I want to make a difference, and I do what I can around the house, but I don't feel like that is enough. I want to get involved, but all I have is time and willingness to work, not money. Anyone know how I can get more involved in protecting the environment without just sending off contributions to charities?
lovenlight,
linz

I want to make a difference, and I do what I can around the house, but I don't feel like that is enough. I want to get involved, but all I have is time and willingness to work, not money. Anyone know how I can get more involved in protecting the environment without just sending off contributions to charities?
lovenlight,
linz

Almost every charity or non-profit group I know of is looking for volunteers to help. Even if you can't go into their office, you could probably do things like do research on the internet, make local phone calls, do e-mail, etc.

You might check with your local newspaper. Ours runs a column on those charities seeking volunteers, etc.

Hey Linz, I'm in the same situation :)

I'm a full time carer and have little money so I can't go to protests or all the stuff I'd like to do, so I do little things like:

-saving used stamps to send to certain charities because they can use them to generate funds (if you're in the UK then you can send them to the Born Free Foundation),
-print off petitions and get my family to pass it around,
-visit 'one-click' donation sites ( http://ways.possible-world.org/index.html is run by a vegan so you shouldn't find any charities that test on animals, etc. Somewhere on the site there's a policy of which charities the site will list). Remember you need to wait for the whole page to load for your click to count.
-I found out that you can donate air miles to Born Free too,
-I generate as little waste as I can and recycle as much as I can. I try not to buy what I don't really need.
-Even if you're on a tight budget, often it's possible to set up a direct payment to donate a couple of pounds/dollars a month which doesn't sound like a lot but adds up in the long-run, often to more than a standard annual membership.
-If you're into crafts, see if any of your local shelters accept 'snuggles' - http://h4ha.org/snuggles/

I feel like I don't do a lot, but those little things are better than nothing.

If you have the time, you could look to volunteer for charities. Even an hour or two a week would help out. Look at charities in your area and see if there is a contact for your region - they'll be able to tell you about local protests, fundraisers, table-top sales, leaflet handouts and suchlike.

Contact environment groups in your area. Often they organise 'hands-on' environmental work that you could take part in.

Good luck in your search :)

We pick up litter and separate it into recyclables and trash a couple cf times a year on the road that runs in front of our place. We take the cans in and even get a couple of dollars for our trouble.

Also, I started my own site to spread what I experienced to help stop the abuses of factory farming. Now, you probably couldn't do that, but you could do something similar to get the word out. There are plenty of pamphlets and stuff available free for download to pass around and leave places. Or other creative ways to get the word out.

Maybe, like someone suggested above, you do "daily clicks" to donate for free to different causes. We do this every day for several sites.

My wife volunteered at a shelter one summer. They are always needing help. For sure, there is no shortage of charities in need of volunteers as workers. I would just look around the community where you are to see what you feel like you could do that sounds comfortable and maybe even fun. It is certain to be a rewarding experience and will make you able to see for yourself what a difference you can make in someone's life, be it animal or human or both.

I'm sure with a little imagination and research, you can find something that feels right for you. Even the little things we do every day matter. Every time I pour water on a plant or in a dog's dish instead of down the drain, I am making a difference. Every vegetarian meal I eat saves an animal.

Sometimes we look at how enormous the problems are and wonder what more we can do. Mostly, we can start with the little things we do in everyday life. Then if we can give more, we do in whatever way we uniquely can. :)

This is a great web site to sign up with. They send email actions at least once a week:

http://www.environmentaldefense.org

I agree with the others who've posted suggestions that looking for recyclables is a good thing to do, as well as volunteering for organizations that you like.

Try sprouting trees in planters in your backyard, then give them out to people to plant when they're tall enough. It's free--just get the seeds off your own trees and put some dirt from your own yard in the planters or pots-- and planting trees is something the world desparately needs. Growing nut-bearing trees (Oaks and the like) will also feed hungry squirrels, so you could do twice as much good with one project.

Re-use as much as possible, as well as recycle. I use the produce bags at the store as many times as I can until they get holes in them, that way I don't have to buy and use "new" plastic bags, and I'm saving money, too. Cutting down on your plastic consuption is very important in helping the earth.

Those were all really great suggestions!!! I appreciate your help, folks.

Every act you do during the day can have an impact on the environment. Just start asking yourself, what is the environmentally-friendly way to do this?

For shopping I spent a few bucks on some organic cotton grocery sacks so I don't have to use their paper or plastic. I reuse my plastic bags for my produce. I use cloth napkins at home instead of napkins. When I go shopping, I always try not to accept their plastic bag, and make a point to say I'm trying to be environmentally friendly (to get them thinking too). I don't flush the toilet everytime. I don't use harsh chemical cleaning products at home. I pick up trash when I walk my dog around the neighborhood (especially those styrofoam nuggets and stray plastic bags). I also try to reuse my water as mentioned above, and water my plants or dog dish. I'm new at this too. Eventually I will get more active, but I'm learning as well. For now, I'm doing what I can. There's so much for you to do just by examining your day-to-day activities.

I'm in the keyclub who volenteer to help thigns. That is free...