This Earth Month, Invest in Our Planet

What sparked your love of nature?

Christina: I have loved nature since I was a kid roaming the woods and playing in the dirt at the end of our dead-end street in rural Pennsylvania. But my first backpacking trip in the Linville Gorge Wilderness area in North Carolina sealed the deal.

Jose: I grew up in a city where the largest natural area was a county park set along a bay across from a shipping port. As a child, my father would take me and my sister to this park weekly. It was a chance to walk among tree-lined pathways and sit by the water, watching birds and other animals. It was the closest I was able to get to being surrounded by nature until I became an adult. There was a quiet I enjoyed in observing nature; I continued to pursue this quiet as I got older.

Pam: I grew up outside of Boston in Reading, Massachusetts. As kids, we would go exploring in the woods and open fields all day. There was a freedom and sense that anything was possible. Every summer, we used to visit Lake Winnipesaukee, and to this day, it is my favorite place. It takes me back to those freeing childhood memories.

Do you feel an urgency right now to protect our planet?

Christina: There is evidence of climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss all around us, so the urgency feels very real. I have had the absolute privilege of working in both the Antarctic and Arctic regions and nowhere have I felt the urgency more keenly.

Jose: I feel we should be stewards and not consumers of nature. I’m concerned that our “use now, worry later” approach to our planet will cause change and damage we will be unable to undo.

Pam: I often have dreams in which I go back to Lake Winnipesaukee and all the land around it has been developed and the scenic beauty is gone. In real life, I have seen our small town, where I raised my children, go from endless farms to large housing developments. I want a future in which generations to come can enjoy the same memories that I cherish.

What compels you to give to The Conservation Fund?

Christina: I first found The Conservation Fund while doing research on Charity Navigator. Of the many worthy environmental causes, I was impressed with The Conservation Fund’s transparency and even more so the expense ratio. I have received cool swag from other great causes, but at the end of the day I would prefer the funding go towards the cause.

Jose: Many conservation organizations lack the wherewithal to raise needed funds, when all they really want to do is focus on their core conservation mission. The Fund steps in and provides that bridge funding and financial know-how to help conservation projects succeed. By donating to the Fund, I can support a broad range of conservation projects rather than having to pick just one.

Pam: Preserving land in my own community has always been a passion, and supporting The Conservation Fund aligns with my values of protecting our environment across the country. I am proud to support this cause both personally and through my company’s corporate giving.

We are thankful to Christina, Jose and Pam for their ongoing support of The Conservation Fund, and their passion for protecting the planet that we all know and love. From supporting working farms – to protecting lands across the country – our team works daily to meet our mission of driving the economy and protecting the environment. Join us with a donation today to help us continue this great work now, and into the future.