(First posted on 06/26/2018)
In my last post, I talked about how a recent trip to the aquarium got me thinking about how we can all be better at saving our planet and the creatures that live on it with us. In this post, I wanted to give you all a list of organizations that I love that are doing just that. By donating your money and/ or your time, you are helping to do a lot of good for our planet.
Organizations
- The Nature Conservancy
Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy has quickly become a leading organization in conservation efforts on this planet. According to their website, their mission is to “conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.” Sounds good to me! Since their founding, they have succeeded in conserving and protecting land all over the world. They have helped to shut down coal mines, reintroduce endangered animals back into their natural habitats and so much more. All around, it’s an amazing organization and supporting them is a huge help to the entire planet.
2. The National Resource Defense Council (NRDC)
“The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the earth – its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends”- NRDC website. I had the pleasure of visiting the NRDC office in Santa Monica CA a few years back and it was awesome! I went with my school’s environmental club and I fell in love with the organization right there. They aim to protect everything you can think of, our water, air, forests, food, and people. They promote clean energy (their office in Santa Monica is a zero-emissions building) and are just an awesome organization in general. Their website is here!
3. The Sierra Club
I remember learning about this organization in my first semester of college in an environmental politics class. My mother is a member, so I knew about it, but the class taught me a so much more about what they do and how they started. It was founded in 1892 by John Muir, who is a super well-known conservationist, and since then they have been working to keep the planet healthy. Their website states that they are “the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization — with three million members and supporters.” They have all sorts of really cool initiatives and programs aimed at things such as clean energy, animal and wildlife conservation, and environmental policy change. Check out their website here!
Helping Out Even If You’re Broke AF
Let’s say you’re a college student (like me) or you’re just broke in general and you’re not sure that you can commit to donating money monthly to any organizations, fear not! You can still help out in more important ways than one.
- Reduce Your Plastic Consumption
Okay, y’all. If you’ve been reading my posts for a while now, you’ll know that I’m not a huge fan of plastic. I do my best to avoid single-use plastic by bringing my own containers for food and drinks. Plastic is ridiculously bad for our planet and animals. It pollutes our oceans, forests, animal and plant life. Use reusable bottles and straws! Buy things without packaging when you have the option to! When we all decided to make a conscious effort to change our consumption of plastic, things will for sure change for the better.
2. Be Responsible About Your Trash
Ideally, we could all live a zero-waste lifestyle, but until that day comes let’s all agree to at least be very responsible with the trash we do create. I’ve gotten into the habit of taking my recyclables home with me if there is not a recycling bin nearby. We tend to have an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality with our trash and unfortunately, that is just not how it works at all. We live on a round planet and eventually the trash we create will come back to us.
3. Spend Wisely
This has nothing to do with a creating a budget or restricting your spending but it has everything to do with being conscious of what impact your spending has. I once heard someone say that every dollar we spend is like casting a vote for something we want to continue. When we spend money, we tell that company that their practices are things that we agree with and we want to see more of. By supporting companies that are conscious about their impact on the environment and don’t support animal testing, you are having a huge impact on the quality of life for many animals. We have so much power
4. Take Your Money Out Of Big Banks
Big name banks more often than not funding a lot of really horrible practices and industries. Practices such as fracking which impact humans, the planet and animals equally as bad. How do they fund these practices you might ask? Well, you know all those late fees and overdraft fees you pay? Yup, that’s where they get the money to do those sorts of things. By taking your money out of major banks, you help to eradicate the funding for unsustainable practices. Personally, I now use a bank called Aspiration. Money Magazine calls it “the best checking account in the country” and I have to say I agree! I’ve had my checking account with them for about a year now and I love it. There are so many cool things about this bank but the biggest thing for me is that they only support sustainable practices and industries. Also, when you sign up, they give you money to donate to a charity of your choice available through their website. I’ll link them here!
I hope that this post shows you that change is always possible and it’s not out of our hands to make a positive impact. Often times it’s all about changing your perspective and having the courage to make changes in your own life first. We have the power to change! Recognizing and embracing that power is the first step in all of this.
That’s all I have for now! Now go out there and be your fabulous, loving and caring self!
Stay Fabulous,
Gianna
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