ENCINITAS — The Encinitas Environmental Education (E3) Collaborative, an association of nonprofit and public community-serving organizations located in the Saxony-Quail Gardens Drive neighborhood, has nearly the same economic impact as Comic-con, according to a new study by the San Diego North Economic Development Council.
Regionally, the E3 collaborative provides 1,087 direct jobs, 357 indirect jobs, and more than $40 million in total tax revenues, according to the SDNEDC report. Combined, the E3 entities contributed $145.2 million in total economic activity to San Diego’s Gross Regional Product in 2023.
The E3 Collaborative includes the San Diego Botanic Garden, the Ecke Family YMCA, the Encinitas Union School District Farm Lab, Seacrest Village, Coastal Roots Farm, the Leichtag Foundation and the San Dieguito Heritage Ranch, as well as the Community Resource Center as an affiliate member.
In addition to their economic impact, these organizations provide value through environmental and agricultural education and stewardship; youth and adult fitness; care for older adults; assistance for those experiencing hunger, homelessness and trauma; volunteer opportunities and climate mitigation. They also focus much of their efforts to provide outreach and support for low-income and underserved individuals and groups in the region.
Highlights of the E3 impact include the following:
- Ecke Family Y teaches 5,000 youth to swim every year,
- Seacrest Village, the only non-profit senior facility in the region, spends over $2 million annually on charitable care for those in need,
- Encinitas Union School District’s Farm Lab provides project and place-based environmental education to all of the district’s kindergarten through sixth grade students.
- Coastal Roots Farm donates 70% of its harvest of organic food to food insecure community members.
- Community Resource Center distributed more than 505,000 pounds of rescued food to hungry neighbors and helped 317 people with safe housing through intervention programs, domestic violence shelter and transitional units.
Not only does each organization contribute to the community, but through their E3 collaboration, they enhance security, share parking and other facilities, offer training and exchange of best practices, and create opportunities for intergenerational experiences.
The full report is available here.
