EarthShare Oregon

Recycling. Maintaining trails. Planting trees. Writing your congressman. Volunteering to teach kids how to ride bikes.

All of these are what we typically think of "environmental actions."  But one of the most powerful actions you can take is one you might not realize -- making a donation.

EarthShare Oregon and our 80 member charities can do more than most people realize with a gift of cash, even just a few dollars every month.  With a regular donation, here are four examples of what our member groups can do:

• Beyond Toxics -- $4 per month will subsidize 5 low-income parents to attend an asthma care and green cleaning training workshop where they can earn a Green Cleaning Certificate to help develop job skills.
• The Freshwater Trust - $8 per month removes 20 square feet of invasive species in a riparian area near an important river or stream. This allows native species to thrive, and protects fish and other wildlife that depend on a healthy river.
• Growing Gardens - $6.25 a pay period builds a garden bed for a disabled and very low-income home gardener who may not otherwise be able to afford fresh food.
• Institute for Applied Ecology -- $25 per month will seed a half-acre of prairie habitat with native wildflowers for butterflies and other pollinators. Some of this seed is grown through a program where people incarcerated in Oregon cultivate endangered species of wildflowers and other plants.

There's so much more we can do to improve and protect Oregon's environmental treasures.  We just need more people stepping up to help through EarthShare.  Thank you for giving, and we hope you renew your commitment to sharing the responsibility for our state's natural legacy.

We all know that numerous threats to our natural world are growing -- and at the same time, environmental charities are having to reach further and spend more time and money just to pay for the important protection work they do.  EarthShare is dedicated to do this work more efficiently for them. We engage people like you to support the environmental movement with your dollars as well as your time.

Here are some of the projects EarthShare helps make possible at our member organizations:

Willamette Riverkeeper - protecting the Willamette River from pollution and degradation with the help of volunteer "river monitors" as well as legal action.  Read more...

Bicycle Transportation Alliance - Created a new Bicycle Education Safety blog and resources for those teaching kids to ride for the first time, or anyone wanting to brush up on their kids' safety skills. See the education series...

Audubon Society of Portland - Caring for injured native wildlife, including many raptor birds hit by cars this time of year. See how they helped several Great Horned Owls recently...

These are only three examples out of more than 70 charities that could use more help -- thanks for giving, and let's make their work easier in 2013 by giving again!

Thanks!

It’s fall, and that means this is a prime chance for you to protect Oregon’s unique quality of life for today and for future generations.

We know you understand that threats to our natural world are growing, as are demands on the lands, food, water, energy, and other resources people and wildlife need to thrive. As green as Oregon IS, the efforts made thus far are simply not enough. We need more people and businesses supporting the environmental movement. EarthShare, and your gifts to us, are working to make that happen.

Right now, EarthShare Oregon member groups are actively working on issues and threats like:

• The health of the Klamath River basin:  35 environmental charities (including KS Wild, Oregon Wild and the Audubon Society of Portland) joined together, asking the Department of the Interior to provide water to the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) of northern California and southern Oregon. Without action, important bird habitat could go dry and is already causing wildlife die-offs.
• Keeping pollution out of our local rivers:  the Oregon Environmental Council’s “Love Your River” challenge educated Oregonians on how to properly “Soap Up Your Car, Not Your River” to protect native fish and wildlife from chemicals.
• Engaging local residents in caring for our natural treasures: Summer might be over, but EarthShare groups are still doing lots of volunteer projects and fun hikes and outings to connect you and your family with the great outdoors.

EarthShare Oregon workplaces are now launching their annual giving campaigns for employees; some companies even match employee donations.  If you work for one of our business partners, or if you just want to help Oregon’s environment, give on Global Giving or through your workplace today.

Contact Meghan Humphreys at meghan@earthshare-oregon.org if you know of a business that could begin offering environmental workplace giving to their employees. Your help would make it easy for MORE people to be like you - a steward of Oregon's environmental legacy.

Thank you!