Nature Auction
Nature Abounds is currently planning an Art Auction and is looking for donations. If you have an art piece, preferably related to nature, please let us know.
Knitters (and Crocheters) for Nature's Critters
With the Knitters for Nature’s Critters™ program, Nature Abounds™ is combining the humanities with environmental needs around the globe. We hope to expand this program beyond penguin jumpers to other animal needs, international as well as domestic. Stay tuned for future program updates!
Nature Abounds™ has chosen Little Penguins to be the recipient of our first animal that we’ll be helping through the Knitters for Nature’s Critters™ program. The goals of the Penguin Jumper opportunity are:
- To help the Little Blue Penguins themselves in their time of need and support those that help the penguins;
- To raise awareness of oil spills which happen all over the world regularly,
- To raise awareness of how wildlife species and their eco-systems are affected by oil spills.
Little Penguins are the smallest of all penguin species, averaging 13 inches in height and weighing in between about 2.2 pounds. They are also known as Fairy Penguins, Little Blue Penguins, and sometimes just Blue Penguins. It’s hard to imagine but just one small area of oil the size of an adult thumbnail can kill a Little Penguin, and oiled penguins often die from exposure and starvation. This is because the oil separates and mats feathers, allowing water to get in which makes a penguin very cold and heavy feeling, which results in less ability to hunt for food. Likewise, many oiled penguins die of hypothermia before they can make it to shore. Of course, some penguins die from swallowing the poisonous oil as they attempt to preen their feathers.
Climate change is also having a significant effect on the feeding habits as well as the Little Penguins survival. Food is harder to find due to high storm activity, and this is causing a decline in birth weights and chick survival.
Volunteer now to become a Knitter for Nature’s Critters Volunteer, and we’ll send you instructions for getting started.
Not a knitter? You can still help us out by making a donation to help with program costs like materials and shipping expenses.
Bags to Beds
Bags to Beds, our newest volunteer opportunity, launched on Earth Day 2017, and engages volunteers in converting plastic bags to mat beds for the homeless or those displaced by natural disasters. Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks for this project:
1) Collecting plastic bags (each mat takes 600-700 bags),
2) Cutting the bags and converting them to a plastic yarn,
3) Knitting and crocheting them into mat beds,
4) Contacting shelters to see if they can use the mat beds and making sure the mats get to the shelters, and
5) Helping us with fundraising to cover coordination of the program as well as any postage, storage, or other expenses related to the opportunity.
Plastic bags take a long time to break down in landfills, with estimates as high as 500 years. Since plastic bags have only been in existence for about 50 years, we really don't know how long they will take to break down yet.
Plastic bags often end up in waterways and eventually into the ocean where some sea turtles mistake them for food such as jellyfish. Likewise, the production of plastics involves petroleum and has a significant carbon footprint. The more we can do to keep bags and plastics, in general, out of the environment and landfills, the better for us all.
Sign up today to Volunteer, and we’ll send you instructions for getting started.
Not a crafter? You can still help us out by making a donation to help with program costs like materials and shipping expenses.
