Many of us feel so powerless to help or change how the continuing oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf is damaging wildlife, the environment, and people's lives. So anything we might be able to do may ease a tiny part of our helplessness is important. On June 13 I posted "How You Can Help Gulf Animals Impacted by BP Oil Spill -- Or Why Can't We?"
"Even if you can't physically make it to the Gulf to lend a hand, here are 10 important ways you can make a difference to those who are on the ground fighting to keep up with this tragedy:
1. Boycott BP
Yes, this catastrophe could have happened to any petroleum company, but no matter which corporation is ultimately at fault, consumers MUST communicate their disapproval with the most powerful weapon they have: their pocketbooks.
BP brands to avoid include Castrol, Arco, Aral, am/pm, Amoco, Wild Bean Cafe, and Safeway gas. For more news on the boycott already in progress, visit the
Boycott BP page on Facebook.
2. Tell the Government, "Enough is enough!"
The only way to help prevent future disasters it to let our politicians know that off-shore oil drilling is dangerous, and we want it to stop.
Sign the Care2 petition telling President Obama to reconsider his plan to expand offshore drilling and invest in clean energy resources instead. It's always powerful to contact your representatives directly, too. Help Oceana reach its goal to gather 500,000 names on a
petition to stop offshore drilling permanently.
3. Shave Your Head
Ok, maybe just trimming off a few inches is enough.
Matter of Trust, an ecological charity based in San Francisco, has a hair mat, oil-spill program that uses human hair to produce super-absorbent mats that can be used to clean up messes including oil spills (pet hair works too!).
Since putting out the call for hair to help soak up the BP oil spill, Matter of Trust has collected 400,000 pounds of hair and sent it to addresses along the Gulf Coast, but more is always needed.
4. Purchase Dawn Dishwashing Detergent
If you remember the tragic 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 you likely remember that the chemical composition of Dawn detergent
makes it perfect for animal rescue. Purchasing a bottle or two of Dawn dishwashing liquid at your local grocery store gives you two ways to help: a) you can enter the bottle's activation code at
Dawn-Dish.com triggering a $1 donation to wildlife conservation efforts from the
Marine Mammal Center and the
International Bird Rescue Research Center, and b) you can donate your bottle of Dawn directly to the Gulf clean-up efforts through the Facebook page
Help Us Help the Gulf Wildlife.
5. Donate Essential Supplies For Volunteers
Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, which was a significant workforce in the disastrous Tampa Bay 1993 oil spill and has experienced avian care professionals on-staff desperately needs donations of kennels, towels, gas gift cards, paper towels, and bottled water to assist their avian hospital in treating and rehabilitating wildlife that has been affected by the oil spill.
6. Support Those Saving The Wildlife
The
National Wildlife Federation has set up
mobile giving services to support their work in the Gulf Coast. Donors can send a text message with the code "WILDLIFE" to 20222 to automatically give a $10 donation to help wildlife affected by the oil spill.
The
International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) lets you support the 16 members of their Oil Spill Response Team, as well as other non-profit organizations working in the region, by "
donating,
becoming a member or
adopting a bird."
7. Become A Hero
Sign up with
The National Audubon Society to
get trained and volunteer to help local birds.
Register through
OilSpillVolunteers.com to volunteer or join a cleanup organization.
Volunteer with
Global Green, an organization that plans to spend the coming months working to protect injured wildlife and lobbying Congress to enforce tougher regulations on the oil and coal industries.
8. Save A Fisherman
The mission of the
Gulf Relief Foundation is to provide relief to the fishing community of the Gulf Coast and their families, and to address the long-term challenge of restoring and protecting America's coastal wetlands.
Text
"GULFAID 10" to
27138 to donate $10 to Gulf Aid. Replace "10" with the number of US dollars (no $ sign) you'd like to pledge, donate as little or as much as you like. You can also visit
Faux Pas Prints for the latest official GulfAid.org merchandise. Portions of the proceeds go to the Gulf Relief Foundation.
9. Join Hands
Begun in Florida,
Hands Across the Sand is an international movement concerned with protection of our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, fishing industry and coastal military missions. Cities all across the world are pledging to stage peaceful demonstrations on June 26th during which thousands of people will join hands to convey a simple, yet powerful message: NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy.
Learn more about how to organize or join an event in your area.
10. Get Connected and Inspired
Join the Facebook group
1 Million Strong Against Offshore Drilling. Check out the
action page for more suggestions of how to lend your voice to the anti-drilling movement."
Posted By:
Dawn Kairns
Last week when my therapy dog, Maddie and I visited the juvenile center, I added something new to my usual humane education talk: I brought in my counseling background and talked to the kids about finding the unconscious positive intention behind their "criminal" behavior. We went on to discuss separating their positive intention from negative behavior; to find a beneficial way to meet that positive intent so they can let go of the behavior that isn't working so well for them or society. As Maddie and I continue our weekly therapy visits to the juvenile center, I can't help but think that widepread humane education programs in schools could really help kids understand the value of kindness to and love for animals; that humane education programs might help decrease the rising incidence of animal cruelty among children. 
