Environment & Sustainability
This page is part of Activate Good’s collaborative online knowledge base about issues impacting the Triangle area that can be tackled through volunteer action.
Environment & Sustainability Quick Facts
- 2019 was North Carolina’s hottest year on record in 125 years of record keeping
- North Carolina’s worst-ever drought was in 2007
- The two biggest air quality problems in NC are ground-level ozone and particle pollution
- Pollinators are essential to the production of over 85% of our food and fiber producing crops
- From 2001-2021, NC lost 24% of its tree cover
Explore Articles
Check out some of our awesome Community Partners working in this cause area!
How You Can Help
Take action! Find a local volunteer opportunity related to the environment and sustainability!
Learning Resources
Interested in learning more about this issue? Check out some of these books, articles, documentaries, podcasts, and more.
Take action by learning – and use your purchase power to support our work (and independent bookstores) too! If you find something you like and make a purchase through any of our cause-oriented Bookshop lists, Activate Good will receive a portion of the sale.
Articles
- Resource List for Pollinator Conservation, NC State Extension
Documentaries and Videos
- David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, Netflix
- Chasing Coral, Netflix
Podcasts and Other Resources
Learning is a lifelong process — there’s always new information out there, and the journey to share it is best completed together. Would you like to help us collect and share knowledge about this topic? Learn about contributing here.
Other Ways to Make an Impact
Volunteer
- Visit our website to sign up for needs of environmentally-focused organizations, or specific opportunities that benefit the environment
Service
- Consider taking up a leadership position in the community and using your platform to advance the cause
- Join the local school board or run for election
Work
- Advocate for environmentally-conscious practices and policies at your place of work
Voice
- Talk about the issue with your friends and family
- Use your social media to share cause-related news and information
- Participate in public comment sessions and complete community surveys
- Find and sign a related petition using Change.org!
Donate
- Fulfill needs on an organization’s wishlist
- Make a financial contribution
Purchase Power
- Consider shopping locally to minimize production and fuel costs (and support small businesses, too!)
- Purchase second-hand to extend an item’s life and keep it out of the landfill
Vote
- Do your due diligence in researching candidates, platforms, and policies. Common Cause is a great tool for learning about your representatives and what they advocate!
- Then, use your vote to back those that you believe work to address the issue
Listen & Learn
- Check out resources right on this page!
- Follow some of our environmentally-focused Community Partners and other organizations on social media to learn right from the source
Social Entrepreneur
- Have an innovative idea on how to address part of the issue? Develop a new initiative!
Read About Other Community Issues
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