It doesn’t take an environmental scientist to see that the natural world is changing rapidly around us—and not for the better. Increasing natural disasters, habitat loss and wildlife extinction, lack of access to clean water and fresh foods, and pollution—our environment is a critical resource, and yet it seems that it’s under attack on all fronts…by us.
Environmental nonprofits across the United States and around the world are spearheading solutions to these issues, from policy changes to education, land and resource protections, wildlife conservation, and everything in between. Why? Because just like food, water, and shelter, access to a clean, healthy environment is a human right.
And yet—
Of the 1.5 million registered nonprofit organizations throughout the United States, less than 100,000 of them are environmentally focused. That’s less than 6%–—an awfully small number to address issues that impact every single human being on earth.
Monetary donations in the United States have reached roughly $500 billion annually, and yet environmental nonprofits only receive between 1% and 3% of this total.
So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when we tell you that funding is the number one challenge faced by environmental nonprofits worldwide. Followed closely by the second greatest challenge for these orgs (and nonprofits in general): capacity.
Nonprofits and their donors alone cannot curb climate change, but their efforts to help change policy and address systemic discrepancies when it comes to things like corporate pollution and waste have been invaluable for initiating major, much-needed change. However, this kind of work takes money and manpower, and when nonprofits are underfunded, their overall ability to create impact suffers as a result.
Misinformation is another huge obstacle for nonprofits trying to address today’s most pressing environmental concerns. The intentional and unintentional spread of misinformation can make it more difficult for nonprofits to gain support and traction for their project work at local, state, and federal levels. This has created significant delays in the implementation of environmental solutions, such as transitioning away from fossil fuels as well as incorporating critical pollution regulations.
As a result, environmental nonprofits have had to shift their focus to public education in addition to their other on-the-ground programmatic work. This puts an additional burden on capacity and has shifted the overall narrative of the environmental nonprofit space; now, in addition to affecting change, nonprofits are also expected to be impactful storytellers. And while nonprofits, particularly local grassroots groups, are experts in their communities’ needs, it is next to impossible for any single nonprofit to be an expert on all environmental topics.
At the end of the day, for environmental nonprofits to be as effective as they can be—as they need to be—trust is required. Trust from private donors, trust from funders, and trust from the public at large. This means shifting to a trust-based philanthropy model where greater is valued on the expertise of nonprofit leadership, allowing nonprofit work to focus more on programs and less on extensive reporting and administration. (Something that, again, ties back to capacity and funding. Strict reporting demands place huge burdens on administrative needs, taking away time and money from projects with real-world impact.)
Does this mean that nonprofits don’t have to be transparent or accurately report on the work they’re doing? Of course not! Even in a trust-based philanthropy model, nonprofits should still be fully transparent with their donors about the work they are doing. An increased trust model merely gives nonprofit leadership the power to make decisions based on their own expertise and quickly change course when needed (rather than being forced to run everything up a long chain of command).
If you’ve ever been on the fence about donating to support environmental causes, now is the time to start. Consider this: a huge portion of humanitarian crises around the world are rooted in the environment in some way, whether it’s food insecurity, lack of clean water, natural disasters, or exposure to toxins and pollutants. When we prioritize our environment, we’re prioritizing the well-being of people. And at the rate we’re allowing our environment to deteriorate, there’s no time to waste.
Check out EarthShare’s network of 500+ environmental nonprofits across the United States to get started today.
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Regenerative agriculture is the practice of enriching the land through farming and other agricultural practices; an effort that has been led by Indigenous Communities for thousands of years. Rather than stripping the ground of its nutrients, regenerative practices add to the health and strength of the soil and the overall ecosystem. In essence, it’s a decolonization of agriculture. 1“Regenerative Agriculture 101,” Natural Resources Defense Council ≫; “Native Growers Decolonize Regenerative Agriculture,” Green America ≫
Regenerative agriculture, as noted by One Earth, is “a pathway to an abundant and resilient future . . . shifting from the narrative of human dominion to one of healing our relationship with the Earth.” As a result, farms become more resistant to climate-related threats such as drought, flooding, and extreme shifts in temperature.2“Regenerative Agriculture and Food Systems,” One Earth ≫
Sustainable agriculture is the final step toward achieving regenerative agriculture. This is accomplished, in part, through the introduction of practices to improve environmental health, reduce the use of freshwater and harmful pesticides, and improve carbon storage in the soil.