“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead
#StartWith1Thing
Project Drawdown, the world’s leading resource for climate solutions, documents the top one hundred climate solutions that can not only limit carbon emissions, but drawdown carbon from the atmosphere. https://drawdown.org
Project Regeneration aims to help bring an end to the climate crisis in one generation. With a growing set of interlocking initiatives, their goal is to inspire, guide, and nurture sustained climate action from global citizens and organizations to bring about lasting climate relief. https://regeneration.org
One Earth is building a global network of people empowered to protect our Earth. https://www.oneearth.org
The World Resources Institute envisions a new era in which the world can meet people’s needs while curbing climate change and protecting nature. https://www.wri.org/initiatives
Collecting marine debris, lobster traps and more on Marshall Island, Maine. Photo credit: Maine Mountain Media
Here are few ways to find volunteer opportunities in Maine:
CamdenCAN (ClimateActionNow) is a citizen-led organization committed to reducing Camden’s contribution to climate change through local action, advocacy, and education.
Wabanaki Reach supports the self-determination of Wabanaki people through education, truth-telling, restorative justice, and restorative practices in Wabanaki and Maine communities.
Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) is a nonprofit organization that protects and preserves Maine’s coastal lands and islands for their ecological value, scenic beauty, and outdoor recreation.
https://www.mcht.org/get-involved-now/volunteering/
Maine Department of Marine Resources offers volunteer positions in water quality monitoring. It’s a great way to get involved with phytoplankton ID and biotoxin monitoring.
https://www.maine.gov/dmr/node/779
Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust care for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access, and deepening connections to nature. offers a wide range of opportunities from fish surveys to community outreach.
National Organizations
These national organizations offer search tools to find local volunteer opportunities.
Citizen Science
https://www.citizenscience.gov/catalog/
Land Trust Alliance
https://landtrustalliance.org/land-trusts)
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
https://www.noaa.gov/work-with-us/volunteer-opportunities-citizen-scientists)
Making Your Voice Heard
Share what you have learned. Help others understand why ocean conservation is so important. Helping to change policy and community-based efforts are key. Many conservation organizations offer email lists that you can subscribe to that will forward petitions for you to considering signing. Write your local and national legislators—let them know that you think ocean conservation should be a priority and that you support marine protected areas and clean-water legislation. Here is a link where you can find the Web sites for your representatives: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Volunteering
For many people, volunteering is a tremendously rewarding experience. Find an organization you feel passionate about. It could be a marine-mammal rescue center, a park or marine sanctuary, or a group that cleans up streams, reservoirs, or beaches. Volunteering for even a few days a year can make a big difference.
Amdeep Sanghera gently guides a juvenile turtle to shore where he will quickly tag it and release it.
The Carbon Fund offers tips for reducing your carbon imprint, including simple things like carpooling, driving the speed limit, insulating your home, eating less meat, reducing food waste, and buying local. To get more active, check out 350.org, NextGen Climate and The Climate Reality Project. If you are interested in innovative approaches to climate change, Project Drawdown is developing a book, open-source database, and digital platform describing how one hundred solutions deployed at scale can alter the composition of our atmosphere and help forge a path toward temperature decline. Live Circular is a terrific resource for circular economy initiatives that lower carbon imprints.
Many people feel at a loss as to which organizations are best to support. A good start is to find resources focused on something you feel passionate about. If you want to “peek under the hood” of an organization you are considering giving money too, Charity Navigator and Guide Star score nonprofit organizations for their financial transparency and for how they spend the funds they raise—how much goes to actual services and how much to fundraising, marketing, salaries, and general overhead.
One thing that we can all do with minimal effort is save water. Check out this article – How to Conserve Water at Home – for simple steps like installing a low-flow shower head and only running your dishwasher when it’s completely full.
Juvenile pufferfish in mangroves in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Photo credit: Wes Matweyew
The Plastic Pollution Coalition has resources and a list of steps you can take to reduce plastic use. The 5 Gyres Institute also has a terrific page. A great start is carrying your own reusable containers—water bottles, shopping bags, and coffee mugs. Something as simple as using bar soap versus soap from a plastic container makes a difference. ReuseThisBag.com has a terrific summary of why we need to stop using disposable plastic bags. Litterati hosts a Digital Landfill – a photo gallery showcasing the different pieces of litter being picked up and the impact of the movement. With geo-tagging they are able to provide insight into problem areas and highlight active Litterati communities. Bottlestore.com has a page with ways to reduce, reuse and recycle your plastic containers.
Support restaurants and retailers that sell sustainable seafood. Letting them know that you care about sustainable seafood encourages them to keep up the good work. There are a number of great organizations that post updated lists of which fish are the most sustainably harvested— the Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Food Watch Program, Fish Choice, Sea Choice, and the Marine Stewardship Council.
