I am about to do something slightly ungrateful, definitely heinous, very uncomfortable, but in the end completely necessary: I'm going to blow the environmental whistle (or horn) on many of the non-profits I've been helping this year.  Let me explain why - I've been trying to complete 50 different volunteer activities before 2010, which means I have volunteered with a lot of different non-profits in the last few months and unfortunately I have seen disappointing environmental practices at many of them.

Don't misunderstand me, charities do amazing work and help the world in a myriad of ways, but they are under funded, overwhelmed, and under staffed. As some non-profits try to wade through the muck of daily operations their environmental impact is overlooked.  Regrettably, because of this neglect they waste money, lose relevance, and in some extreme cases possibly lose volunteers and supporters.  I am not going to list names, but I am going to list some very real and very disappointing transgressions against the earth that I have witnessed in my volunteer work so far.

1)      The notorious bleach dumping episode.

One sunny morning I arrived at an inner city school to help a certain organization clean up classrooms. Things started going downhill when they pulled out jugs of bleach instead of hydrogen peroxide or distilled vinegar to clean the toys.  I reached the end of my rope when I saw organizers and volunteers dumping the used bleach into street gutters instead of a sink or toilet.  FYI this happened in Los Angeles, CA were the gutter system is unfiltered and dumps directly into the ocean.  When I confronted some of the dumpers and tried to educate them about the environment danger a teacher in charge yelled at me about wasting time. Gallons of bleach ended up floating to the sea that day.  Here's the lesson: toxic chemicals are just that, TOXIC, and if you feel the need to use them in mass please educate yourself and your staff on how to dispose of them properly. 

2)      Stop snail mailing me!

This year I made a small donation in a family members name to one of the largest tree planting charities as a gift. Two months after the donation I started receiving letters requesting donations as did that family member.

Besides the fact that I now look like a twat for getting my relative on a junk mail list this organization used the money I gave them to plant trees to kill trees! Oh, the irony. The worst part is they are not the only organization that rewards generosity with junk mail. So right now I am on my knees begging as I type this line - Please, please, please charities everywhere stop snail mailing people it's wasteful and pisses us off. Thank you.

 3)      Recycling 101

Some groups still need to learn how basic recycling works.  In fact, the amount recyclables some non-profits carelessly throw away could be worth a hefty amount of cash. Animal shelters are a good example they use hundreds of cans of dog and cat food everyday to feed puppies, kittens, and sick animals.  In most of the animal shelters I've been in these steel and aluminum cans are tossed in the trash. I've seen huge piles of cans that must have weighed close to 50 pounds destined for a landfill.  Other non-profits still aren't recycling office paper, cardboard boxes, or even plastic water bottles and soda cans. I welcome these groups to join us in the 21^st Century and help us all conserve resources by recycling.

4)      Wash that off and use it again.

You would assume that non-profits who work in renovation and building projects all year long would reuse supplies like paintbrushes, paint trays, rags, and unused hardware.  The shocker is some groups don't. Instead they treat valuable construction supplies like Dixie cups. I understand that storage is tight, but if you paint another house next week or repair a fence you might need this stuff again.  Or perhaps you should offer all gently used tools to the homeowner you just helped because it appears they lack the funds to buy this equipment themselves. Throwing out a paintbrush or tool that is used only once is unacceptable. 

5)      No one wants those t-shirts. They don't even fit.

The hideous charity shirt, emblazoned with the groups seal, made of the cheapest and least flattering cotton, always available in M, L or XL never S or XS, no human should be forced to wear such an ill fitting garment.  At least half of the charities I have worked for hand these t-shirts out like mints.  Some of the groups won't let you refuse these ghastly tarps because they use them as a way to identify you as a volunteer while you work on their project.  These shirts are as wasteful as they are ugly.  The madness needs to stop. Charities, this is an intervention: No one wants your t-shirts.  They waste your money. They are made of cotton, which needed thousands of pounds of pesticides and fertilizers to grow.  Save your money and instead do more good works.  If you must give us something let it be a delicious cookie.

6)      Also no one wants throwaway nick knacks.  Same as the number 5 - if I volunteer for your charity you do not have to thank me with plastic bracelets, key chains, figurines, bookmarks, pens, balloons, magnets, hats, or patches (I am not a girl scout).  Save it, save the money, give me an apple or aforementioned delicious cookie.

7)      We have to find a solution for the plastic bags!  But I am at a loss as well.  Okay this one is tough.  Some non-profits use plastic bags to hand out meals or other necessities to people they may never see again. They can't hand out reusable bags because that will get expensive when the bags are not returned. Any ideas? 

None of us are environmental saints.  We all make mistakes. I hope that if any charitable organization comes across this blog they will understand that it was written out of love and the hope that by examining your daily operations you might find ways to save money, be earth friendly and operate more efficiently.

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