Environmental Organizations and Causes Worth Considering* (IMHO)

Local Film Festival

1. International Ocean Film Festival http://intloceanfilmfest.org

Shark Research and Conservation

1. Migramar https://www.migramar.org/en/index

2. Shark Stewards https://sharkstewards.org

3. Fins Attached https://finsattached.org

4. Pelagios Kakunja https://www.pelagioskakunja.org

5. Galapagos Whale Shark Project https://www.galapagoswhaleshark.org

6. Crema https://www.cremacr.org

Reefs and Corals 

1. Reefcheck https://reefcheck.org/

2. Coral Restoration Foundation https://www.coralrestoration.org/  

Turtles, Sharks, MPAs (near and dear to me)

1. Turtle Island Restoration Network   https://seaturtles.org/

Protecting Wildlife

1. Wild Aid https://wildaid.org/

Ocean conservation

1. Sea Shepherd https://seashepherd.org/

Conservation 

1. NRDC https://www.nrdc.org/

Marine Protected Areas

1. Mission Blue https://mission-blue.org/

Plastics and cleanup

1. Ocean Cleanup** https://theoceancleanup.com/

Climate Change

1. Climate Reality Project https://www.climaterealityproject.org

Sustainable Land Management and Agriculture

1. Redwood Forest Foundation https://www.rffi.org/about-rffi

2. Sonoma Biochar Initiative http://sonomabiocharinitiative.org/about

3. Regeneration International https://regenerationinternational.org/2018/05/16/what-is-biochar/

Global Health and Poverty

1. Doctors without Borders https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/

2. Care https://www.care.org/

3. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation https://www.gatesfoundation.org/

Carbon Offsets and Climate Info

1. Certifying Orgs - These point to Carbon Offset Orgs with some level of scrutiny

   • Gold Standard https://www.goldstandard.org/take-action/offset-your-emissions

   • Green-e https://www.green-e.org/

   • Carbon Fund https://carbonfund.org/carbon-offsets/

2. General Info and options

   • Footprint Calculator https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/questionnaire

   • Air Travel Calculator https://www.offsetters.ca/

US Political Organizations for 2020 (Many environmental policies are generated at the national, state and local levels

Free and Fair Elections

1. Common Cause https://www.commoncause.org/

2. Vote Save America https://votesaveamerica.com/

3. Adopt-A-State https://votesaveamerica.com/states/

4. Vote.org https://www.vote.org/

5. Rock the Vote https://www.rockthevote.org/

6. Fair fight https://www.rockthevote.org/

Political Races

1. Joe Biden, 2020 US Presidential Campaign https://joebiden.com/

2. US Senate Races https://www.dscc.org/

3. US House of Representatives Races https://dccc.org/

Civil Liberties

1. ACLU https://www.aclu.org

2. Southern Poverty Law Center https://www.splcenter.org

Pro Choice 

1. Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org

*Disclaimer: Friends and colleagues often ask me what orgs to consider for volunteerism or contributions. We have put this list together after having some experience with or exposure to many, not all of the orgs below.  There is a bias to California orgs as Steve Peletz has more experience and exposure with local organizations by definition.

*Warning: Some of these orgs are controversial or may not be consistent with individual values. This list is subjective and personal by definition. In particular, buying carbon offsets may or may not reduce carbon in the atmosphere effectively. Avoiding use of fossil fuels is clearly a better option.

** Ocean Cleanup has had some success and notably some failure, nevertheless, we feel it is worth noting the effort…