California’s diverse ecosystems are world-renowned, not only for the beautiful landscapes but also for the land’s contribution to the economic health of the country. The state features nine national parks, over 3,400 miles of coastline, and leads the nation in agricultural production. Sempra has called California home for close to a quarter of a century and has a long history of supporting environmental organizations.
Last year, the Sempra family of companies invested $6.6 million in climate action, energy access and environmental initiatives through grants, donations and contributions to environmentally focused third-party organizations. To help maintain the state’s natural beauty and agricultural industry, $4.4 million of the grants focused on helping shape cleaner and more resilient communities across our home state.
Learn more about two California-based organizations supported by Sempra that are making a positive impact in the Golden State.
Regenerative agriculture
White Buffalo Land Trust (WBLT) is directly addressing the climate, biodiversity, public health, and food security challenges we face today through innovation of land stewardship and the redesign of food systems.
Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices meant to increase biodiversity, enrich soils, improve watersheds, and enhance ecosystem services. A key outcome is the drawdown of excess carbon from the air into the soil. With agriculture and forestry currently contributing nearly one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, updated farming methods are more critical than ever.
Sempra is supporting the first year of WBLT’s Regenerative Land Stewardship Program. Through the program, leaders, scientists, and practitioners are working to equip land stewards with the knowledge and tools they need to help slow climate impacts and build long term resiliency. Education is taking place through a series of workshops, events and mentoring programs, giving farmers practical skills and a deeper understanding of regenerative principles and techniques.
Restorative aquaculture
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) is a non-profit scientific research organization that works to promote a healthier planet through the conservation and renewal of marine life. HSWRI’s team makes a significant effort to keep up with the rapidly changing world, providing innovative scientific solutions to challenges threatening ocean and marine health.
Sempra is supporting HSWRI’s Restorative Aquaculture Program, where scientists are studying the environmental healing capacity of native ocean plants and animals. Scientists are learning how organisms can remove nutrients and matter from seawater and how they can work together synergistically. Through this work, they hope to discover ways to mitigate human impacts on the ocean, promote sustainable seafood practices and boost climate resiliency.
Climate action drives real impact
The unprecedented focus on climate change has compelled people, companies, and even countries to recommit themselves to a cleaner, safer, and healthier planet. At Sempra, we’re no different: we’re working to track and aggregate the impacts associated with the company’s philanthropic investments in climate action. As a result, through investments like these, we’re currently projecting emissions reductions equivalent to removing nearly 210,000 average passenger vehicles from the roads for a full year, based off 2021 investments with data as of March 2022.
As Sempra works toward our vision of delivering energy with purpose, we expect to continue to seek opportunities to do the right thing by supporting environmentally focused nonprofit organizations.
Keep exploring: find out about our climate initiatives in Mexico and Texas
