Changes at Save the Sound as World Celebrates Earth Day Indoors

One of Connecticut’s longest running environmental nonprofits, known most recently as Connecticut Fund for the Environment (CFE)/Save the Sound, shortened their name just before the chaos presented with COVID-19.

After their rebranding, Save the Sound operates under the unified mission of protecting “climate, lands, and waters across Connecticut, Westchester, New York City, and Long Island.”

This month, Save the Sound will be joining environmentalists around the world in a unique celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22. Save the Sound strives to advocate for environmental sustainability and maintain a strong relationship with their supporters as they gear up for the observance.

CFE was founded in 1978 with “a handful of dedicated lawyers enforcing clean water laws and protecting critical forests and wetlands.” Their work later prompted a connection with Save the Sound, previously founded as the Long Island Sound Task Force in 1971 to achieve community involvement alongside their legal work.

The merging of CFE and Save the Sound in 2004 led initially to the work on the West River project which replaced tide gates, preventing flooding in the Westville section of New Haven, and achieving safe travel for river herring. This 2009 accomplishment, described as the “most important Urban River restoration success from Chesapeake Bay to Maine,” garnered attention from a third organization - Soundkeeper, Inc. Years later, after working side-by-side on various environmental issues, Soundkeeper merged into CFE/Save the Sound in 2017.

Just over a month ago, all three organizations evolved into a new, shorter, familiar name with an unchanged mission: Save the Sound. Today, the New Haven-headquartered organization has a secondary location in Mamaroneck, New York, and an unrelenting commitment to environmental advocacy in Connecticut and the region.

Save the Sound’s simple rounded square graphic grew to incorporate two shades of blue to signify air and water and punchy green to signify land. Their marketing incorporates their employees and volunteers as much as possible; recognizing joint achievements to protect Connecticut’s beautiful land, air, and water. On-site work backed by policy change and supportive lawmakers look to improve locations in New York and Connecticut.

What causes a nonprofit organization to change its name? At the beginning of 2020, Save the Sound decided to remove the visually longer and Connecticut-specific label of CFE. President Curt Johnson of the newly branded Save the Sound stresses the importance of growth while remaining loyal to the major environmental group’s original vision.

Johnson assures long standing supporters that their mission to protect both New York and Connecticut remains intact. “It’s the same organization with the same mission - just one unified name,” Johnson states.

In fact, Board Vice-Chair Johan C. Varekamp explained in a recent message to the community that they are “doing more for your environment than ever before.” The nonprofit points out the range of environmental issues they advocate for - fighting climate change, preserving endangered lands, restoring rivers, and protecting the Sound’s waters.

In 2019 alone, 2,500 volunteers cleaned shorelines of thousands of pieces of litter that would have inevitably found its way into the ocean and 2,000 activists emailed officials about climate policies. Damaging river dams have been destroyed to create a better highway for sea life and opportunity for fresh water fish to reproduce. Save the Sound also advocated successfully for $500 million to be allocated to various environmental program by the New York legislature.

Save the Sound continues making efforts to remotely address environmental issues like solar benefits and energy affordability, communicate to their employees, supporters, and volunteers any changes, participate in board meetings, and celebrate Earth Day this year.

On this historic 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, Johnson asks Save the Sound’s supporters to do their part to protect the earth. While employees will be “counting and monitoring fish” to provide data to stabilize the Long Island Sound and studying sources of pollution, there is a profound incentive to social distance for the health of not only yourself, but the community.

Save the Sound encourages a remote togetherness through sending Earth Day e-cards to loved ones. The organization is asking supporters who are financially able in the current circumstances to send $50 in celebration for Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary. With this help, the proposed $9 million increase in funding for clean water programs in the region will become a reality.

Leslie Lee, Board Chair, informs Connecticut residents that they are still working hard to improve air, land, and water cleanliness by staying connected to their followers through virtual tips, facts, trivia, and games. With the community indoors more than are accustomed to, Save the Sound encourages temporary indoor engagement. A public input session is scheduled for Wednesday May 13th via webinar.

In a time of financial distress, Save the Sound recognizes the difficulty many residents are experiencing to pay for services. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP) and Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURA) are working to request all electric, natural gas, and water public service companies excuse non-payments and continue providing those services to those who are unemployed and struggling.

Save the Sound will fight for land conservation, climate action, water quality, clean air and water legislation, and ecological restoration. They promise to adjust policies, communication, and priorities as they work for “a brighter future”. Johnson, following Save the Sound’s rebranding, looks to the future while keeping transparency with partners, employees, and residents a top priority.

Researched, reported and written for CT by the Numbers by Hannah Stebbins.

Photographs courtesy Save the Sound, (left and right) by Robert Lorenz and (center) Ayla Fox.