Vision & Mission
Matter of Trust
Welcome to Matter of Trust!
Our Vision
Humanity harmonizing with Earth
Our Mission
To link surplus with needs.
We encourage optimism and garner trust in renewable cycles.
We serve communities by:
• Mobilizing and celebrating practical, replicable, local-to-global systems that sort waste into resources.
(Hair Matters)
• Researching and showcasing planet-friendly inspirations for households and workplaces.
(Eco-Home & Eco-Industrial Hub)
• Developing and growing our kindhearted, environmental, social media platform for Humanity Adding Solutions.
(The Hum Sum)
• Empowering and supporting youth, interns, apprentices, green careers for all ages and integrated cottage industry.
(Eco-Academy)
• Organizing and implementing our Worthy Actionable List of Projects nurturing healthy air, soil, water, energy and life. (The WALOP)
Our main goals are to provide:
• Engaging, interwoven and transformative ecological* programs.
• In-house and field tested, highest and best uses for naturally abundant materials and manmade excess.
• Balance and respect for ancient wisdom, common sense and trailblazing innovations.
Matter of Trust is an ecological* public charity established in 1998.
*Ecology is the study of how life thrives in habitats; from forests to cities.
Our Achievements
2024:
• Environmental Service Award – Commission on the Environment – San Francisco
• 124+ (in 43 countries) Signed Partnerships with Global Felting & Research Partner Hubs
• Eco-Academy field trips & Jean Baggies youth project launch
• Press: National Geographic, The Weather Channel, Time Magazine, BBC, NPR, CBS…
• 6 Crowd pleasing, themed, week-long, general public Eco-Home Open Houses – 1 every 2 months
• Research Projects with UCB, Presidio Trust National Park, University of Tech Sydney, US Air Force
• TheHumSum.org Environmental Social Media Platform – Now in English, Spanish, French
Check out our TIMELINE to learn about our previous accomplishments
Betty & Lisa, Board Member and President, respectively, of Matter of Trust, outside our model Eco-Home in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco.
Felters make “Hair Mats for Oil Spills” at the Matter of Trust Eco-Industrial Hub – working model factory and exhibit hall.
Video
The front exterior of our Eco-Industrial Hub. SOMA, San Francisco.
Theory of Change
We see how working with Mother Nature, using common sense and being positive around youth and the young at heart, all contributes to the success of our programs. We know that our departments, like natural systems, are complex and inextricably linked.
Mixing tiny steps with giant leaps, over the last 25+ years, transforming the status quo where we can. We roll up our sleeves and work along side dedicated, thoughtful, people daily.
Because change is constant, support will always be needed somewhere. The key is to notice when old ways are better, when more expensive is worse, and when high tech or low-tech is more user-(planet)-friendly.
To this end, we seek the following narrative and mindset shifts:
| From: | To: |
| Combined Trash | Sorted Resources |
| Single Use | Quality / Long-term |
| Composite | Compostible |
| Demolition | Disassembly |
| Fossil | Renewable |
| Mining | Recycling |
| Deforestation | Protection / Corridors |
| Homelessness | Community |
| Food Insecurity | Edible Cities |
| Global | Local |
| Floods | Swails for Ground Water |
| Drought | Desalination |
| Scarcity | Nature’s Abundance |
| Burdensome Excess | Balance |
| Fear | Peace of Mind |
| Pollutions | Solutions |
| Shop till you drop | Vote with your dollars |
| AI | Emotional Intelligence |
| Blackouts | Smart Storage |
| Manmade | Natural |
| Profit | Planet |
Framework
This is our ideal for selecting & executing projects that are in alignment with our vision for Matter of Trust:
STRUCTURE
All of our work uses the following protocol, and this is fractal, meaning generally this structure is visible at the level of a meeting, project, program, department, and our organization as a whole.
Problem
Opportunity(ies)
Challenge(s)
Sollution(s)
Goal(s)
Objective(s)
Target(s)
Do The Work
KPI(s)
Impact
Outcome(s)
Legacy(ies)
HIERARCHY
Every Project that we have has a protocol. with a Lead, apprentices, interns and volunteers.
A long-term, inhouse project becomes a Program overseen by a Manager.
Projects and programs fall under our 7 Departments which each have a Director.
Liaisons are under our Administrative Director and connect all of our work internally and with external partners. This helps ensure follow ups, flow, met deadlines… according to our Strategic & Implementation Plan.
DETAIL BY DEPARTMENT
ECO-HOME & URBAN EDIBLE GARDEN
We were founded in 1998, so 2023 marked our 25th Anniversary. We took this opportunity to do an even deeper, optimistic dive into what we DO want for the future – the world we will be living in 2025, 2030, 2050…
Our comprehensive Strategic & Implementation Plan is very audacious. We decided to imagine a mobilization of all our prorgrams, projects and partners on a global scale toward a 2030 – Year of Worthy Actions. Teachers, hair stylists, pet groomers, restauranteers, car mechanics, citizen scientists, farmers, ranchers, households… eco-enthusiasts uniting in a planet-friendly groundswell.
We have a great head start with our Hair Matters program (pun intended) and an amazing, ever growing network. Abhorrant of reinventing the wheel, we thrive on collaboration. Our fieldwork allows us to see results with our own eyes – “Matter of Trust… and verify”… and encourages youth to witness nature’s abundance first hand.
If you are in a forest in Autumn and you look at the chaotic carpet of leaves at your feet, you may notice the beauty of the harmony of the colors, the layers, the levels of decay and new growth… We follow Mother Nature’s lead, integrated cycles moving at different rates, overlapping, stalled, simmering, winding down, sprouting, surging, blossoming… (Thanks to Janine Benyus for this beautiful, biomimetic metaphor).
While it may seem like we do, or take on, “a lot” everything is organized logically and strengthened by the connected 7 pillars of our structural framework. Our work has the following fractal hierarchy at its core for strategic implementation:
TARGETS – Short-term 2024 -2025:
- Grow our practical, kindhearted, environmentally focussed social media platform TheHumSum.org for Humanity Adding Solutions. Launch in Spanish (done) French (done), Italian, Portuguese… language versions and new features: impact reports, green-biz affiliates directory, online shop for green goods & services – Hum Sum Emporium (Humyum), new mini private Hum Sums for government departments and large businesses.
- Host virtual classrooms, in-person field trips & tours for the MofT Eco-Home. General public, week-long, open houses held every 2 months throughout the year. Each concentrates on a different area of the house and planet-friendly lifestyle tips for every season. Partner with 1000 eco-homes / eco-centers / tiny homes / edible gardens around the world (Millies Project).
- Expand our Eco-Academy for youth and the young at heart. Local to global eco-enthusiasts discussing and learning. Her we provide internships, apprenticeships, resources, research, pilot projects & communications. Integrating WALOP, we promote our optimistic, replicable, classroom partnership projects: Peace of Mind kits, Jean Baggies, Global Compost Project, Wrap Stars, Zero Waste Flash Mobs, Hairy Fairy Gardens, The Fibrary, Corker of an Idea, and more…
- Improvements to our flagship working, model factory and exhibit hall at the Eco-Industrial Hub – How do we ecologize manufacturing and business. Expanding our network of Global Hubs & Partners through visits, research calls & conferences. 1000 vetted best air, water, energy systems, most effective organizations and eco-products. (MofTies, Millies Project, The Hum Sum).
- Sign 25 more Hair Matters project Global Partner MOUs with felters, researchers and pilot projects for waste fibers, oil spill clean-up, soil remediation, seagrass and kelp forest restoration, and more. Our 2030 goal = 300+ Global Felter MOUs covering 100+ countries. Local fiber going to local solutions. Use this program as a platform for the broader discussion on sorting waste into resources and the power of cottage industry.
- Compile, organize and outline The WALOP (Worthy Actionable List of Projects for 2030 – 2050). Integrate WALOP with Hum Sum members, classroom partners, and Global Research and Felting hubs. Launch and host the MofTies: Seal of Merit & Excellence Program for Millies (1000s) – researched green innovations, products & systems, best documentaries, awesome classrooms, edible gardens & eco-sites, Global Partner HumSummits, Youth HumSummer Prizes and more… There is so much good will, there are answers, there are hoards of willing participants, we just need to hear the voices, give people the chance to to their part, highlight what works, pick the time, and mobilize effectively for real and lasting impact.
- Administration – We don’t like reinventing the wheel. So if we must do all of our administrative work, we might as well make it as transparent and replicable as possible for other grassroots organizations to use and for future efficiency. This department also coordinates the liaisons between our projects, programs and partners as well as their administrative needs. It is very important to us that our expenses are program heavy and administration light.
Our Core Values
(Beliefs / Behaviors)
• We always presume there is more to learn from Mother Earth.
• We orchestrate truly helpful, beneficial programs that are in concert with Nature.
• We only work on projects that improve lives and respect environments.
• We listen to society and hear what is needed.
• We demonstrate engagement in ecology through sorting, using recycled materials and prioritizing renewable resources.
• We improve constantly as an organization by being inclusive (mailroom to the main office, drawing board to the boardroom, boots on the ground to seats at the table…).
• We always seek out perspectives and incentives from others.
• We celebrate peer-recognized mastery in all sectors – high tech and low tech – applauding project ownership.
• We nurture only what we do want for the planet.
• We believe that immersive, provoking media and exhibits have a responsibility to provide positive, 2-way interactions.
• We promote pathways for change, both via small, convenient, individual habits over a lifetime and through impressive, mobilizing, large-scale actions vital to societal shift.
• inspiration and conversation have the power to be transformative for all involved. We wisely expect mutual learning.
• We were taught that textiles are rated on how well they hold together or fall apart on a scale of integrity. The fabrics of society and reality work by similar principles.
• We know the more we are integrated and our threads overlap, interweave, and are entangled with others, the better we feel, the stronger we are and the longer we live.
• Matter of Trust (and verify) – we install, implement, or reproduce eco-ideas, innovations and inventions in-house or as pilot projects and field work, in order to see results with our own eyes. We put them on display, and, very importantly, we give credit where credit is due. Everyone is standing on the shoulders of giants.
The front exterior of our model Eco-Home. Haight Ashbury, San Francisco.
Our Guiding Principles / Ethos
• Look deep into nature to find answers.
• Study matters at both micro and macro levels.
• Grow together, through partnerships and networks.
• Lead by example, it trumps preaching and lecturing.
• Encourage and welcome all who want to join the mobilization.
• Demonstrate the benefits of a life in pursuit of service, kindness, generosity, respect, empathy, liberty and happiness.
• To follow life’s passion and find your dharma simply be where time flies, curiosity abounds, and energy renews freely.
• Avoid reinventing the wheel and, instead, assist innovation.
• Honor the wisdom of seniors, admire the vitality of youth, and respect the hands-on experience & expertise of those in the field.
• Hail enthusiasm whenever you see it. Truth is the daughter of Time, but Apathy is her evil twin.
• Follow the Golden Rule at home, at work, and outdoors.
• Follow Mother Nature’s lead; be a catalyst and encourage complex, organized, and integrated cycles.
Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement
All employees, apprentices, interns and volunteers (Our Team) at Matter of Trust have a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. Our Team is expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during work, at work functions on or off the work site, and at all other Matter of Trust sponsored and participative events.
Our Fair Trade & Human Rights Statement
We embody, promote and monitor all in-house, partner & supplier relationships with regard to fair trade practices and abolishing modern slavery. We research indicators and risks including the presence of workers who are part of vulnerable populations, restriction of worker movement, suppliers’ retention of identity documents, debt bondage indicators such as charging recruitment fees, and mandatory overtime. We connect producers and consumers, promote fairer trading conditions and empower producers to combat poverty, strengthen their position and take control over their lives. Producers everywhere have the right to secure planet-friendly livelihoods, enjoy being able to fulfill their potential and decide their own futures.
Our Do No Harm Clause / Policy
We, the undersigned, understand and agree that the donated funds to [Project Name] will be used to the benefit of the environment. Per our mission, it is Matter of Trust’s cardinal duty to prevent harm or suffering to any ecosystems. Within the scope of this specific work [Project Name], described herein, [Corporation Name] joins Matter of Trust in prioritizing nature over profit. The signatories of [Project Name] hereby ensure all possible measures will be taken to prevent any possible ecological and societal risks. All outcomes and legacy of this work are to be positive for planet life and praiseworthy by future generations.
Our Methods
1. Eco-Industrial Hub – At our model factory we make oil spill clean up mats** out of recycled clippings of hair, fur, wool, and fleece from salons, groomers, and farmers. Our replicable exhibit hall walls discuss best practices for sorting waste into resources, as well as perspectives, incentives, challenges and solutions for clean air, water, energy, materials and manufacturing. Plan a visit!
2. The Eco-Home – Showcases planet-friendly living and greening all areas of the house with fun ways to ecologize your holiday celebrations: Bee My Valentine (Bedrooms & Garden), Spring Greening (Bathrooms and Storage), Greendependence Day (Home Office / Home Gym), Fallin’ for Harvest (Kitchen and Dining), Haunted Eeek-o-Home (Exterior and Garden), and ending with Seasons Greenings (Living room, reception & gift shop). Check out our week-long General Public Open Houses every 2 months or book a tour!
… with Urban Edible Garden – Explore our research projects made to uplift and heal the mind, body, and soil. Visit our tiny home, solar fan aerated compost pile, laundry to landscapes gray water system, dog poo composter, chicken mansion, fog catcher, raised veggie beds, honey beehive, bat house, and more!
3. Hair Matters Program** – Our flagship Eco-Hub and MofT’s Global Partner Hubs make mats that are installed in storm drains, and contaminated waste-water filtration systems, to soak up petroleum spills. Beyond this, natural fibers make an excellent substrate and are a slow nitrogen release, proving to remediate soil as well as help to regenerate seagrass and kelp forests. Together with donors, felters, researchers, purchasers, artists and media… this program keeps waterways clean, sorts trash into resources, restores habitats, inspires the public and creates cottage-industry green jobs!
4. The Hum Sum – for Humanity Adding Solutions is our online, environmental, social media platform. This allows everyone (individuals, businesses, government departments, schools, nonprofits, neighborhood projects…) from around the world to connect in a cost-free, ad-free, politics-free, troll-free, bully-free, and spam-free zone. We have forums, polls, local to global events calendars, green biz directory, gamified eco-commitment counters, and an affordable eco-services and donated gifts / wishlist exchange for items and materials. Coming soon check out our Hum Sum Emporium (Humium) for unusual and excellent eco-items! Welcome All!
5. Eco-Academy – Our positive communications & mutual learning department is for youth and the young at heart. We host field trips, volunteers, interns, apprentices, and Hum Sum Mods. We support university & citizen scientist research, curate our own resource library, conduct fieldwork pilot projects & in-house write-ups. We build local to global replicable exhibits & green city tours. With staff and members, we annually compile The MofTies – Life Cycle Assessment Awards of Merrit, network The Millies (1000+ community gardens, tiny homes, maker fairs etc.) and our Global Partner HumSummits. We provide social media updates on all of our work and celebrate likeminded projects and experts around the world.
6. The WALOP & Fiscal Sponsorships: The WALOP covers our interns’ Worthy, Actionable List of Projects through 2030 & 2050, the Hair Mulch / Mat Soil & Coastal Restoration Projects, Global Compost Project, Peace of Mind Kits (eco-disaster kits), Wrap Stars (eco-packaging), Jean Baggies (recycled denim carrier bags & reusable food containers for instacart & grubhub deliveries), Zero Waste Flash Mobs, It’s a Corker (restaurant wine cork collection), The Fibrary, Insulation Cubes (using laundry lint & synthetic wigs waste) and more… this Department also includes 2 projects we fiscally sponsor [1. Heart of the City Farmers’ Market Food Security Education, 2. Sonoma Food Runners].
7. Our Administrative Department is compiled of Operations, HR, Finance, Engineering, Philanthropy, Outreach, Facilities, & Social Media. This team is our rock and ensures that our oxygen mask is on securely so that we can thrive in our 6 other Program Departments. This public charity is basically a small family business with big dreams and wide reach. Our Board, President, Directors, Managers, Leads, Staff, Apprentices, Interns, Volunteers, and Partners, feel lucky to work steadily and tirelessly on what we all love.
The Hum Sum – Our Eco Social Media Platform that we created for Humanity Adding Solutions
Key Definitions
Eco: Ancient Greek work for a relationship between life and surroundings, home farm, planet
Ecology: Study of the relationship between living organisms and their environment (ecosystems, economics, ecotourism…)
Renewable Resources: Regenerative materials that can be collected in ways that encourage replenishing and do no harm
Surplus: Excess, leftover, supply over demand
Zero-waste: Responsible sourcing, production, consumption, re-use, recovery, and recycling of materials
Deconstructable: Manufacturing and building with disassembly and recycling in mind
Cottage Industry: A business or manufacturing activity carried out on a person’s property
Micro-Enterprise: Small-scale business with less than six employees
70:30 Local to Global Principle: A lifestyle where 70% of purchases have three degrees or less of separation from source materials and manufacturers. 30% of purchases are exotic with no means of connection with farmers or fabricators.
Our Press Release Boilerplate
Matter of Trust is a 501(c)(3) environmental public charity established in 1998. We have two locations in San Francisco, California: our showcase Eco-Home with urban edible garden and our Eco-Industrial Hub – our flagship, working model factory with exhibit hall. We also promote cottage-industry through our Hair Matters program which collects natural waste fibers and felts them into mats for oil spills, soil remediation, seagrass and kelp restoration projects, now with 116+ Global Hub Partners.
Hair, fur, wool and fleece donors around the world, led us to develop and launch our environmental social media platform, TheHumSum.org for Humanity Adding Solutions.
Our Eco-Academy works with youth and the young at heart. We celebrate optimism for the future, spotlighting biomimicry (asking nature first) and ecology (the study of how life thrives in habitats – from forests to cities).
All of our programs (in-house, in the field and fiscal sponsorships) link surplus with needs and concentrate on re-use, research and renewable resources. Join in today!
120 words:
Matter of Trust is an environmental 501(c)(3) public charity est. in 1998. Visit our two San Francisco sites for field trips and the general public: 1) showcase Eco-Home with urban edible garden. 2) Eco-Industrial Hub – flagship, working model factory with exhibit hall. We celebrate optimism for the future via our 3) Eco-Academy for youth and the young at heart (tours, research, internships & apprenticeships). 4) Our Hair Matters program collects natural waste fibers (hair/ fur clippings) and felts them into mats for oil spills, soil remediation, seagrass / kelp restoration projects and cottage industry promotion. Finally, 5) growing volunteers and fiber donors around the world, led us to develop our planet-friendly social media platform TheHumSum.org for Humanity Adding Solutions.
Our front door gate at the Eco-Home, made out of 60% recycled auto parts by Daniel Macchiarini.