People and organizations have been using crowdfunding to finance everything from independent movies, board games to starting a new business. Creeklife is a unique specialized site that allows you to raise money for outdoor projects.
The way Creeklife works is that it displays a map
of all the watersheds and watershed districts in the United States. In order to get a project going, click on a particular watershed, which brings up the name, area, and hydrological unit code of the watershed. Then click on the “Create an Action” button. People will be invited to contribute money for your project or offer their volunteer services.
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The interactive watershed map allows you to
- Create a Call to Action
- Upload a photograph and/or video
- Describe the details of the issue that and what action should be taken.
- Share it on the Creeklife Network, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc
- pinpoint and track these locations getting updates of these environmental problem through email
Online donations and and discounts for services are collected, someone claims the money to DO the Call to Action, and when it is marked as completed, local peers are contacted to help verify the work.
The projects can be large, like an effort to eliminate an industrial waste dump, or smaller, like cleaning up trash and placing garbage cans near a creek. What you can do for the environment around a particular watershed is limited only by your imagination and ability to market the project.
Creeklife goes beyond fundraising, and provides support and some verification for projects started on the site. Local watershed stewards who have knowledge of the area are alerted when a new project is started. They provide experience that will be useful in completing the proposed project. They also verify that the project is actually being done, for example making sure that trash is disposed of properly. Thus people contributing money and time to an environmental project can be assured that it is being conducted in an effective and ethical fashion.
Posted by Mark Contorno
