I contribute 5% of every purchase to organizations working to preserve the lighthouses, land, and water resources of the Great Lakes region. The four nonprofits listed below will share equally in any funds that are not otherwise designated.
I welcome the opportunity to support a cause that is dear to your heart. Just send me an email with the name of the organization and the person I should contact. We can then develop a campaign that will allow you and others to support them with your purchases.
I’m very interested in exploring other ways I can advance the cause of nonprofit organizations seeking to preserve the beauty of the Great Lakes. I truly welcome any suggestion for collaboration.
The mission of the Alliance for the Great Lakes is to conserve and restore the world's largest freshwater resource using policy, education and local efforts, ensuring a healthy Great Lakes and clean water for future generations.
Their programs focus on
- Water Quality: eliminating toxic and bacterial pollution, which cause beach closings
- Water Conservation: promoting sustainable water use to keep the Great Lakes great.
- Habitat Recovery: restoring and enhancing habitat, especially in urban areas, and eliminating invasive species
- Land Use: protecting lands that drain into the Great Lakes and their natural features.
- Clean Energy: protecting the Great Lakes from harmful effects of energy use
- Education & Outreach: providing education and volunteer opportunities for adults and children to build an appreciation for the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes can only be as healthy as the watersheds that flow into them. Freshwater Future builds effective community-based citizen action to protect and restore the water quality of the Great Lakes basin. They work toward this goal by providing financial assistance, communications and networking assistance and technical assistance to citizens and grassroots watershed groups throughout the Great Lakes basin.
The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA) is the steward of two lighthouses in northern Michigan: the St Helena Island light station and the Cheboygan river front range light. GLLKA also works with other lighthouse organizations, offering direction in legislative processes and other aspects, to enable them to achieve their preservation and restoration goals.
GLLKA has used the St Helena light station to foster learning and the development of the next generation of preservationists. They conduct annual workshops there for teachers and youth leaders, and each year welcome the active participation of a troop of boy scouts in the restoration process. To date, over 3,000 teachers and youth leaders and an estimated 400,000 young people have been reached through GLLKA's workshops.
There is a growing awareness that if we are to preserve the beauty and character of the Great Lakes, we must learn to live more lightly on the land. The Michigan Land Use Institute works to establish an approach to economic development that strengthens communities, enhances opportunity, and protects the state's unmatched natural resources. Their goal is to help build a new kind of economy that celebrates the region's unique character, and recognizes the need to conserve open land and protect clean air and water.
