IOBY

About the Project

IOBY connects donors and volunteers to environmental projects in their neighborhoods to inspire new environmental knowledge and action in New York City.  IOBY stands for "in our backyards" and the belief that environmental knowledge, innovation, action, and service begin and thrive in our backyards. This is grounded in two important commitments.

First, IOBY offers an informed step out of environmentalism's NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) history that pushed environmental hazards down the path of least resistance into low-income areas and communities of color. IOBY builds an untapped funding source and by directing it to decentralized, community-based environmental projects, IOBY supports communities with a larger share of environmental problems and fewer resources to confront them.

Second, IOBY offers a reminder that the 'environment' is not just the Amazon rainforest or the Arctic glaciers, and that tangible environmental work is urgently needed right here on the streets and sidewalks of New York City. Even people who consider themselves environmentalists are sometimes disconnected from their local environment and unable to see the work going on around them. ioby.org creates a forum for people to rediscover, understand, and value their local environment, because we believe the places we live, work, and play each day should be the roots from which we understand the environment.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to provide this funding for IOBY to help them build the capacity of their creative media interaction with their participants, donors and the community at large. We look forward to seeing this organization grow and engage more people in NYC and beyond in the local environmental movement.