Part of The Global Solution Through
Community Action
Our founders, Eckardt “Chris” Beck and Vita DeMarchi, also founded Synapse Sustainability Trust, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3), community-based organization whose mission is to lessen the burdens on government/education institutions; foster public awareness and participation in sustainable environmental initiatives; and provide technical assistance to local government, educational, and community stakeholders. Our employees are actively part of these initiatives.
A non-profit 501(c)(3) community-based organization, ReSET’s mission is to lessen the burdens on government, foster public awareness and participation in sustainable environmental initiatives, and provide practical assistance to local government, educational, and community stakeholders.
ReSET’s first goal is to provide essential supplies, including clean drinking water, to those impacted by extreme weather events. We also financially support and sponsor grassroots community events and relief efforts. After the initial disaster response, ReSET promotes sustainable community practices that incorporate resiliency planning and response measures into communities.
After Hurricane Katrina struck, overnight Baton Rouge became the most populated city in Louisiana, taking in over 200,000 people. Baton Rouge provided a local launch pad for families and businesses to begin a long recovery. ReSET was instrumental in assisting with that recovery.
The objective of Restoration Tree Trust is to foster urban and rural reforestation to make a difference on a local and global level by working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders. Restoration Tree Trust’s activities and products address environmental issues, land use and reuse, including greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, and energy management with sustainable site development and long-term stewardship. In the past 18 months, in conjunction with the Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, and BK Leach, Restoration Tree Trust planted over 5000 trees to aid reforestation of migratory flyways.
UBRC (Universal Brownfield Restoration Corporation) is one of our earliest initiatives. Its efforts have been directed at promoting Smart Growth communities through approaches that reclaim distressed and underutilized property and promote economic redevelopment in former industrial areas by:
- Returning land to active community use
- Creating private redevelopment opportunity
- Simply transforming a blighted space into an aesthetically inspiring passive space
A community-based transportation program with a car-sharing element, CuseCar’s mission is to provide a sustainable alternative to enhance public and private transportation options. CuseCar’s mission is to provide environmental, social, and economic benefits to its members and the community which it serves through transportation alternatives. CuseCar is dedicated to the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure to promote the use of alternative-fueled vehicles and displace carbon and petroleum usage, thus lowering the community’s carbon footprint.
Synapse Sustainability Trust partnered with NYSERDA to develop EVPass™ and the CNY electric vehicle Destination Charging Network, the first area-wide transportation plan in the USA to be based on the concept of providing charging services “where the car wants to go, not where it lives.” Some 68 electric vehicle charging stations were sited at New York shopping malls, including DestinyUSA, higher education institutions such as SUNY-ESF, entertainment venues such as the JFK Arena in Rome, NY and the Oncenter Convention Center in Syracuse, NY; and 39 downtown commuter parking locations in Syracuse, NY. In April, 2013, EVPass™ and the CNY Network were acquired by Car Charging Group, Inc. (OTCQB: CCGI), a nationwide provider of convenient electric vehicle charging services.
