Tapping Into Local Environmental Action In Your Area

The growing passion for environmental activism and volunteering to turn the tide of environmental warming has many people looking for ways to contribute. Needless to say, there is an overabundance of ways you can join the movement and put in a few hours at a weekend environmental volunteer event. No matter your environmentally related interests, wildlife, coastlines, forests, soil, food, pollution, etc. you can easily find groups, events, clubs, and just like-minded folks to join in with in making a difference in your area and our ecosystem overall.

FINDING ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS

Bay Area Groups To Join That Help The Environment– this blog has compiled dozens and dozens of volunteer opportunities to fit all manner of interests, abilities, and ages in the Bay Area C.A. and beyond. Great resource HERE. 

DoSomething.org– One of the largest global organizations geared towards young people and social change including environmental issues. Explore our campaigns for actionable volunteer opportunities made with young people in mind.

EARTHDAY.ORG -With a mission to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide, EARTHDAY.ORG works with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet. Towards the middle of the page on their website, you’ll see a map where you can find events in your area HERE.

Facebook (META) –This is another great way to find environmental groups and events in your area. You can do a search for “Events” with environmental parameters and you can also search for “pages and groups” related to environmental causes you feel passionate about.

Local City Websites –Almost every city in America has a local government website that includes a volunteer section. Tapping into the environmental volunteer events through your city’s communication vehicles is actually a great way to find weekend events to join. 

The National Audubon Society–  has been on a mission to share a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization.  On their website, you can search for volunteer events in your area HERE.

The Nature Conservancy– helps save endangered species, lands, and waters. On their website, you can search for volunteer events in your state HERE.

Sierra Club– Over 3.5 million Sierra Club members are fighting for the Earth, and you can become one of them. They even have a youth-specific Sierra Student Coalition that empowers teens and young adults volunteering for climate justice. Clean up outdoor spaces, lead nature outings, or lend your voice to environmental campaigns. On their website, you can search for volunteer events in your state HERE.

OTHER WEEKEND ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS

If you’re unable to find an “event’ in your area the weekend you want to volunteer, there are still many other ways you can make a difference and do some positive environmentally related work.

Adopt A Road- These street or highway programs are set up for you to commit to picking up trash along a stretch of the roadway a few times a year. Ask your neighbors, friends, co-workers, or members of any clubs you belong to join.

Community Garden- You might not have enough space for your own backyard garden, but you can join (or even start) a local community garden. Many of these are funded by a mix of donors, membership dues, grants, and city funds. With a plot of your own, you can harvest your own food, which means you’ll rely less on produce that’s traveling long distances—in plastic and cardboard containers—to your grocery store. Not only do they build bonds among neighbors, but they also absorb carbon, support pollinator habitats, and reduce the shipping of food over long distances. The American Community Gardening Association has a search tool that’ll help you find a community garden near you, or you can submit information about your own garden project.  Volunteer at a community garden near you, or start your own!

Great Global Cleanup- EarthDay.org deemed this year the Great Global cleanup and asked people to focus on the enormous task of cigarette butt waste. Follow that link for all the details.

Organize A Trash Pick-Up – Litter on the sidewalk, in the streets, or in people’s yards. Plastic pieces are so detrimental to wildlife that getting them out of the environment and into recycling or proper trash disposal is so important. Organize a trash pick-up day with a group of friends, co-workers, neighbors, or even a group of family members. Bring bags and gloves and head to an area like a big park or a beach, where you can spend about 30-60 minutes helping green the community by picking up garbage. Hopefully, this will encourage people who see you in action to think about littering and maybe even entice them to pitch in.

Plant Trees- A community tree-planting event can seriously refresh your local environment. A full-grown tree cleanses the air of more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. If you’d rather plant new foliage, you and your neighbors could help improve air quality in your community, especially as the saplings take root and grow larger.  The Arbor Day Foundation can help you get started.

Protect Public Lands- our National Parks are absolutely stunning and home to buffalo, mountain goats, foxes, bears, and us humans. You can check out the volunteer portal for opportunities with the National Park Service year-round, and over the summer, or consider joining the Youth Conservation Corps.

BONUS: Get Political – Use your voice to make sure your community council members are doing everything they can to help the environment. From planning more green spaces to offering incentives for eco-building, there is so much that council members can do. Make your voice heard by reminding them of the role they play in greening the community.

Additional Actions

The following links to the related articles are all different ways you, your kids, your family, and your community can get involved in sustainable and environmentally conscious actions for a healthy planet.

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