Conservation International
Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of research on various environmental charities and non-profits in an attempt to identify some with missions and values relatively aligned with my own and to which I could contribute in some way. One tool that has been invaluable in my search is Charity Navigator, an online database of over 5,000 of America’s largest charities. To “advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace”, this website identifies, categorizes, describes, and rates charities, and provides in depth analysis of each. If you’re considering supporting any kind of charity, it may be worth perusing Charity Navigator before making any decisions.
Anyway, my research brought me to Conservation International, a nonprofit organization that focuses on preserving earth’s biodiversity and natural heritage. Through innovation, campaigning, and business-like functionality and effectiveness, Conservation International aims to save species, conserve habitats, empower local communities with education, and raise awareness. They hope to demonstrate that human societies can and must live harmoniously with nature, and they help faciliate the construction of this relationship on both a local and global scale.
Of the organizations I saw, Conservation International was one of the most impressive and, it seems, effective. It’s also very cool, in terms of what they do, their website, the information they offer, the way they campaign, etc. I recommend browsing the website a bit and seeing what it’s all about. If you like what you see, or perhaps you’re just feeling particularly inspired by the approach of Earth Day (and I hope you are…), there are a number of ways to support the cause. If you’re interested in preserving tropical forests (and you should be, considering the burning of forests accounts for 20% of the world’s carbon emissions and releases more carbon than all cars, trucks, and planes, combined) , which is central to Conservation International’s conservation strategy, consider donating to the Protect an Acre campaign. This campaign gives you the opportunity to donate $15 to buy an acre of tropical forest, protecting the forest, the life it contains, and the people it supports. If you donate, you’ll even get a little recognition on the website, your name attached to a specific acre on a virtual forest grid. I’ve “bought” my acres. Consider helping out and doing the same.
