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The Lake Effect Center for Environmental Entrepreneurship & Innovation

__________________________ Key Enabling Conditions

Request For Proposal

Please address all questions and correspondence to: The Western New York Environmental Alliance

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

The Lake Effect Center for Environmental Entrepreneurship & Innovation Market Study on Key Enabling Conditions


TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 3

II. Innovation Centers ........................................................................................................................................... 4

III. Lake Effect Center: Enabling Conditions and Potential Benefits................................................... 5

IV. Western New York Environmental Alliance .......................................................................................... 7

V. Scope of Work ..................................................................................................................................................... 8

VI. Guiding Questions ............................................................................................................................................. 8

VII. Deliverables ..................................................................................................................................................... 10

VII. Consultant Qualifications ........................................................................................................................... 11

IX. Proposal Submittal ........................................................................................................................................ 12

X. Proposal Guidelines and Budget ............................................................................................................. 12

Appendix 1: Innovation Centers ...................................................................................................................... 13



We, the people of Western New York, are resolved to work collaboratively to improve our environment and our regional & international community. We are a Great Lakes

region and stewards of the world’s largest supply of fresh water, vast forests, rich agricultural land, abundant wildlife, an incredible built heritage, historic park systems, the magnificent Niagara Falls and hundreds of wonderful communities. Unfortunately,

much of our natural heritage has been lost and what remains is threatened. And, like the rest of the world, we face the prospects of climate change. We therefore establish this

agenda to protect and restore our globally significant environment.

Declaration of Action, First Congress of the Western New York Environmental Alliance, 2008

I. Introduction

In late 2015, the Western New York Environmental Alliance received a grant for a market-based study to identify the enabling conditions for a Lake Effect Center for Environmental Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Lake Effect) in Buffalo’s Middle Harbor. The vision of Lake Effect is to be a collaborative, shared social space that represents the benefits of eco-inspired design practices and provides a wide variety of services, including eco-tourism, outdoor experiential learning and entrepreneurism to the Buffalo Niagara Region. Lake Effect intends to provide a collaborative space where organizations from both the public and private sector, with common goals, meet under one roof to cooperate, collaborate, catalyze, and share ideas to create a more sustainable tomorrow.



Consulting expertise and research is needed to understand how the WNY Environmental Alliance can better serve the region; foster resource sustainability on Buffalo’s waterfront and build a business framework that creates viable pathways for this exciting opportunity for Buffalo and those who visit us. We are requesting proposals that are well positioned to facilitate a process with key regional and national stakeholders to obtain data and research. This information is needed to create a plan with defined strategies and steps we can take to move forward.

II. Innovation Centers Lake Effect is built around the idea of a shared space that fosters both environmental entrepreneurship and social innovation. Research conducted by the Collaborative Center for 501(c)(3) shows shared space increases credibility and goal achievement by 83% and significantly improves service by 63%. This model has been successfully implemented by similar shared space centers. These entities can provide both proof that this unique business model is desirable and economically viable in the long-term, as well as guidance and inspiration. To truly succeed, Lake Effect will need to be uniquely tailored to the Western New York (WNY) “ecosystem” and the Western New York Environmental Alliance’s Declaration of Action. Select shared space centers are described below, with additional information included in Appendix 1. Natural Capital Center The Natural Capital Center is located in Portland, Oregon. The Center occupies an old warehouse built in 1895 that was redeveloped into the Center by the Ecotrust organization using green building standards. The building acts as both Ecotrust’s headquarters and home to 24 other organizations (both non-profit and private) that are motivated by environmental and social goals. The Centre for Social Innovation The Centre for Social Innovation is based in Toronto, Canada and specializes in creating shared workspace for people and organizations with social missions. The Centre for Social Innovation fosters collaboration between entrepreneurs, non-profits, and private sector companies. Evergreen Brick Works Evergreen Brick Works is located in Toronto and was transformed from a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings as a platform for green design and urban sustainability. Evergreen Brick Works operates as a public space with hands-on workshops about urban

http://www.ecotrust.org/project/natural-capital-center/

http://socialinnovation.ca/

http://www.evergreen.ca/get-involved/evergreen-brick-works/



gardening, and how to create more sustainable models for urban living. It is also home to a bike shop, farmer’s markets, and an exhibit and art space.

III. Lake Effect Center: Enabling conditions and potential benefits It is a truly exciting time for our region and its future. We are learning from the mistakes we have made in our industrial past. We know that our health and wellbeing is directly linked to the health and wellbeing of our ecology and our ability to access and enjoy it. Through Lake Effect, the WNY community will have the opportunity to create healthy, resilient and new forms of economic development that are tied to environmental entrepreneurship, outdoor education and recreation and ecotourism. The community has witnessed the formation of a strategic framework to transition the region from a rustbelt economy to one that creates greater equity across all people who live in this special place, as well as supporting access to and protection of our natural resources. Our community is working to empower citizens and leaders to embed the health and integrity of our natural systems into the front end of major economic investments. Furthermore, the region contains a unique biosphere that is at the center of the emerging marketplace of the international Golden Horseshoe and the Great Lakes region. Lake Effect is focused on:

Providing collaborative shared space for environmental and sustainability

organizations

Showcasing the wide range of benefits manifested through the design of a

physical and social space that represents best practices in eco-inspired designed

architecture and campus/corridor development

Creating new “healthy” lifestyle opportunities through amateur and youth-

based outdoor education and recreation and the direct linkage between

sustainability and health and well-being

Increasing cultural and ecotourism opportunities on the middle harbor

waterfront and beyond

Attracting entrepreneurs and producing new green jobs and new economic

opportunities in the Buffalo Niagara Region

Fostering new public and private partnerships committed to social and environmental innovation

For decades, much of WNY’s connection to the natural environment has been severed. The Lake Effect concept expands and creates opportunities for people to connect and experience Buffalo’s many outdoor natural assets through educational and recreational



activities such as rock climbing, rope courses, paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing, wind surfing, fishing, etc. The potential revenue generated from these activities as well as rent, retail and other forms of revenue would help to sustain the Lake Effect structure and programing. The revenue would also support educational, recreational and empowerment activities for youth of varying means and background. The increased economic output and public access at the Outer Harbor, Canalside, and the Buffalo River provide a wonderful opportunity for Lake Effect to flourish. Lake Effect can build on the commercial success of RiverWorks, which has attracted thousands for entertainment and recreational activities since it opened in 2014 as well as the infusion of residential and private development occurring along the Buffalo River. The Center will also leverage numerous efforts that are working to build a more regenerative economy within Buffalo. The One Region Forward initiative has built a broad-based collaborative effort to promote sustainable forms of development in Erie and Niagara counties in land use, transportation, housing, energy and climate, access to food and more. This multi-million dollar two-year campaign has resulted in the Regional Plan for Sustainable Development, which specifically calls for exactly the type of initiatives Lake Effect exhibits. In addition, work being advanced by the Great Lakes Experience, WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable, and Riverkeeper’s Waterway Center are key concepts that will be integrated into the overarching efforts of the Lake Effect model. Lake Effect also creates a unique opportunity to test the “triple bottom line” (“TBL”, see Fig. 1) concept that consists of economic, social and environmental equity in Buffalo. TBL is being adopted by many organizations to generate greater value for their businesses. This study will assess how the environmental entrepreneurship focus of Lake Effect contributes to the overall growth this region is experiencing in large part due to New York Governor Cuomo’s investment of $1 billion to spur private sector investment, the creation of jobs, and new sustainable economic opportunities. Environmental entrepreneurship encompasses the mindfulness that natural resources are a finite capital that can be used sustainably to promote job and regional growth. It proves a business can be both environmentally aware and economically prosperous. The Lake Effect study will also assess the viability of new forms of high impact capital investment that encourages young, creative, energized, and environmental/social



entrepreneurs to put down stakes here, or that turns school dropouts into graduates, and un- or under-employed adults into productive work force members. Finally, the study will explore how the Lake Effect Center can help rebrand Buffalo as an emerging creative, active, sustainable and fun city with untapped outdoor experiences that builds our emerging ecotourism marketplace and attracts investment and support from national leaders.

IV. Western New York Environmental Alliance The Western New York Environmental Alliance (Alliance) is a coalition of over 100 independent organizations that collectively represent the environmental voice of our region. As an independent organization, the Alliance is committed to building the capacity needed to achieve a collective vision—to make certain that the health of the environment is considered as a key value in the region’s decisions and planning processes by 2018. To achieve this vision and our environmental declaration (stated earlier), the following goals have been identified:

Strengthen and build the regional environmental movement to protect

and preserve the natural heritage of this region by supporting

collaborative strategic projects

Ensure the environment is a key factor in local and regional planning

Mobilize the public to influence policymakers in understanding the value

that living ecosystems provide to the health and well-being of WNY

residents

Educate and engage individuals and groups, through action, to become

environmental stewards

The Alliance works to achieve this by creating new and dynamic structures that expand capacity, and allow organizations to come together for the greater good through a shared vision and action agenda, shared space, creative communication platforms, technical training & research, resource development, and joint advocacy campaigns. The Alliance’s goal is to serve as an umbrella group that strengthens the region’s environmental community. Building on this collaborative framework, the Lake Effect study is designed to bring together a team of environmental leaders, developers, architects, designers, green building experts, community advocates and impact investors who believe in creating a space that can have a lasting impact on the community. This can only be achieved by collaboration and collectivity across many organizations. A once-disparate community of change agents is now working together to pilot new approaches to leverage collaboration and better coordination to:



Embed smart growth goals into state funded economic development plans

Increase municipal and private sector investment in green infrastructure

versus traditional grey options

Expand access to sustainable local food sources for young people and

those living in food deserts

Introduce new forms of mobility (including fostering a bike culture) that

is redefining how we move around the city

Cultivate the emergence of a renewable energy economy with the

development of the first urban waterfront wind farm in the country, the

creation of the award-winning US Solar Decathalon GRoW home and the

construction of the largest solar manufacturing facility in the western

hemisphere

Establish conservation as an economic priority on one of the nation’s

largest pieces of open land on an urban waterfront

Support social enterprise development to transform impoverished neighborhoods into thriving green zones with new food sources and model net zero homes

Leverage grassroots campaigns to assist New York in becoming the first state to ban fracking and Erie County to adopt the most comprehensive microbeads prohibition in the State

V. Scope of Work The analyses and work of the consultant must include, but is not limited to:

1. Facilitation of engagement with key stakeholders and partners as defined by project advisors and investors over the course of a four-month analysis. Number of meetings and engagements to be defined in contract when budget is finalized.

2. Conduct interviews of patrons, community, and local stakeholders. 3. Provide estimates of job creation, specifically green jobs. 4. Include discussion of additional benefits to the city and region including

community recognition, brand development and enhancement of both the public and private sector.

5. Discuss additional mixed use, shared space initiatives.

VI. Guiding questions

The following questions are intended to help guide this study:



1. What is the business model and what can we learn from other models with

similar objectives and intent?

a. Is a B Corporation or a cooperative structure the best structure for

operational sustainability?

2. How much capital is needed?

3. What is the anticipated revenue?

a. Will projected revenue cover operating cost, produce a return to equity

investors, AND generate sufficient cash overflow to sustain the “not-for-

profit,” environmental, and social benefit impacts desired, as well as

necessary return on investment for all equity investors?

4. Is this an impact project that could draw national foundation investment in

Buffalo?

a. Who are the likely foundation or corporate foundation underwriters for

capital investment?

5. Who will a fully developed Lake Effect Center attract?

a. Who are its future customers and clients, both paying, non-paying, and

subsidized?

b. Where will visitors be coming from?

c. Which established NGOs will partner and how does this build on existing

efforts to established shared space for NGOs? Who makes up the NGOs’

constituency, size and geographical scope?

6. How can Lake Effect create new opportunities for partnership with national

leaders like Patagonia who are defining business models that build social and

ecological capital?

7. How do local and regional developers see the value of this approach and the

contribution it can make to the economic and social vitality of the Middle Harbor

Corridor and beyond?

8. How does Lake Effect contribute to the health and vitality of citizens living in this

community, and are there viable partnership opportunities with the Buffalo

Niagara Medical Campus?

9. How can we build a model that broadens the reach and accessibility of outdoor

and environmental programs to young people who do not have access to these

opportunities today?

10. How will the return on environmental and social capital be measured?



VII. Deliverables

Phase I: Preliminary Assessment ($30-40k)

1. A written comprehensive action plan quantifying and qualifying how the project

can advance the following objectives: a. Provide collaborative shared space for environmental organizations;

identify likely partners and key participants. b. Invest in new opportunities for environmental education and outdoor

recreation on the waterfront and beyond. c. Attract entrepreneurs and produce new green jobs in the region through

the Lake Effect Center. d. Foster new public private partnerships committed to social and

environmental innovation. e. Analysis of comparable and competitive arenas in green and sustainable

infrastructure. f. A go/ no-go decision recommendation for discussion with the project

advisors.

2. The analyses and work of the consultant in Phase I must include, but is not

limited to:

a. Facilitation of engagement with key stakeholders and partners as defined

by project advisors and investors over the course of the analysis. Number

of meetings and engagements to be defined in contract when budget is

finalized.

b. A written comprehensive report quantifying and qualifying how we

advance the following objectives:

i. Provide collaborative shared space for environmental

organizations.

ii. Invest in new opportunities for environmental education

and outdoor recreation on the waterfront and beyond.

iii. Attract entrepreneurs and produce new green jobs in the

Region through the Lake Effect Center.

iv. Foster new public private partnerships committed to social

and environmental innovation.

c. Conduct interviews of patrons, community, and local stakeholders.

d. Provide estimates of job creation, specifically green jobs.

e. Include discussion of additional benefits to the city and region including

community recognition, brand development and enhancement of both

the public and private sector.



f. Discuss potential relation to additional mixed use, shared space initiatives

in Buffalo and elsewhere.

g. Review and discuss regional support.

h. Access existing body of studies and information including One Region

Forward.

i. Meet with the Alliance and present key findings of report.

Phase II: Project Execution ($40-50k)

Upon an affirmative decision to proceed with Lake Effect planning, written analysis must be in the form of a business plan and include:

a. Viable options to locate in Buffalo’s Middle Harbor including construction and operating cost estimates, including startup costs and financial models over three to five years

b. Identification of potential investment resources (e.g., debt, equity, corporate, public sector, and philanthropic).

c. Return on investment opportunities in financial terms, specifically market-rate and impact-rate.

d. Determination on how to measure impact/ benefits of environmental well-being, life quality and social equity.

e. Quantified consumer demand for water adventure sport/excursions and environmental experiences that will ultimately generate an increase in the number of visitors, frequency, and revenue estimates for budget projections.

f. Demographic information for projected markets. g. Recommendations regarding operating structure(s) (e.g., not for profit,

social enterprise, cooperative, B Corp, private or other). VIII. Consultant Qualifications Consultants must provide information on the following:

1. Name and qualifications of consultant, including whether or not consultant will be working with a team and if so, what work will be performed by each team member.

2. Experience with sustainable infrastructure, green infrastructure, the triple

bottom line concept, and environmental entrepreneurship.

3. Sample market studies.

4. Knowledgeable about both private and nonprofit sectors and how both can work

together in a mutually beneficial manner.



5. Understanding of diverse communities.

6. Experienced and effective facilitator process skills.

7. Credential status (including debt) with local, state, and national grant sources:

a) Is the consultant approved by state, local and national banks?

b) What certifications or qualifications does the consultant hold?

IX. Proposal Submittal

For phase I of this study, respondents are kindly requested to submit proposals by email to the address listed below. All proposals and accompanying documentation must be submitted in pdf form by Friday, August 19th, 2016 by COB and will become the property of the Western New York Environmental Alliance. Submit responses to: [email protected] Western New York Environmental Alliance

X. Proposal Guidelines and Budget

Required elements of the proposal: 1. A letter of transmittal. 2. Description of work plan, project schedule, timeline and deliverables (including, but

not limited to, the draft and final reports). 3. The proposed budget, including the fee for labor, travel, reimbursable costs and

other anticipated costs. 4. Names and qualifications of the specific individuals who would be assigned to this

project, including relevant education and experience. 5. Designation of a project manager and main point of contact.

6. List of current and former consulting references (minimum of 3 references).

7. Examples of past work, including feasibility studies and business plans. In some

cases links to online sources may be preferable.

8. Resumes of key persons who would work on the project.

9. Signature by a duly authorized official of the consulting organization who has the

legal ability to bind the consulting organization.

mailto:[email protected]



Appendix 1: Innovation Centers

Natural Capital Center Background With a generous donation from an Ecotrust board member, the Natural Capital Center was redeveloped from an old factory warehouse using green building technology and LEED building codes into a shared space center for environmental entrepreneurship and social innovation. The Natural Capital Center opened to the public in 2001 and hosts 24 different organizations operating in both the public and private sector with environmental and social missions. The Natural Capital Center is also home to outdoor sportswear company Patagonia, environmentally mindful eateries, and conference space. Key Features

Combines knowledge, technology and capital pathways for change

Sustainable use of locally available “natural capital”

Features stormwater management technology like rain barrels, rain gardens, and

bioswales

Fosters a relationship where people and nature can work together.

Centre for Social Innovation Background The Centre for Social innovation, founded in 2004 as a social enterprise based in Toronto, Canada, specializes in shared workspace for people and organizations with a social mission. The Centre's goal is to catalyze social innovation and to foster collaboration by connecting social innovators and entrepreneurs working across sectors, and providing them with programming such as workshops, seminars, competitions and mentorship opportunities to accelerate their success. The Centre also incubates a limited number of social innovations, providing them with programmatic, strategic, administrative and or financial services. Members of the Centre represent over 1,000 organizations including nonprofits, charities, for-profits, entrepreneurs and activists working in areas from health and education, to arts and the environment. The broad goal of these organizations is to turn social, environmental, economic and cultural challenges into opportunities to make the world a better place. Key Features

Hosts hundreds of “social mission events” a year, ranging from book releases

and conferences to board meetings and workshops.



Has received $1.5 million in government grants and raises 80 per cent of its

annual $5-million budget through rents and membership fees.

A seven person Board of Directors currently controls the Centre for Social

Innovation. CEO and founding member Tonya Surman manages the Centre.

The Centre for Social Innovation has been consulting on new and established

shared spaces since 2006. They consult on such topics as site selection, space

design, operational systems, development, and pricing structures. Fees range

from $1,000 - $2,000/day, depending on the complexity of the work and the size

of the organization.

Evergreen Brick Works Background Transformed from a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings into platform for green design and urban sustainability, Evergreen Brick Works is a public space where visitors engage in hands-on and interactive workshops, programs and community festivals that connect nature, culture and community. Key Features

Evergreen Garden Market- A sustainable garden center and market, with native and heritage plants, locally sourced gifts, food and gardening supplies.

Café Belong- Featuring delicious food from local, organic and sustainable sources.

The Tiffany Commons- A resting place and meeting spot.

Bike Works- A community bike space in the heart of Toronto’s trail network.

Includes DIY repair space, Community Bicycle Hub Project and other community

focused cycling workshops. Open spring through fall.

Sweet Pete's Bike Shop- Bike tune-ups, an emergency repair. Also Bike rental.

Open spring through fall.

The Burrow- A central meeting place for all things ecology at Evergreen Brick

Works. Explore the flora and fauna of the site and surrounding ravines. Open

spring through fall.

The Children's Garden in Chimney Court- Home to our wood-fired oven and

greenhouse, where kids of all ages connect with nature through play and more.

The Kilns- An event and exhibit space, this dramatic building was formerly where

the bricks were fired.

Koerner Gardens- An open-air garden planted with native and edible plants.

Home to an ice rink in the winter.



The Pavilions- A centrally located, covered, outdoor space that frames our

community gatherings and festivals. Home to weekend programs including our

Farmers’ Market.

Weston Family Quarry Garden & Don Valley Brick Works Park- Managed by

Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the park is free and open to everyone.

40-acre area that surrounds the Brick Works with ponds and nature trails.

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