THEORY OF CHANGE
IGC projects are guided by the Japanese concept of ikigai, which integrates four equally important elements. In our case, these elements are advancing global climate goals, intentionally benefitting underserved and overburdened communities, partnering to maximize impact, and reducing redundancy by identifying unmet needs. Download IGC's theory of change.
Ikigai
There is not a direct translation of ikigai to English. It is a concept that has been rooted in Japanese culture for centuries and loosely means, "reason to live".
CLIMATE GOALS - Decarbonization, or reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, is an important part of IGC’s purpose. Dramatically reducing emissions is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis locally and globally. We’re experiencing many effects of climate change including forced migration, biodiversity loss, increased public health risks, and so much more. IGC’s work aims to directly advance emission reduction plans at the local and regional levels, which support state, national, and international climate goals.
​
UNMET NEED - There is a lot of great climate justice work happening in San Diego and it’s important that we avoid creating redundancy. Instead, we want to focus our efforts on areas where we can be most helpful. To identify projects, we start by asking leaders of local climate efforts two questions: “what isn’t happening that needs to happen?” and “who else should we ask?” We know we’ve found a target area when we hear the same answer repeated over and over.
​
COMMUNITIES - San Diego is our home, and we care deeply about the people who make it a vibrant and culturally rich region. IGC’s work aims to increase the quality of life for communities who have been excluded from opportunity and subjected to historical and ongoing injustices. Systemic racism, exclusionary banking and housing policies, continued exploitation, and so much more have actively blocked members of our community from the opportunity to fulfill their potential. We want to increase community resilience through access to funds and increased health, wealth, and overall well-being.
​
PARTNERS - Working in partnership to advance climate justice is fundamental to IGC’s philosophy. We’re in good company in San Diego with a wealth of great organizations committed to a just transition to clean energy. We partner to advance or expand good work already underway and to add capacity where needed. We believe that collaborative work with diverse partners produces greater results than what’s possible to achieve on our own.