5 environmental charities to support right now

By giving to an expert-selected list of impactful environmental charities, you can feel confident in making a difference for our planet. 

How can you help protect the planet and reduce the effects of climate change? These questions are complex and difficult to answer. The news and information can feel overwhelming, making it hard to choose what to do. As a donor, finding the best environmental charities presents its own challenge. 

The bright side is that every individual action—like eating more locally, consuming less, and giving, no matter the dollar amount—is significant and can have a ripple effect, says Impact Ambassador Njoki Mburu. Equally important is looking to those who have the knowledge to help guide the direction you take.  

“A problem like [climate change] is a really difficult and complex problem, which people sometimes call a wicked problem. Through movement work, different expertise is brought together and creates a coherent understanding,” said Mburu in a video interview with Charitable Impact. 

Giving can make a big difference, especially considering the environment is one of the least supported causes—only about 8% of Canadian donors who are women and 6% of their male counterparts report donating to related charities.

“One of the things people can do is to understand that the actions they are doing today—as small as they seem—can have ripple effects. And these ripple effects can live beyond our own time on earth,” said Mburu. 

Alongside Linda Nowlan, Senior Director of the University Sustainability Initiative (USI) at the University of British Columbia, Mburu has compiled a list of 5 high-impact charities doing the hard and long-term work of addressing climate and environmental justice. These organizations were also selected for their effectiveness and efforts to protect our environment, create more sustainability, and educate future generations. 

As part of our Choose Your Impact Campaign, You can easily give to these carefully hand-selected charities through the Climate and Environmental Justice Impact Portfolio.

Here are the 5 charities you can give to help combat climate change and protect the environment

RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Needs) raises legal defence funds to assist Indigenous Peoples who enforce their rights and title to protect their traditional territories. Through public education programs, RAVEN collaborates with Indigenous Peoples to eliminate environmental racism and foster a greater understanding of indigenous rights and governance.

West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) transforms environmental decision-making and strengthens legal protection for the environment through collaborative legal strategies that bridge Indigenous and Canadian law, and are centred on environmental and climate justice.

Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA) creates and facilitates free land-based environmental education programs for Black and Indigenous youth and people of colour (BIPOC), with the intention of promoting environmental stewardship, and supporting youth into taking up community-leader roles.

Ecotrust Canada collaborates with Indigenous communities in rural and remote parts of Canada on four main areas: climate, fisheries, clean energy, and building sustainable housing eco-systems. Through intentional and lasting partnerships, Ecotrust Canada purposes to initiate and support projects that are focused on economic resilience and rooted in the stories and lives of Indigenous communities across Canada.

Sierra Club BC works to support people stewarding abundant ecosystems and a stable climate, while building resilient, equitable communities. In striving to protect B.C.’s wild spaces, SCBC understands that land and people are not separate and honour the First Nations leadership that guides and informs many of our campaigns.

We understand most of us don’t have the time or resources needed to make the most informed giving decisions. That’s why we have launched the #ChooseYourImpact Campaign, connecting you to passionate changemakers and thought leaders—called Impact Ambassadors.

We have partnered with the Vancouver Social Value Fund (VSVF), a youth-led fund created in partnership with the Vancouver impact community, and the Social Innovation Academy, a learning initiative led by UBC Sauder Centre for Social Innovation & Impact Investing (SauderS3i).

You can choose to give to a range of causes, including access to food security, seniors’ wellbeing, reducing violence, Indigenous communities. More Impact Ambassadors are joining as we continue to expand this campaign.