NON-GOVERNMENT/NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
type: Concept

MDIWQC
in scheme: providers
definition: The Mount Desert Island Water Quality Coalition, a nonprofit organization, is supported and driven by island residents, businesses and visitors alike. We believe working cooperatively with the wide diversity of people who have a stake in the quality of MDI's water is the only way to achieve our goals. Our methods of data collection and presentation adhere to strict scientific standards. As a result, our efforts have earned recognition and credibility throughout the community. The Coalition is a model for other communities of how to foster a working relationship between students and teachers with community volunteers, engaging them together in the process of solving environmental problems. Through the MDIWQC programs, young (and not-so young) people learn about the strength of their voices and achieve a sense of ownership of MDI. This encourages them to sustain community environmental improvements and changed behaviors. Through community education and outreach, the Coalition strives to help islanders voluntarily change behaviors that could harm MDI's water quality, without the time consuming and financial drain that traditional "top-down" legislative change would involve. [Source: "http://www.mdiwqc.org/"]
type: Concept