10 Holiday Gifts to Counteract Trump’s Plan
Our plan, will end the EPA … which is a disaster,” the President Elect has vehemently declared. In support of his dangerous environmental ideology, he has chosen a known climate change denier to head the EPA, a manster named Myron Ebell who has a record of fighting against environmental regulations. At a United Nations conference in Paris, protesters called him a “climate criminal.”
This holiday season, when a majority of the American population may still be in shock and mourning, it is imperative that we take the time and energy to stay on course, to realize that now more than ever, our gift purchasing choices have consequences. We can do things the way we’ve always done them, participating in the materialistic feeding frenzy in the name of “Love,” or we can take a left turn down a more peace-promoting, environmentally aware, activist road that shows our gift recipients that life is no longer “the same it ever was.” As David Byrne recently said, it’s time for a “structural revolution.”
According to a Stanford University website, from Thanksgiving to New Years, Americans generate 25 million tons of garbage. In the U.S., annual trash from giftwrap and shopping bags totals four million tons. It has been estimated that 30 million trees are cut down to wrap our gifts.
Instead of doing the holidays as you’ve always done them, it’s time to get a little creative, and a lot less wasteful, which will result in one of the most important win-win experiences of your life.
Below you will find a list of non-profit organizations that now more than ever need your dollars. We no longer have the luxury of believing that our little donation doesn’t matter. We can no longer sit back buying, wrapping, and giving material goods that may or may not be used. We cannot wad up mounds of tree-killing decorative paper and mindlessly toss it into the garbage can or recycle bin thinking that it doesn’t matter. All of our actions matter now. So while you are spending your money this season to provide a loved one with a moment of delight, consider giving in a way that may impact life on planet earth forever.
1. The National Resource Defense Council (NRDC)
Help us gear up to defend our environment and climate from the Trump presidency.
“We believe the world’s children should inherit a planet that will sustain them as it has sustained us. NRDC works to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water and the wild, and to prevent special interests from undermining public interests.”
2. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Donald Trump: A one-man constitutional crisis.
“Donald Trump may believe the president is above the law, but he is mistaken. As always, we are standing guard to ensure that the rule of law always remains stronger than the rule of one man.”
3. Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
Tell Donald Trump to Reject Hate and Bigotry
“Dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of social justice and equal opportunity will become a reality.”
4. Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Imagine a world without hate.
“President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Stephen Bannon as senior advisor and chief strategist. Bannon is an individual who has embraced the ‘Alt Right,’ a loose network of white nationalists and anti-Semites.”
“[Y]ou can count on ADL to be relentless in the fight against anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry and in the defense of civil liberties. In just the past few days [11/21/16], we have seen an uptick in hate crimes directed against Jews and other minorities. It’s a reminder that ADL matters now more than ever.”
5. League of Conservation Voters (LCV)
LCV runs tough and effective campaigns to defeat anti-environment candidates, and support those leaders who stand up for a clean, healthy future for America.
“Trump’s plan for his first one hundred days in office must have Big Polluters salivating. According to his own video, it’s clear yet again that Trump’s energy policies are coming straight from polluting fossil fuel industries, which have long sought to protect their own profits at the expense of public health, clean air and clean water. … We will fight to defend both the recent progress in fighting the climate crisis and our cornerstone environmental protections at every step of the way.”
6. The League of Women Voters (LWV)
The League is dedicated to ensuring that all eligible voters – particularly those from traditionally underrepresented or underserved communities … have the opportunity and the information to exercise their right to vote.
“This is the first presidential election in 50 years without the full protection of the Voting Rights Act. Thousands of eligible voters were purged from the rolls. Onerous voter ID laws prevented eligible voters from casting their ballots. We saw cases of misinformation and intimidation at the polls.”
7. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.
“That is why I, as a proud Christian and card-carrying member of the NAACP, have joined with my dear Jewish colleague, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, in vowing that, should President-elect Trump’s threat of a ‘Muslim registry’ come to fruition, we will not hesitate to sign up. In the meantime, the NAACP will continue to stand in staunch opposition to any attempt to register and reduce anyone to noncitizen and nonhuman status.”
Planned Parenthood health centers and patients will face unprecedented dangers in the coming months. We’re counting on you to help us continue our work to protect and promote reproductive health and rights
“Planned Parenthood believes in the fundamental right of each individual, throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual’s income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence.”
No matter how long the dark shadow of this year’s presidential election is cast, it is important the good work done by successful and highly accountable groups such as the Clinton Foundation does not meet a sad demise. Too much has been accomplished to stop now.
“We’re working toward a world where more girls and women can achieve full participation in all aspects of life.”
“In communities across the globe, our programs are proving that we can confront the debilitating effects of climate change in a way that makes sense for governments, businesses, and economies.”
“By increasing access to these resources, we aim to give individuals the opportunity to work their way out of poverty and uplift their communities.”
“We thank Hillary who has been a tireless voice for children from the Children’s Defense Fund’s beginning as a young staff attorney, then board member and board chair,” said Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund.
“Our vision is to end child poverty. We must ensure all parents and caregivers have the resources to support and nurture their children: jobs with livable wages, affordable high-quality child care, supports for working families … and safety nets for basic needs like nutrition and housing assistance.”
Writer Dina McQueen completed her TESOL certification early November 2016, and will soon be teaching English to adult immigrants. She lives with her husband, daughter, and one pet cat in Carlsbad, California.