There are meetings this Tuesday June 8th – World Oceans Day - for caring people to get together and brainstorm more ideas to help out with the BP Gulf Oil Disaster and make real change. The Eugene Oregon meeting is at 8PM – you can get the details here: :http://www.meetup.com/HuffPostGreen/4071/
To find a meetup in YOUR area: http://www.meetup.com/HuffPostGreen/
Here are some great suggestions from HuffingtonPost:
•The National Wildlife Federation has set up mobile giving services to support their work in the Gulf Coast. Donors can send a text message with the code "WILDLIFE" to 20222 to automatically give a $10 donation to help wildlife affected by the oil spill.
•Oxfam America is working to help affected communities with financial assistance, as well as protect local wetlands and marshes. Make a tax-deductible donation to Oxfam America.
•You can register through OilSpillVolunteers.com to volunteer or join a cleanup organization.
•The BP Volunteer Hotline has set up numbers if you need to report injured wildlife or damage related to the spill. You can also request volunteer information at 866-448-5816.
•The Oiled Wildlife Care Network is providing volunteer information, though help from private citizens is not being requested at this time.
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•Global Green plans to spend the coming months working to protect injured wildlife and to lobby Congress to enforce tougher regulations on the oil and coal industries. Volunteer with Global Green or donate to support these efforts.
•The National Audubon Society is asking concerned citizens to donate or volunteer. Sign up to get trained and volunteer to help local birds.
•CrisisCamp set up a conference call for Friday afternoon — follow the notes of this meeting, containing volunteer information with nonprofits and information from government organizations. You can also follow the CrisisCamp oil spill Twitter list for updates.
•Mobile Baykeeper, and affiliate of Waterkeeper Alliance, is dedicating resources to educate potential volunteers on how to help and address the long term environmental change needed in the Gulf region. Make a donation to these efforts.
•The International Bird Rescue Research Center is coordinating a professional rescue team to help birds covered in oil. You can help by reporting wildlife affected by the oil spill to the organization by calling 866-557-1401. You can also make a donation to support their work.
•The Sierra Club is gathering volunteers to help with the cleanup efforts on the Gulf Coast. Sign up online to volunteer and the Sierra Club will help you find the right opportunities for you.
•The Coalition To Restore Coastal Louisiana is also helping to coordinate volunteers. You can register online to volunteer or make a donation.
Political Actions
•Oceana’s goal is to reach 500,000 names on a petition to stop offshore drilling permanently. A tracker on their website displays how many gallons of oil have been spilled in real time. As of May 24, it’s drawing close to eight million.
•Petition sites are packed with letters to politicians that you can sign on to. This one from Care2’s The Petition Site aims to encourage President Obama to reconsider his plan to expand offshore drilling and invest in clean energy resources. A similar petition can be found on TrueMajority.org.
•Join the Facebook group 1 Million Strong Against Offshore Drilling. Check out the action page for more suggestions of how to lend your voice to the anti-drilling movement.
•If you want to do more after writing to your representatives, you can always boycott BP products. The main ones you use? Arco and ampm. If Americans stopped buying gas and products from these places, they’d feel it. Currently, BP has seen very little economic backlash from the spill.