Orgs
America’s WETLAND Foundation
In the largest public awareness initiative in its history, America’s WETLAND is raising awareness of the impact of Louisiana’s wetland loss on the national economy, world ecology, and hurricane protection.
What you can do (via the org’s site): Donate time and money. Volunteer with the America’s WETLAND Conservation Corps. Join mailing campaign. Receive e-mail alerts and newsletters. Persuade local officials to make your parish, town, or city an American WETLAND “Community Partner.”
Common Ground Relief
Common Ground’s mission is to provide short term relief for victims of hurricane disasters in the gulf coast region, and long term support in rebuilding the communities affected in the New Orleans area. In 2013, Common Ground Relief’s leadership revised the mission statement to reflect a forward-looking focus – “to create resilient Gulf Coast communities that are environmentally sustainable, financially viable and personally cohesive.” While the mission and organization have evolved, Common Ground Relief remains committed to its grassroots, volunteer-based approach to community transformation and sustainability. In 2015, Common Ground Relief leadership determined that the most effective way of achieving the organization’s mission was to focus squarely on restoring and preserving Louisiana’s disappearing coastal wetlands.
What you can do (via the org’s site): Donate time and money.
Delta Chapter of the Sierra Club
The Delta Chapter is the Sierra Club in the State of Louisiana. We advance the cause of protecting Louisiana’s environment in a variety of ways, including lobbying the state legislature in Baton Rouge, sponsoring a Mercury Public Education Campaign, raising public awareness about climate change, and working to keep the Atchafalaya Basin, America’s greatest river swamp, wet and wild.
What you can do (via the org’s site): Donate time and money. Get info about the groups gulf and wetlands restoration efforts. Read their blog. Email members of Congress about local environmental issues.
Gulf Restoration Network
The Gulf Restoration Network (GRN) is a network of environmental, social justice, and citizens’ groups and individuals committed to restoring the Gulf of Mexico to an ecologically and biologically sustainable condition.
What you can do (via the org’s site): Donate time and money. Educate yourself about Gulf issues. Get the Newsletters. Demand action by Congress on Gulf Issues. Join their e-action list to influence critical coastal restoration decisions happening in Washington DC.
Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation
Although the LPBF has been active in coastal restoration since its inception in 1989, it was in June 2005 that a formal program with a director was created (aka SAVE OUR COAST). This aggressive commitment to the coast was triggered by the realization that the coastal wetlands were getting worse and not better in spite of ongoing authorized restoration programs.
What you can do (via the org’s site): Donate time and money. Educate yourself about the coastline (“11 lines of defense” etc) and coastline issues. Help with conservation and habitat protection.
Save our Cypress
Save Our Cypress Coalition is a group of Louisiana conservation and environmental organizations. They are calling for consumers and retailers to stop purchasing and selling all cypress garden mulch until a verifiable, third-party certification program is operating to ensure no cypress is being sourced from non-renewable coastal wetland forests.What you can do (via the org’s site): Donate time and money. Write to Lowe’s, Home Depot, Wal-mart. Write your legislators. Educate yourself about the importance of cypress.
For a list of all the organizations working in New Orleans, visit: volunteerneworleans.com.
To find volunteering opportunities, visit: www.volunteermatch.org