Conservation

Conservation is a program to educate ourselves and others on environmental issues affecting our state, and to find a way to take action on those issues. Understanding the impact of our choices on our environment will help us develop solutions that will benefit all of us. Here are just a few suggestions for activities that will further these goals:

· Host a town meeting to discuss an environmental issue in your area.

· Hold a Conservation fair, and invite local groups, such as the Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, Washington Trails Association, etc. to attend.

· Take a tour with your club members to the Recycling or Waste Water treatment facility.

· Go on a walk with an expert on the flora and fauna of your area.

· Write op-ed pieces, letters to the editor, and press releases about important conservation issues in your community and submit them to your local media.

· Plant native species for beautification and restoration of land and waterways.

· Clean up along roadways, waterways, and trails. Implement beautification projects at parks, cemeteries, hospitals, shelters, and other community gathering places.

· Donate funds for reforestation plans and get involved with tree planting programs (this is perfect as project with our partner organization, Alliance for Community Trees).

· Organize curbside recycling programs or create hazardous product disposal for household items such as paint, batteries, electronics, and fluorescent light bulbs.

· Work with local officials and organizations to create proper depositories for unused medicine and needles.

· Implement energy conservation practices in your clubhouse, home, office, and public buildings.

· Provide local shelters and sanctuaries needed items for animal rehabilitation and well being.

· Create community gardens to promote self sufficiency, or plant a garden and donate the produce to a local food bank.

· Hold a dinner meeting where everything on the table is locally sourced, and have a discussion of food safety concerns.

· Research the cost and impact of the bottled water business; talk about access to clean water and sanitation locally and internationally

Resources

The Audubon Society - http://www.audubon.org/ Sierra Club - http://www.sierraclub.org/ Ducks Unlimited - http://www.ducks.org/ National Wildlife Refuges - http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/ByState.cfm?state=WA Puget Sound Energy - https://pse.com/inyourcommunity/Pages/default.aspx Waste water treatment plants