Undoubtedly Coronado’s most environmental nonprofit, Emerald Keepers was founded by current city council candidate Amy Steward, and has been making an impact for five years now. Janet Thoms, Development Director at Emerald Keepers, shares the origin story. “Amy started with a small group of people concerned about the environment and sustainability. This was in 2019, but then COVID happened. They had to scale back the plans. The lecture series and in-person events were scaled back and moved to Zoom. She kept the organization going but it was in a much smaller fashion.”
Trudging through, Emerald Keepers felt a reprieve when things started to open up at the end of 2021 and 2022. From initial small projects and individual donations, the nonprofit has greatly expanded. Janet shares that they have a full time board and part time contractors to sustain the organization. They are thankful for grants such as Coronado Community Grant funds. Janet says, “We are all volunteer based. We are starting a membership drive this year and hope to do even more in the future in terms of events with members and even more outreach to the community.”
Emerald Keepers Seeks Volunteers and 2025 Board Members
The grass roots organization has been recruiting by word of mouth and friends and family. Janet describes, “It is a very active board and people have been incredibly interested. They are willing to give their time and it’s been very heartening. In the future, we’re going to do some more board recruitment but up until now, it’s been word of mouth. Frankly, that’s how I got involved. I reached out and said, ‘what more can I do?’ and that’s what we’ve had people do. They will come up to us, for example at the Flower Show booth or other events and say, ‘how can I get more involved?’”
Amy Steward Runs for City Council
Approaching 2025, Emerald Keepers is looking for more volunteers. They will need new board members when some current ones reach their term limit. And given that Amy, the founder and current president, ran for Coronado City Council and the election results remain uncertified, there is still a big question mark on Amy’s next role.
Janet explains, “It’s really up for the board to decide. I think Amy would do really well in the council. We’re proud of her for running. Her dedication, her level of energy and enthusiasm is incredible. If she does make it on to the city council, she will be an incredible asset to the city. What she’s willing to do is incredible, so we’re very proud of her. If she has to leave the board, obviously that will be a disappointment. But we know that she’ll do an excellent job for the city.”
Looking Back on 2024
Among the many achievements at Emerald Keepers this year, Janet highlights the Emerald Keepers internship program. “The internship program is an incredible flagship program. It reaches into the kids, and it gives them real world projects that they can work on. They’ve gained public speaking experience; they’ve spoken at a zero waste conference that was part of the county. The interns have spoken in front of the elementary and middle school kids. They’ve spoken in front of city council. Not a lot of high school kids get to have that experience. Also, the mentoring and coaching that goes with learning how to do that. They have projects that they’ve dug into around the community to make a difference in their own lives.”
She continues, “One of the intern programs is Coronado Crops. They collect produce and give to a local food pantry in connection with the Coronado Rotary. They’re learning about the community around them and outside of Coronado. It’s environmental, but it’s also very community minded. The kids learn a lot and they really have to work. They have to volunteer their time. They’re doing projects and being mentored.”
Bigger Than One Organization
Janet explains, “Another important part that Amy has really woven into Emerald Keepers is coordinating and collaborating with other groups in Coronado. For example, we have a booth at the Coronado Flower Show and have worked alongside the home front judging. We worked with them to create an earth-friendly home front section, which highlights low water, landscaping native plants and is an effort to educate about the importance of that.”
In partnership with Coronado MainStreet, Emerald Keepers has supported an EV section at their annual MotorCars on MainStreet event. Probably most notable is their partnership with local environmental groups to raise awareness about the cross-border sewage crisis.
Emerald Keepers is Preparing for the Future
Some of Emerald Keepers top goals for 2025 include their new membership program. By becoming a member, you will be part of their growing community. Your support will help them make Coronado a model city for sustainability with programs of impact. You can join today as a Charter Member to help Emerald Keepers protect Coronado’s coastal community and unique ecosystems for generations to come. Janet says, “We plan to have member meetings and member events so that people can get to know each other. You can get to know the board and get even more involved.” Learn more here.
Other top priorities for 2025 include growing the internship program, continuing to advocate for plastic reduction, and supporting the electric mini shuttles. An update to the feasibility of that program can be found here.
In addition, Janet says, “We are planning to improve our gardens, particularly the one at Coronado Middle School. The Optimist Club of Coronado has donated funds to help with revitalizing the garden.”
It Takes Programs of All Sizes
In general, Janet shares, “We are always finding new ways to advocate, and to keep educating the community about sustainability of the environment. Particularly where we live. We are continuing to make things better.”
Coronado businesses can commit to be Emerald Green, Ocean Blue. While some businesses reach out to the nonprofit, Emerald Keeps is also very proactive. In the past, interns have gone door to door with Amy to talk with local restaurant and business owners. Some businesses also reach out on their own to ask what they can do and how they can be more sustainable.
As Emerald Keepers grows, the desire for collaboration within the city and with other organizations is imperative to the nonprofit. Janet concludes, “No one can do it all alone. We’re one small town and it helps everyone to collaborate and work together.”
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