INTRODUCTION

RNG Coalition’s endowment fund is SMART Endowment. SMART is an acronym for RNG Coalition’s ‘Sustainable Methane Abatement & Recycling Timeline’ (SMART) - an initiative to capture and control methane produced from the 43,000+ aggregated organic waste sites in North America by 2050, achieving meaningful benchmarks by 2025, 2030 and 2040.

PURPOSE

SMART Endowment is creating foundation support - a legacy - to ensure that the environmental, economic and education work central to RNG Coalition’s mission and critical to achieving the SMART initiative, continues reliably in perpetuity. The SMART Endowment supports the financial stability and continuity of RNG Coalition, including through inevitable geopolitics, natural disasters, health crises and related market conditions and dynamics beyond the organization’s control that may negatively impact its budget, operations and ability to carry out its mission and achieve its SMART and RNG Global initiatives.

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

Methane (CH4) is a short-lived climate pollutant and greenhouse gas that is up to 80 times more potent than carbon (CO2). Methane is generated as organic materials decompose naturally, including at landfill, wastewater treatment plants, food processing facilities, and livestock and agricultural operations. In the best cases, methane is flared and the energy content is wasted. In the worst cases, the methane escapes fugitively into the atmosphere where it contributes to global climate change.

Methane is a gas that deserves more attention in the climate debate as it contributes to almost half of human-made global warming in the short-term. A study on Containing Methane and its Contribution to Global Warming by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) published in February 2020 shows that it is possible to significantly contribute to reduced global warming through the implementation of available technology that limits methane release to the atmosphere.

For more than a decade, scientists have been documenting a mysterious rise in levels of methane in the atmosphere. And it’s getting worse. Earlier in 2019, data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that the rate of the increase surged by 50% in the 2013-2018 period compared with the preceding five years.

Findings show that without measures to control methane emissions, there would be a global emission increase of about 30% until 2050. While it would technically be possible to remove about 38% of these emissions by implementing available abatement technology, it would still mean that a significant amount of methane would be released between 2020 and 2050, making it impossible for the world to stay below 1.5°C warming.

“Reversing this trend in methane emissions is now probably the most urgent challenge in the fight against global warming, even more than the ongoing need to tackle CO2 emissions...if we can’t reduce methane emissions, any tentative progress we do make on carbon dioxide will be canceled out” - Michael Buchanan, Bloomberg Opinion

SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL & PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS

Methane emissions are an important issue the natural gas value chain must address in the energy transition. Fortunately, solutions are immediate and cost effective. Existing industry technology and service providers contribute to sustainability by capturing methane produced from society’s organic waste streams and converting it into renewable natural gas (RNG or biogas-derived Biomethane) a domestic-source of ultra-low carbon aviation and transportation fuel, or feedstock for renewable electricity, heat generation, and bio- based chemicals and products.

Renewable Natural Gas is interchangeable with natural gas and is conditioned to meet natural gas pipeline specifications such that it can effectively decarbonize the pipeline system and serve as a renewable source of heat and power to also decarbonize transportation, residential, commercial and industrial sectors. The emissions reductions realized from methane mitigation and carbon sequestration improves air quality, which correlates with improved public health.

According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS), which meets in full the world’s goals to tackle climate change, improve air quality and provide access to modern energy, the value of RNG is heightened. RNG has the potential to support all aspects of the SDS, which charts a path fully consistent with the Paris Agreement by holding the rise in global temperatures to “well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C”, and "meets objectives related to universal energy access and cleaner air.” “Very soon nobody is going to be able to hide from methane leakage because of satellites and other detection technologies“ - Bob Dudley, former Group Chief CEO, BP.

“Let it not be questioned that we have to be net zero (carbon emissions) by 2050” - Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

Projects that convert methane into Renewable Natural Gas require an average of $17 million US of capital investment but can cost as much as $100 million. The same projects also generate up to 173 direct and indirect jobs. The organic waste sites targeted by the SMART Initiative (43,000+) would create up to 7.4 million clean energy sector jobs.

BENEFICIARIES

SMART Endowment is mission-driven - consistent with its purpose. The direct beneficiaries charged with fulfilling the SMART Initiative as a condition of continued support from the endowment are the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) and RNG Global Initiative (RNG Global). RNG Coalition is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization with a mission to advocate for the sustainable development, deployment and utilization of renewable natural gas, so that present and future generations have access to domestic, renewable, clean fuel and energy.

RNG Global is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to educate & empower communities with information and resources to convert local waste to productive end-use resulting in economic and environmental benefits– including but not limited to, renewable fuel, heat and power, safe food supply, sustainable land use, and clean air and drinking water.

MAKE SMART PART OF
YOUR LEGACY

Thank you for supporting the perpetuation of RNG Coalition’s and RNG Global’s mission and progress towards achievement of our SMART Initiative. Your generous contribution memorializes and prioritizes a legacy of improved environmental quality and economic development for present and future generations. Contributions made to the SMART Endowment Fund are tax deductible as charitable contributions for US federal income tax purposes.

FOUNDING DONOR LEVELS*

LEGACY: $500,000+

VISIONARY: $250,000 - $499,999

*to be memorialized as a Founding Donor, donations must be received by December 31, 2022; Legacy and Visionary donations received after December 31, 2022 will be memorialized
along with all other Commemorative Donor levels.

COMMEMORATIVE DONOR LEVELS

Champion: $100,000 - $249,999 
Benefactor: $50,000 - $99,999 
Patron: $25,000 - $49,999 
Supporter: $10,000 - $24,999 
Friend: $5,000 - $9,999

ALL DONATIONS WELCOME

Donor: $5 - $4,999

DONORS INCLUDE:

To request a copy of the SMART Endowment Prospectus, a Contribution Pledge Form, or for additional information, including about participating in the SMART Cup Golf Tournament & Endowment Fundraiser, please contact:

Johannes Escudero, Founder & CEO
916.588.3033 or Johannes@RNGCoalition.com

For SMART Endowment payment (Wire/ACH/SWIFT) information, please contact:

David Cox, Founder & CFO
916.588.3033 or David@RNGCoalition.com

Please make checks payable to: RNG Coalition

Please mail payments to:

RNG Coalition
Attn: SMART Endowment
1017 L Street, #513, Sacramento, CA 95814