of the inverter componentry. We pull these together. And it's really interesting when you reach out to your channel partners to recognize they were they are dumbfounded because they've not seen they are so willing to participate. So for us, we we get to champion this cause but we have such so many good partners behind us so so we're installing for homes with solar down here in Southern Nevada. Up north there's we took a similar organization called Volunteers of America. They have the cares facility up in Reno and they're also building they just purchased a motel 40 which will be another Rapid Rehousing facility. And we have committed to provide solar to their facility. And then we were introduced at that time to feeding pets of the homeless. So many of the many people that are undergoing homeless. Notice, unfortunately, oftentimes facilities don't allow pets. And those that do they really don't have the resources to provide them with food and veterinary care. Well feeding pets of the homeless, provides veterinary care, food and assist them also of finding housing. And that's something very dear to my heart. My wife and I also were very involved in you know, come home many days and find another dog in our yard. And it's so that's a passion of hers. But we are we are providing solar to their facility which is in Carson. And what we're really trying to do is two things to make it impactful so that they are part of this green energy To transition, but also it saves them on their utility bill. So and in each of these both in in hope link and, for example, Nevada Conservation League feeding pets with the homeless, we also take a portion of all of the installation proceeds. So for every unit that we install in the state of Nevada, the Nevada Conservation League has a benefit of as well, on both their C three and their C four $50 per installation. And we we send to them. Another organization that we've aligned with is the Midtown association. So I also have the privilege of sitting on that board. The Midtown association is this segment of Reno, Nevada, that is kind of the up and coming what's considered our arts district here, we really want to make that the green energy, kind of recognize it as being this model. So part of that is providing complimentary solar also to and not in nonprofits, but different so there's something there called the little the Rena little theater. It's, it provides, you know, shows and almost like our Smith Center here, but it's on a nonprofit basis. We're supplying them with their solar. Also, Nevada conservation Lake has now joined the Midtown Association. And we're trying to create an alliance there to get our local businesses to convert over to, to becoming a green and sustainable business. And really starting on a level one, if they commit to a level one, then we will also provide them with complimentary solar. And you have to be a building owner and the business owner. But we're trying to take and create a power grid within the city of Reno, and right downtown on this midtown area and put ourselves in the map as being a self sustaining green initiative environment. And that's just an exciting, exciting, you know, process to be part of

Unknown Speaker 26:51
Steve Amelie, the CEO of soul up, a member of your staff described you as being a maniac when it comes to give back to the community. And I think you definitely just shared your passion about why you do what you do and nuts. I wish you nothing but continued success with your company because we know that everything that you're doing is tied into the betterment of society overall, thank you so much for being a part of the show. Christy Watson with Nevada Conservation League One more time, could you share information about how people can connect with you to learn more about your organization?

Unknown Speaker 27:28
Yeah, you can find us. We are on all the socials, we're on Instagram, x. And we are also we have our website, Nevada conservation league.org. Our handle for social medias is envy Conservation League. And I just want to you know, make sure I also say thanks so much to Steve for talking to me about the podcast and also to marine guy, thank you so much for inviting me to be here today to talk about my organization and what we're doing. And then obviously just want to make sure I doubled down on we really, we would not be able to do the work that we do without responsible business. Supporting our work. And Phillip is an incredible example of that I love a maniac. I think that's that's a great word. Even his commitment to, you know, to everybody that is that is underserved here in Nevada. And we really appreciate that we see that as such a value to having him on the board. And I think that this is just you know, another example of how he's always thinking through how can we make sure that more Nevadans know where they should get involved in order to, you know, help every organization that is really making change and making lives better for Nevadans. So thanks to you,

Unknown Speaker 28:41
oh, you, thank you, you know, it's a privilege to be associated with all of you. And I'll tell you a guy and Maria, what a wonderful podcast you put together and you know, it's something we all think about in your in your doing the heavy lifting. But if we can make a difference if one person walks away from this podcast, recognizing the true power of profits and nonprofits, you know, unifying and dovetailing their experiences and their alignments together, what an impactful difference we can all make.

Unknown Speaker 29:09
Thank you both for the great work that you're doing. And for those of you out there who are listening, I want to let you know that the business of giving podcast was brought to you by soul UPS underwriting of our series to learn more about the cause marketing chamber, cause marketing chamber.com Take care of yourselves enjoy the holiday season and always take the time to give and do business for good. See you soon.

Unknown Speaker 29:53
Feel the weight of the world on my shoulder. As I'm getting older your people gets older. Most of us only care about money.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai