Chapter 11. Getting Involved

One person can change the world, and if you've made some of the changes suggested in this book, you've already made a difference. But there's strength in numbers, so this chapter explains how to join forces with others to make changes on a local, national, or even global scale. You'll learn how to get started, but then you have to take it from there.

Activism Begins with You

"Think globally, act locally" has long been a rallying cry of the sustainable-living movement. When you walk instead of driving, enjoy a cup of fair-trade coffee, or replace energy-wasting light bulbs with CFLs, you're making changes that contribute to a better world for all. Small changes add up—the more people who live gently on the earth, the bigger the benefit.

One way to make those good deeds multiply is to get together with other, likeminded people and work for a common cause. There's power in numbers, whether it's half a dozen people picking up trash in a local park or an international organization with millions of members working to conserve natural habitats. After you've made adjustments in your own life and home, look outward. There are lots of ways for you to get involved in ongoing efforts to save the planet.

Going green in your community makes your city or town a nicer place to live. It brings neighbors together for a common purpose, makes earth-friendly improvements right in your own backyard, and spreads the word about the benefits of going green.

There are many local projects you can join or initiate. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Tip

Head to this book's Missing CD page at www.missingmanuals.com, which includes all the links listed here.

If you want to gather a group for a green project, follow these steps:

  1. Define the project's scope. Do you want to do a one-day spring cleanup of a local park or creek? Or do you want to have an ongoing project like planting and caring for flowers and shrubs in public areas, which requires people to commit to coming together several times or meeting regularly?

    Tip

    Check with your town or city to find out whether you need to get official permission for the project you have in mind. For example, if you want to build affordable green housing in your community, you'll need to get the necessary building permits.

  2. Get the word out. Make sure that your community knows about your project or group. Put notices in local newspapers, tack flyers onto community bulletin boards, and advertise online on sites like Craigslist.org. Set up a special email account for your project (you can do this at a site like http://mail.google.com or http://mail.yahoo.com) and collect email addresses so you can send out notices. Announce your project well in advance, and remind people as the date approaches.

  3. Get organized. Volunteers need to know their roles and responsibilities or your project will turn into chaos. This step might be as simple as deciding who'll pick up trash in which section of the park, or as involved as electing officers and forming committees.

  4. Raise funds and solicit donations. This isn't necessary for all projects, but for large or ongoing ones, you may need more than volunteers' time. Ask local businesses for donations, and research grants. Your city, county, state, or the federal government may have money available for green projects and organizations.

  5. Get the word out—again. Doing good is good in itself. But it's even better when you have widespread support throughout your community. Contact your local newspaper and TV and radio stations to get some press. Visit community groups and schools to talk up what you're doing, and offer information sessions at the local library or other venue. You'll recruit more members and generate goodwill.

Tip

The U.S. EPA offers advice and an action plan for people who want to make their communities greener. Check it out at www.epa.gov/greenkit.

You can connect with thousands of environmentally conscious people from all over the world without leaving your house. When you join an online community that's committed to spreading the word about green, healthy living, you'll make new friends, get ideas, and have fun, too. Here's a sampling of online communities with a green focus:

  • Care2 (www.care2.com). This site, which focuses on green and healthy living, has more than 10 million members, so you'll have lots of like-minded company when you join it (registration is free). It has tons of free articles on all aspects of green living and dozens of petitions you can sign. You can also look for green jobs and volunteer opportunities in your area. When you register, you can set up your own page on the site, create or join a special-interest group, or start a blog.

  • GenGreen Life (www.gengreenlife.com). Here, the emphasis is on your local area, with a directory that helps you find green businesses near you. Tens of thousands of listings cover everything from alternative energy and carbon offsets to recycling and waste management to food and dining. List your earth-friendly business here or create a free personal account. With an account, you can post reviews of businesses, sign up for GenGreen Life's newsletter, join and create groups, and more.

  • Huddler's Green Home Community (http://greenhome.huddler.com). This online community for friends of the Earth lets you submit product reviews, write articles, and participate in public forums.

  • Planet Green (http://planetgreen.discovery.com). This site is run by Discovery Communications (which owns the Discovery Channel and the TreeHugger site listed next). If you watch Planet Green TV, you'll like this companion site. It's got a schedule letting you know what's on and pages for the channel's shows. There are lots of articles on green living here, as well as forums about all aspects of green living.

  • TreeHugger (www.treehugger.com). This site, which shares its forums with Planet Green, is loaded with ideas and tips for green living, the latest environment-related news, product reviews, and a whole lot more.

  • WiserEarth (www.wiserearth.org). This site's slogan is "Connecting You to Communities of Action," and that's just what it does. It's both a community site and a community directory, listing more than 100,000 organizations worldwide that are working for social and environmental change.

Tip

While you're online, try the Green Maven search engine (www.greenmaven.com) to help you find greenest websites. Instead of searching the billions and billions of sites on the Web, Green Maven scours green sites only, giving better targeted results. Those green sites are listed in a Green Directory you can browse.

The good news: There are tons of nonprofits working hard to protect wildlife, conserve natural habitats, protect biodiversity, influence environmental policy, fight climate change, and generally protect the planet. The bad news: There are too many worthy organizations to list here. This section lists a number of active, well-known groups that help you volunteer, join forces with others, or donate to a worthy cause. But this list barely scratches the surface. You can find more at Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org), which evaluates a wide range of nonprofits, including those with an environmental focus.

Here are some groups to consider supporting with your time, money, or both: