Acterra: Action for A Healthy Planet

For decades, Acterra has supported and nurtured emerging and small-scale programs that benefit the community and the environment. From this collaborative effort, many of these programs evolved into becoming their own successful nonprofit organizations to carry out this important work.

Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet: In the San Francisco Bay Area, food is one of the biggest contributors to the average person's carbon footprint, fueling climate change. Acterra's Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet Program works together with local Bay Area communities to promote two easy and impactful ways to reduce our collective foodprint. We educate on the benefits of adopting a more plant-forward lifestyle and reducing the amount of wasted food, with the goal for us all to enjoy a healthier, well fed life.

Electrification of energy end-uses in homes and buildings is a major strategy for combating climate change. Beneficial electrification must meet three criteria: reduction of long-term costs; improvement of grid reliability or reduction in grid instability; and avoidance of negative environmental impacts. Switching from fossil energy sources - such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas - offers many tangible benefits: less pollution, improved human health, customer savings, and less atmospheric warming. Acterra's Beneficial Electrification (BE) program prioritizes and accelerates the adoption of all-electric appliances, buildings, and vehicles that operate on clean energy instead of fossil fuels. BE supports the general public, small businesses, industry, municipalities, counties, regional authorities, the state, utilities and NGOs toward meeting the climate goals of the entire region. Acterra must play a role in advocating for the move away from fossil fuel devices. Acterra develops and shares materials and strategies to encourage the wider adoption of fossil-free devices and technologies in both the commercial and residential sectors. Specifically, Acterra facilitates outreach to residents and professionals on the benefits of fossil-free devices in construction and educates residents on the benefits of fossil-free devices in homes.