Giving Tuesday Guide: Donate to Help the Planet

On December 3, organizations across the country will receive millions of dollars in donations as part of Giving Tuesday. While Black Friday and Cyber Monday often tempt people to spend money on material things, Giving Tuesday is a chance to use your money to support a cause you care about. Want to make a donation to help the planet? Here are 15 worthy organizations that will use your Giving Tuesday donation to fund initiatives supporting and protecting the environment:

1. Arbor Day Foundation has planted and protected more than 300 million trees around the world and champions trees as a solution to many global issues, including air quality, climate change, poverty and hunger.

2. Earth Day Network is “the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement,” working in 192 countries and with more than 75,000 partners to mobilize the environmental movement through education, public policy, civic engagement and activism.

3. Earth Guardians uses art, music, storytelling, and civic engagement to train diverse youth to lead the environmental and social justice movements.

4. Earthjustice is a nonprofit public interest environmental law organization, serving as “the lawyers for the environment.”

5. Greenpeace investigates and exposes global environmental problems and promotes solutions through activism, peaceful protest, and creative communication.

6. League of Conservation Voters champions pro-environment laws, policies, and candidates.

7. The National Park Foundation is the official charitable partner of the National Parks Service and works to protect more than 400 national parks and preserve 84 million acres of landscapes, ecosystems, and historical sites. 

8. Natural Resources Defense Council, “the Earth’s best defense,” works with activists, community advocates, and businesses to protect the environment through advocacy, litigation, and scientific research.

9. The Nature Conservancy works to protect land, water, and species and tackle climate change. It has protected more than 119 million acres of land and thousands of miles of rivers around the world.

10. The Rainforest Alliance “works at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests” to fight climate change and conserve forests. To date, the Alliance has saved more than 125 million acres of forests in 74 countries. 

11. Rocky Mountain Institute is a global research organization that aims to accelerate the shift to renewable energy by bringing together businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs.

12. The Solutions Project works to achieve 100% clean energy for all by investing in frontline leaders of color and women-led organizations in communities across the country. 

13. Union of Concerned Scientists is a group of nearly 250 scientists, analysts, policy and communication experts who combine scientific research and advocacy to solve the planet’s most pressing problems.

14. The Wilderness Society fights for legal protections for public lands, such as national forests, parks, and refuges, and champions policies that give such protections.

15. 350.org works towards the transition to clean, renewable energy through a global activist movement, leading grassroots campaigns and community organizing efforts in more than 188 countries. 

While donating to any of these organizations is a great way to support the planet, one of the best things you can do to help the environment is to make the switch to clean energy—or, if you’ve already made the switch, you can purchase carbon offsets to mitigate your impact on the planet this holiday season. Be a part of the renewable revolution to help save our planet!