As thoughtful human beings, we face moral dilemmas regularly. A trip to the grocery store can riddle us with guilt as we fill our carts with plastic-wrapped, disposable, non-recyclable, and ultimately unsustainable items.
Apart from changing buying habits to more sustainable ones, there are other ways we can be more environmentally friendly and create less impact on the environment. This article discusses a few of our favorite charities and foundations; ways you can contribute to them. We'll also give you some ideas on how to minimize your environmental impact.
Notable Organizations and Foundations
At Fait avec Coeur the planet is our purpose. We wanted to highlight some organizations doing some innovative work for Mother Earth. We had some difficulty narrowing down the list, as there are so many amazing foundations working hard for our planet. So bear in mind, this list is by no means exhaustive:
- 350.org
- Panthera
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Alliance for Climate Education
- Seacoloy
- The Coral Reef Alliance
- WeForest
- The Orangutan Project
- Water Keeper Alliance
- Water for People
- Wild Earth Allies
- One Percent for the Planet
350.org is an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all. Founded in 2008 by author Bill McKibben and a group of University friends in the US, 350 is a foundation of environmentalists committed to fighting climate change. They have paved the way for activist groups worldwide to network and unite for conglomerate projects and demonstrations. It's named after 350 parts per million—the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That number has now risen to 415ppm, and continues to increase. To join the movement, or donate, check them out here.
Panthera utilizes the expertise of the world's premier cat biologists by developing and implementing global strategies for the seven species of big cats: cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, lions, pumas (also known as mountain lions or cougars), snow leopards, and tigers.
Panthera also studies and protects the world's most threatened species of small cats through their Small Cats Program. Panthera is the only organization devoted exclusively to conserving all 40 wild cat species, partnering with local and international NGOs, scientific institutions, local communities, governments around the globe, and citizens who want to help ensure a future for wild cats. Find out how you can help here.
The Nature Conservancy is trying to solve dual threats of biodiversity loss and the climate crisis—two of the most significant environmental issues today. By letting science guide their focus, they can shape a better 2030 for our planet. They have protected 119 million acres of land and countless miles of waterways and oceans to date. Try their carbon calculator to calculate your carbon footprint to show you how much carbon you use. Volunteer or donate here.
The Alliance for Climate Education educates young people on climate change through interactive and engaging videos and empowers them to take action. Currently, 300,000 young people in all 50 US States are involved in ACE's network. The organization runs the ACE Action Fellowship, a yearlong climate advocacy training program for young people to build lifelong skills while having an immediate impact. You can join their active campaigns or donate.
Seacology protects threatened island ecosystems by working directly with communities. Islands are rich in unique plant and animal species, so Seacology has made it its mission to work on keeping these biodiverse areas alive through its conservation programs. Once these ecosystems are gone, they're gone forever. Support Seacology here.
The Coral Reef Alliance works collaboratively with communities to reduce direct threats to reefs in ways that provide lasting benefits to people and wildlife. In parallel, CORAL is actively expanding the scientific understanding of how corals adapt to climate change and applying this information to give reefs the best chance to thrive for generations to come. This combined expertise uniquely positions them to achieve their mission by rallying the conservation community around scalable and effective solutions for coral reefs. Become a contributor here.
WeForest empowers communities to sustainably advance and implement innovative, high-standard, scalable, and lasting solutions to restore forest landscapes. Their goal is to reach over 100 million trees – equivalent to around 85 000 hectares – restored or conserved by the end of 2024, contributing to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Support them here.
The Orangutan Project is a passionate group of people dedicated to saving the orangutan, led by an experienced set of wildlife experts working for over 20 years to protect orangutans. Together their brand, staff, supporters, partners, and the community are working to save orangutans from extinction. One of our brand partners, Earthwise Beauty, are a proud sponsor of The Orangutan Project, and you can be, too. Adopt an orphan orangutan, donate to the cause, or protect their habitat.
Water Keeper Alliance ensures that the world's Waterkeeper groups are as connected to their local waters, organizing the fight for clean water into a coordinated global movement. Another of our brand partners, Earth Harbor, contributes to this organization through your purchases with them. Or you can donate directly to the cause here.
Water For People is another one of Earth Harbor's chosen charities to support. Water For People is a global nonprofit that helps people bring clean water and sanitation solutions to their communities for generations to come. So far, they've impacted 3.6 million people with their excellent work. Become a contributor here.
Wild Earth Allies is the third organization Earth Harbor contributes to. They work with a vast network of partners to protect wildlife and habitats in culturally appropriate ways. They select their initiatives with great care, looking into each for a pressing need and a genuine opportunity to catalyze change. Help their cause here.
1% For The Planet is a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental solutions through annual memberships and everyday actions. They advise on giving strategies, certify donations, and amplify the impact of their network. We are one percent for the planet at Fait avec Coeur, and you can be, too. Join here.
How to Minimize Your Impact on Climate Change
"Climate Neutral" has been a buzzword for some time now as brands race to neutralize their carbon footprint. However, the problem we are still seeing is that the carbon in the atmosphere is increasing. This has resulted in brands now looking to become "Climate Positive." This means that brands not only offset their carbon but also invest in other ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere to the equivalent of at least another 10% of their emissions.
As a consumer, you can become climate positive, too. Here are some ways:
- Sustainable Home
- Conscious Consumerism
- Investing Responsibly
Sustainable Home
Try going zero waste and waterless with your household products. When you look at the products in your home, the manufacturing process to formulate and bottle those products is a massive contributor to climate change. So you don't get overwhelmed, let's start in the bathroom:
- Shampoo and conditioner bars, like the ones from Ethique are luxurious, high quality, made in New Zealand from sustainably sourced ingredients - not only that, but Ethique is a climate-positive brand!;
- Face and body cleansers, like UpCircle Beauty's face and body cinnamon and ginger bar, is made with the planet in mind, using only sustainably-sourced and upcycled ingredients, and work well for all skin types, including sensitive skin;
- Serum bars, like DEW MTY's Bloom Jelly Serum Bar, replace your serums, oils, and moisturizers, come in compostable packaging and are formulated without water or nasty chemicals, taking clean, slow beauty to new levels;
- Like Nopalera's Moisturizing Body Bar, body bars are a nourishing and waterless body lotion in the form of a bar that contains only natural and sustainably sourced ingredients.
- Like Blueland's cleaning and soap tablets, cleaning products contain no water, and their bottles are made from tritan® crystal and glass—no plastic! Blueland is B Corp Certified, Cradle to Cradle™ Certified, and Climate Neutral Certified, making them one of the most ethical and sustainable companies in their industry.
Conscious Consumerism
Buy from retail brands that are consciously trying to reduce their environmental impact. If you're not sure how sustainable or ethical a brand is, don't worry. You should be able to find the information on their website—but if you can't, then we recommend doing further digging on the brand. But if there is a lack of information, likely, they do not prioritize the planet. Here are a few skincare brands that are certified climate neutral:
Check out more climate-neutral brands in other industries here.
Investing Responsibly
Finding technology to invest in is a great way to contribute to the cause of climate change. Carbon capture and utilization pulls carbon from the air and uses it to fight climate change. While there aren't many publicly listed companies doing this, we probably can't invest in them—it's a space to keep a closed eye on.
Another way is to invest in companies that plant trees like One Tree Planted. Or you can check out the lists on the Carbon Fund and Carbon Footprint™ websites. You can also sign up with other companies that will offset the carbon for you, like Wren, Pachama, and On a Mission.
Conclusion
While the brands mentioned are not all certified climate neutral or climate positive, they are all working hard to minimize their impacts on the planet through their high-quality and innovative products and services. The simplest way to reduce your environmental impact is to support thoughtful and sustainable brands in their policies and procedures.
Lowering your impact on the environment can seem daunting and challenging to tackle. However, so many resources and wonderful organizations are available with information to help you become a more thoughtful and sustainable human being. We all start somewhere; you just need to take the leap.
Emma Jade has been a trained esthetician for over 15 years. She is a sustainable skincare writer, educating and building awareness around proper skin health that doesn't cost the Earth.
Some of the products promoted in our blog are from our online store. Many others are brands we have researched and found to be great examples of sustainable, ethical, and innovative brands in their field, and we don't profit from mentioning them in our blog. #CollaborationOverCompetition
