While it’s always a good time to support an earth-friendly nonprofit, we wanted to share a few of our favorites with you. With a little bit of your support, the people working hard to support our planet can do a little more.
Earthjustice
Faced with daunting environmental issues, it can seem overwhelming, intimidating and paralyzing to take action or even to know what to do. Most do what they can but rarely know how any actions besides changing buying habits can have a measurable effect on the world we care about. But Earthjustice is an earth-friendly nonprofit that creates measurable change.
Fortunately, Earthjustice exists with the skills and understanding of the complex policy-driven and legally-complicated venue where change can be most effective. We may boycott a product or post on Facebook about an issue that upsets or angers us but Earthjustice is actually capable of arguing on our (and the earth’s) behalf to change the laws that cause the most damage.
This past year, Earthjustice has filed 115 lawsuits against the current administration to keep us and our environment safer. They restored the safeguards of the Chemical Disaster Act which Trump had suspended. In Colorado, they “helped secure a plan from Xcel Energy to replace retiring coal units with large amounts of renewable energy, reducing the utility’s coal generation from more than 40 percent to less than 25 percent within a decade.” These and many other projects across the country and around the world work in tandem with local communities and organizations to look out for the health of the people, the land, and everything that lives within.
With the current administration questioning climate science, looking to expand oil production and transport and deregulate many aspects of business, it has never been more important to look out for our well-being and the health of the land that provides us so much. Since 74% of their contributions come from individuals, it is hugely important that we support them with our donations.
What you can do
Donate as little or as much as you can or set up an automatic payment for $10 per month (the cost of ONE average lunch). If you can sacrifice one lunch out per month, you can afford to give.
How to donate:
Visit earthjustice.org to find out more, donate online, or offer to volunteer.
Native Seeds/SEARCH
Gardening begins in fits and starts. Most people will say they don’t know a thing about growing anything, that they have a black thumb or that they kill everything they grow. Many of those people have bought plant starts from Home Depot, put them in potting soil and then were discouraged by the results. Native Seeds/SEARCH (NS/S) gives Southwest gardeners new hope.
Realizing that there is a rich, diverse agricultural past in Arizona and northern Mexico, this organization has worked since 1983 to preserve it. Working with native cultures and local communities, NS/S has created diverse programs that include education, conservation, health and cultural resilience. They grow crops and save seeds of heirloom varieties and successful, native crops that survive well in our unique climate. These seeds are then available for free to some or for purchase on their website. In addition to providing way more seeds than you would ever possibly imagine could grow in the desert, they offer a Seed Library (take seeds for free with a commitment to return future saved seeds); education on growing food and saving your own seeds; information on finding or starting your own Seed Library; and, most importantly, the opportunity to enter the food cycle while providing a seed heritage for others.
On their online retail store, you will find plenty of information on the different varieties they offer along with prices that are as good, if not better than, the seeds you might buy in a traditional store. While most of us have no idea where seeds or the plants we purchase came from, NS/S assures us that there is a definite lineage to the food or plants we are growing. Preserving that lineage is important to our biodiversity.
What you can do:
Become a member on their website for as little as $25. You will receive discounts in their store and on class tuition, a newsletter, an annual seed bank catalog and special event invitations.
How to donate:
Visit nativeseeds.org to find out more, donate online, volunteer or donate in-kind equipment, supplies or services.
Arizona Sustainability Alliance (AZSA)
Ready to take action, right here in Arizona? AZSA is a great place to start as a non-partisan, action-focused nonprofit that focuses on six key priorities. Only two years old, AZSA has already created important programs that focus on Urban Forestry, Sustainable Food Systems, Renewable Energy, Adopt-A-Park, Water Resources Management and Education. They’ve galvanized volunteers to help clean up parks, work in schools to educate students on the climate’s impact on growing food and planted dozens of trees to shade and combat our heat island effect.
Still in its infancy, AZSA has big plans including its coordination with Solar United Neighbors to bring more solar to more neighborhoods. They have developed vertical gardens for several schools and continue to support local farmers. As a part of “Help-A-Farm” AZSA volunteers help local farms once a month with production and labor as well as helping to plan future projects.
This earth-friendly nonprofit is driven by its large volunteer staff and on-the-ground volunteers but they can always use more help! They also need financial support to have their projects gain better traction and exposure. Your support can help them reach more communities with sustainable solutions to living in Arizona.
What you can do
Donate today for as little as $25 or volunteer to help out!
How to donate
Visit the Arizona Sustainability Alliance’s donation page to schedule a one-time or recurring gift.
Sources
Native Seed 2016 Public Disclosure copy of Tax Form 990
Native Seeds/SEARCH Impact by the Numbers video:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/NativeSeedsSEARCH/videos/
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