Monday, September 26, 2016 - Blog on a Log

8-year old Environmentalist Raises $1170 In Lieu of Birthday Gifts...So Far

If there’s one thing I love about the internet, it’s crowdsourcing. The way an idea can take hold and move like wildfire, bringing much needed support to important issues. Sure, sometimes the details of the cause are somewhat misplaced (hey, Koney) but the phenomenon is still impressive.

And when a fire gets lit under a cause worth fighting for, it’s a sight to see.

Take the case of 8-year old environmentalist Winter. According to The Grist, last night redditor nervousbreakdown19 posted that her daughter had asked for Nature Conservancy of Canada donations instead of presents this year.

"My daughter decided that for her birthday this year, she wanted to have a "donations in lieu of gifts" party, where she got donations for her favorite animal protection charity instead of gifts. The parents of children she was inviting to her party said she is "stupid" for not wanting gifts, and now she's feeling quite bad. They actually said this in front of her... 3 DIFFERENT PARENTS said it."

Ok, I’ll admit it: I was already hooked. An 8 year old with the wherewithal and focus to ask for donations instead of gifts for her birthday? Do you remember being 8? I wanted juggling sticks so bad, and I can tell you – I would not have asked for pine marten donations instead.

But Winter did. And when she was berated by her friends’ parents for doing so, she turned to the broader community for help.

As I write this, Winter’s campaign to save the pine marten has raised $1180--$40 more than when I first started this article. I suspect I’ll check back again tonight, and tomorrow, and the next day until I get caught up in the next crowdsourced cause. Sometimes the details are murky, but in this case things seem pretty clear.

And I can’t think of many things I’d rather put my money towards than saving an endangered animal while simultaneously showing an amazingly self-possessed 8-year old that the world is not made up solely of materialistic individuals who feel the need to shame and bully their children’s friends.

Check out Winter’s campaign here: Earth Rangers

Earth rangers is a registered charity whose mission is to educate children about the importance of biodiversity and empower them to protect animals in their habitat. More...