Funding and Finance

We’re making how we spend more sustainable by buying greener goods, working with like-minded vendors, and cutting waste from everyday business.

Recent Successes

• Less Plastic in the Mail. Most of our mailings now use envelopes with corn-based windows instead of plastic ones. Membership cards are now mostly digital, and members who want a physical card get one made of heavy paper.
• Less Paper. We’ve moved more communications from mail to email, and we now handle reimbursements and invoices electronically.
• Mission-Aligned Investments. We’ve identified investment options that align with our mission, both for the Aquarium’s own investments and for employees’ personal investments.

What's Next

• Strategic Sourcing. We’re developing sustainable purchasing strategies that also support the Aquarium’s long-term financial health, guided by resources like the Aquarium Conservation Partnership’s Sustainable Purchasing Guide.
• Exploring Creation of a Green Fund. We’re assessing the feasibility of creating a fund that reinvests savings from sustainability projects into new ones.
• A Greener Purchasing Policy. We’ll review our purchasing policy and add sustainability criteria as needed. We’ll also evaluate vendors’ sustainability so our spending better aligns with our goals.