Last year you helped us give thousands of dollars to Habitat for Humanity, your non-profit of choice. This year we're asking you to help again. For three years Apartment Therapy has been teaming up with 1% For The Planet to help support the organizations working to solve the environmental crisis. We're giving away 1% of our 2008 profits, and we need your help deciding where it should go! Jump below to give us your vote!
According to 1% For The Planet, while Americans gave a record $306 billion dollars to charity in 2007, the environment received significantly less than 2% of the total. This is not enough to address the needs of more than 1,000,000 public environmental charities around the world.
If you want to make a difference, here's how you can help:
• Do you already have a favorite non-profit that's a member of 1% For The Planet? Great! If not, browse through the list of non-profits at 1% For The Planet. We realize that 1%'s non-profit list is big, so it can be a bit overwhelming, but you just might come across a non-profit you've never heard of that has a great cause.
• In the Comments section below, nominate the non-profit you think we should support.
• Check back with us next week as we round up the Top 6 Nominations and vote for your favorite! Once a winner is chosen, we'll write them a check with thanks from all of us!
So, check out the list now and tell us what you think!
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This is a great program you are participating in.
However, the list must be in the the thousands and if I had a favorite then there would be no point in going to their site.
Why don't you narrow the list for us. perhaps 10. I guarantee you'll have a bigger response to this post (and happy readers) than having us search that long and 'information lite' database.
My vote goes to heifer international but it doesn't seem to be on the list of 1% for the planet's charities. perhaps i can start a write-in campaign?
Come on people vote for Heifer International!
They give the gift of livestock to countless families and communities around the world so they can be empowered to support themselves, their families, and their communities through selling eggs, wool, honey, milk, animal offspring, and other animal products.
Check out their website at heifer.org
They represent everything these sites stand for - sustainability, empowerment, teaching, community building, and passing it on.
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (which is included in the 1% for the planet list) is an incredible organization doing really important work for the environment. They are at the forefront of the sustainability movement, and they do great work with rural communities around the world! In my opinion, this would be an ideal organization for Re-Nest/TheKitchn/Apartment Therapy readers to support.
Ack, that is huge.
Sustainable Harvest International?
Protect the Flint Hills
I'd like to nominate The Worldwatch Institute, and the International Polar Foundation.
Gulf Restoration Network!
World Wildlife Fund -- protects areas around the world while supporting the animal AND human communities living in them.
Alliance for Community Trees.
I suggest Heifer International, even though they are not on the list. Is that possible?
@sar3j - I'm starting a write-in campaign for Heifer. I don't see why they need to use the 1% for the planet service. If enough of us write in for Heifer couldn't they just figure out what 1% of their profits is and donate it directly?
I'm hoping so because I think its a great org too. :)
The Marine Mammal Center in CA!
I VOTE FOR SKYLINE!
Skyline Eco-Adventures, LLC
These guys are awesome! I went zip lining through the canopy of a temperate rain forest in BC! It was a blast, and they talked all about sustainability along the way, their entire business is sustainable and they are a great way to bring adventure, education, and sustainability together!
And if you're ever visiting British Columbia, I'd highly recommend taking the trip to Whistler to see the sights and try their adventure out! It was amazing!
David Suzuki Foundation!
SURFRIDER! SURFRIDER! SURFRIDER!
They are all over the country and all over the world.
Oh please, NOT heifer international!
First, the organization has an extremely high overhead (28 percent) compared to other similar organizations (around 11 percent overhead).
Second, the organization imposes Western values of animal farming and animal protein on non-Western cultures that cannot physically support those values. One cow requires three times as much food and water as one person. In addition to straining scarce resources and contributing to global poverty, animal farming degrades land, pollutes water with run-off manure, and contributes to global warming.
Finally, two-thirds of non-Caucasians cannot digest lactose compared to only five to 15 percent of Caucasians who cannot digest lactose.
I'm all for ending world hunger and i'd rather support charities who'll make a good difference. so i vote for donating the 1% to http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/
or http://www.plenty.org/index.html
or since i cant find either of those on the list, how about Trees For Life Inc. or Sustainable Harvest International...
Oh *please* don't pick one of those give-someone-an-animal charities. It's really really poorly thought out. Those kind of programs have an appealing story, but they're very unlikely to actually work out how it's promised and the people being given the animals are often neither prepared, nor interested in using them how it's intended.
Please choose something more local where you can see the effect of your donated dollars. There are many worthy charities you could select where you can see that the money you donate is being used appropriately and having a tangible benefit. I hope you will also look very closely at the portion of donated funds that goes to administration costs when making your final selection.
The Nature Conservancy is awesome.
Amazon Conservation Association!
I like to nominate Alliance for Community Trees because they help to fund tree planting projects in your very neighborhood---and while spreading the wealth (?) to other areas of the globe is great, there are plenty organizations that help the environment and the people who live in poverty here in our own country.
I second the Nature Conservancy.
Earth Day Network is doing a great job on awareness. :D
I vote for Heifer as well!
Planned Parenthood
They provide valuable family planning assistance all over the world.
Ocean Conservancy!! www.oceanconservancy.org
Thanks everyone. We realize that there are a lot of choices, that's why we really need your help.
Do a little research, we will too and, together, we'll give 1% to the planet!
Best, M
My vote is for High Country Conservancy!!!
World Wildlife Fund