Valuing Public Lands-Day To Day

by Sarah Shaffer

In 2017 I made it a point to find meaningful ways to go about my day to day costs with intention. Below are four ways you can contribute to our State Parks, National Parks, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and more by also doing day to day tasks. Sounds like a win win to me.

1. Do you need to renew your tabs for your vehicle soon? If so, you can get specialty license plates that are brilliant colors and the added cost of the specialty plate goes to a good cause. There are eagle license plates, fish plates, deer plates, waterfall plates and more. For each specialty plate the additional cost is donated to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Park fund, or Washington State Parks & Recreation. Click here to view the different plate options. I went with a steelhead license plate and my husband went with the waterfall, that way we each were donating to a different department but still supporting our parks and the environment while renewing our tabs.
   

   Every time I see this plate while getting in and out of my car it makes me happy to know that the money was donated to a good cause. I gained a fun piece of art that reminds me of nature every day.

2. Many of the various monthly bill companies provide the option to write in a donation amount to local environmental agencies. These are great opportunities to throw a few bucks in with little to no notice to your budget for the month, yet it was a donation that can make a difference for an organization.
3. Do you have a favorite charity or non-profit? You can donate to your favorite organization by using smile.amazon.com while making your purchases. Amazon donates .5% for every purchase you make to the non-profit of your choosing. Your Amazon Prime membership also works at smile.amazon.com as well. If you happen to like our organization we are found on the smile.amazon.com site under “outdoor discovery network”. Whichever organization you choose, just by shopping with amazon on their charity website (smile.amazon), you are doing amazing things for a non-profit agency.
4. Do you ever shop on E-bay? If so, you can also help a non-profit agency by using https://www.charity.ebay.com/. Ways to shop without directly donating to charity, it is so convenient and easy.