Vision & Mission

Matter of Trust

Welcome to Matter of Trust!

Our Vision

Humanity harmonizing with Earth.

Our Mission

To link surplus with needs.

We serve communities by:

• Mobilizing & celebrating local-to-global systems that sort waste into resources. (Hair Matters)

•  Developing & growing our kind, environmental social media platform. (The Hum Sum)

•  Researching & showcasing planet-friendly inspirations for households and workplaces. (Eco-Home & Eco-Hub)

•  Innovating & implementing programs that nurture healthy soils, clean air, water, and energy. (The WALOP)

•  Empowering & supporting youth, apprenticeships, green careers and cottage industry. (Eco-Acad)

Our main goals are to encourage optimism and trust in nature’s abundant cycles.

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

2023-2024:  

• Environmental Service Award – Commission on the Environment – San Francisco

• 100+ 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…

• 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 – Spanish Version Beta Launch

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.

Our Goals & Objectives

We were founded in 1998, and 2023 marked our 25th Anniversary.  We took this opportunity to do an even deeper, optimistic dive into what we do want for the world we will be living in 2050.  Soon we will be publishing our comprehensive Strategic & Implementation Plan.

Short-term 2024 goals include:

    • Grow our environmental social media platform TheHumSum.org for Humanity Adding Solutions. Launch French, Italian & Portguese  language versions and new features: impact reports, green-biz & affiliates directory, Hum Sum Emporium (Humium) online shop for green goods & services, mini-hum sums for government departments and large companies. 
    • 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 with discussion learning, internships, apprenticeships, resources, research, pilot projects & communications.  Partnering with local to global classrooms on our optimisitc, replicable programs: Peace of Mind kits, Jean Baggies, Global Compost Project, Wrap Stars, Zero Waste Flash Mobs, and more…
    • Launch and host the MofTies:  Seal of Merritt & Excellence Program for Millies – researched green innovations & products, best documentaries, edible gardens & eco-sites, Global Partner HumSummits, Youth HumSummer Prizes and more…
       
    • Improvements to our flagship working, model factory and exhibit hall at the Eco-Industrial Hub Expanding our network of Global Hubs & Partners through visits, research calls & conferences. 1000 vetted best eco-products in gift shop and on Humium (Millies Project)

    • 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.  2030 goal = 300 Global Felter MOUs.

       

       

    • Compile The WALOP (Worthy Actionable List of Projects for 2025-2050) outline with Hum Sum members and global research partners.

    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.

    • Information, education, and inspiration 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 (but verify) – we often install, implement, or reproduce eco-ideas, innovations and inventions in-house or as pilot projects, in order to see results with our own eyes, put them on display, and, very importantly, we give credit where credit is due.

    The front exterior of our model Eco-Home. Haight Ashbury, San Francisco.

    Our Guiding Principles

    • 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.

    See Full Policy here…

    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 GardenExplore 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-AcademyOur 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 2050,  the 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 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.