Plant and Fungus Totems: Connect with Spirits of Field, Forest, and Garden - Lupa 2014

Beneficial Nonprofit Organizations
Appendix

If you want to give back to the plant and fungus totems through donations or volunteering, there are more nonprofit organizations to help than you can shake a stick at! Many of these focus on habitat preservation, which benefits everything living on it, though there are a smattering of groups that focus specifically on flora and/or fungi, mostly on a local basis. There simply aren’t as many organizations that work to specifically protect plants or fungi as there are that focus on wildlife, but even protecting habitats in general can be crucial to fungus and plant species’ survival.

Some of these organizations offer material incentives, like tote bags or plush toys, to encourage people to donate. These cost them money and they cost the planet brand-new resources, however, so it’s more effective to just give all the money in a straight donation. There are plenty of perfectly good secondhand tote bags and stuffed animals in thrift stores if you really need them. Additionally, organizations like http://www.charitynavigator.org offer insight as to how much of your donation may go to operating costs, and how much will be used for preservation activities.

The Millennium Seed Bank Project at the Kew Gardens Wakehurst (Wakehurst Place and Millennium Seed Bank)

Ardingly

nr Haywards Heath

West Sussex

RH17 6TN

United Kingdom

+44 (0)20 8332 5000

wakehurst@kew.org

http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/save-seed-prosper/millennium-seed-bank

The largest seed bank in the world, working to preserve some of the most endangered plant species in the world. The Kew Gardens also maintains a sizeable selection of fungal samples, to include spores.

Seed Savers

3094 North Winn Rd.

Decorah, Iowa 52101

(563) 382-5990

http://www.seedsavers.org/

Since 1975, Seed Savers has not only worked to preserve heirloom seeds, but also provides seeds for sale, and has a membership package with a variety of horticultural and

educational benefits.

The Nature Conservancy

4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100

Arlington, VA 22203-1606

(800) 628-6860

http://www.nature.org

Focuses on protecting habitats around the world, and educating people about the importance of healthy ecosystems. This includes direct protection of individual habitats in conjunction with local communities.

The Ocean Conservancy

1300 19th Street, NW

8th Floor

Washington, D.C. 20036

(800) 519-1541

http://www.oceanconservancy.org

Works to protect the world’s oceans and to create awareness of how crucial the oceans and their inhabitants are to the planet’s health as a whole.

The Sierra Club

85 Second Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA 94105

Phone: (415) 977-5500

http://www.sierraclub.org

One of the oldest and largest environmental nonprofits, combines government lobbying with grassroots organization for a variety of ecological causes.

Natural Resources Defense Council

40 West 20th Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 727-2700

http://www.nrdc.org

Lobbies for the protection of both wild species and their environments, and is also instrumental in helping communities become more sustainable.

The Wilderness Society

1615 M Street NW

Washington, DC 20036

1-800-THE-WILD

http://www.wilderness.org

Many plants and fungi that face extinction are vulnerable due to habitat loss; this group works to preserve wilderness areas, including crucial habitat.