The Daily - August 11,2021 - 49

COURTESY GEORGE BASCH
Ideas
B I G P I C T U R E
The author following
the path of explorer
Sir Ernest Shackleton
on South Georgia
Island.
Join the Fight
Collaborating on climate action today will
shape the world of tomorrow.
By George Basch
SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER
me as the founder of the Himalayan
Stove Project. In the decade
before COVID-19 forced us to
shut down, we impacted the lives
of over 50,000 people in Nepal.
Many of you in our industry
helped. Thank you!
I've now pivoted to two new
projects, Earth Gives and
Champions of the Planet, both
addressing the existential threat
of global warming.
Earth Gives Day (earthgives
.org), premiering October 7, 2021, is
a fundraising platform that allows
nonprofits engaged in environmental
stewardship, biodiversity, and
solving the climate crisis to receive
tax-exempt donations to further
their mission. Supporting such
organizations is crucial for all of
us who love the outdoors and who
want to leave a wonderful planet
for our children and grandchildren.
It is woefully underfunded-only
3% of philanthropy is directed
toward environmental NGOs.
Giving days are a proven concept,
in use throughout the United
States. But until now, they've
been directed mainly to provide
funding for community-service
organizations. We're not reinventing
the wheel. We're directing
this proven system to the climate
sector and customizing an established
platform.
The Western Environmental
Law Center, based in Oregon,
was the first to join as a nonprofit
participant. The law center works
to safeguard the public lands, wildlife,
and communities of the American
West in the face of a changing
climate. In the 1990s, it sparked
the creation of the groundbreaking
Northwest Forest Plan-the first
regional-ecosystem-based management
plan in the nation. Now
it's fighting to roll back last-minute
Trump administration changes
that dramatically scaled back
protected areas. We are honored to
have them as a nonprofit partner,
along with the Climate Defense
Project out of California and the
Blue Scholars Initiative in Florida.
Rotary International has created
a global Environmental Sustainability
Rotarian Action Group (ESRAG)
to energize 1.25 million Rotarians
worldwide in over 35,000
clubs to engage in action programs
to help reverse the climate crisis.
Rotary has spearheaded the virtual
eradication of polio since activating
the global program in the late
1980s. They have the experience
and reach to make a similar impact
on the climate crisis. I, and other
Rotarian colleagues, are in advanced
discussions to bring the
organization into Earth Gives as
a nonprofit participant. We hope
to conclude the partnership in a
meeting scheduled for August 17.
We'll sound the trumpets when
that's finalized.
I mention these two respected
and experienced organizations
to show you that we are seriously
engaged in making a major impact
on this very serious problem.
Champions of the Planet
(championsoftheplanet.org) is an
educational website on climate
change, offering guidance and
personal strategies on what
individuals and families can do
to minimize their environmental
impact. We tell our readers
that their actions will change the
world and ask them to use our
site as a resource and guide for
actionable steps they can take to
help fight climate change. Small
acts, when multiplied by millions
of people, can transform the
world, and we urge everyone (and
ourselves) to live a more environmentally
conscious life.
We also have a Champions of
the Planet Facebook group as
a platform for people to share
knowledge and exchange ideas.
There are many creative ways
that our industry can work collaboratively
on these two projects and
on other ways of addressing the
Climate Crisis. I'm at the Show-
grab me and start a conversation,
or reach out to me at george@
himalayanstoveproject.org so that
we can connect and help make a
difference together.
OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2021 /
49
http://www.championsoftheplanet.org
The Daily - August 11,2021

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