Supporters Like You

Since I was young, I’ve felt compassion for the environment and all animals, especially species and habitats that don’t have the power to defend themselves. To see a magnificent valley, a life-giving river, or a wondrous animal endangered by corporate interests and the pursuit of profit hurt my soul, even before I understood anything about the bottom lines and our need for collective responsibility.

I am recently retired, and behind me is a long career at various nonprofit organizations. I’ve worked for Environmental Action (creators of Earth Day), the Union of Concerned Scientists, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Energy Foundation, and I ran the Brainerd Foundation for nearly 25 years.

I first became aware of Earthjustice in the 1980s. Having spent three-plus decades in the world of environmental philanthropy, I can confidently say that the best way to help our planet flourish, now and in the future, is by supporting the organization’s legal, policy, and advocacy efforts. Earthjustice truly is best in class – supremely effective and strategic. And I love its tagline: “Because the earth needs a good lawyer.”

Earthjustice has the greatest environmental legal team ever assembled, and there is no better line of defense for our communities, wildlife, and the natural world. The organization gives me hope, and that is why I’ve included it in my estate plans.

I also serve on Earthjustice’s national advisory council, and I volunteer as an ambassador for their legacy giving program. As a volunteer, I witness firsthand how Earthjustice diligently strives to keep communities and wild places safe and healthy. From its collaboration with the Standing Rock Sioux to shutter the Dakota Access Pipeline, to its ongoing fight to secure clean air and water rights for all, Earthjustice helps to keep the environment intact.

Building a peaceful, resilient planet is the most important fight of our time. Over the years, I’ve seen Earthjustice mature in how it faces this challenge. It has become more effective at communicating its mission, sharing its victories, promoting its partners, and inspiring the public to action.

By including Earthjustice in my estate plans, I am supporting their long-term strategies. Many of their cases last years, if not decades, and the need for Earthjustice’s legal expertise throughout our country only increases. Having legacy gifts on the horizon to fund this work is critical. When it comes to protecting our environment and all that depends on it, we can’t be shortsighted. We can’t just look at the next five years – we must look at the next 50 and beyond.

Earthjustice will always be relentless in defending the future of this magnificent planet. I like to believe that this promise puts fear in the hearts of polluting industries because they know Earthjustice will never give up, no matter how grueling the battle or how long it takes.

I review my estate plans every ten years to make sure they’re pertinent and up to date. While Earthjustice has been in my plans for years, with the most recent revision, I realized I wanted to put the organization front and center. I have seven reasons why I think Earthjustice deserves to be prioritized:

1. Earthjustice brings its legal mind to bear on all three branches of our government (judicial, administrative, and legislative).
2. The organization picks and chooses legal battles carefully, resulting in a long track record of major victories – victories that set precedents and strengthen environmental laws.
3. Earthjustice represents communities free of charge and sticks with cases until the very end, however long the battle.
4. Earthjustice focuses on more than litigation. It leverages policy, public communication, and long-term strategies to defend the earth and all living things.
5. The organization maintains excellent relationships with its clients and decision-makers.
6. Earthjustice offers expertise regularly to the international nonprofit legal community.
7. Earthjustice has fire in its belly. It is not deterred from speaking truth to power.

Earlier this year, Earthjustice launched the Never Rest Legacy Challenge, an incredible opportunity for supporters to have their future gifts matched by an immediate cash donation between now and December 2022. I would give to Earthjustice no matter what, but this match incentivized me to act swiftly in creating my legacy gift. I was also compelled to increase the amount because I knew I could unlock a significant matching donation, money that will help fund Earthjustice’s important work today.

No organization is better managed or more capable of addressing our environmental concerns, which will be with us for generations. The Never Rest Legacy Challenge made me feel so grateful that I could include Earthjustice in my estate plans! Anyone who creates a legacy gift for the organization makes a powerful move to promote the prosperity of our planet, now and long into the future.

“It’s important that a strong organization of professionals like Earthjustice is there to defend the environment, the animals, and the ecosystems that can’t speak for themselves,” says Borden, who lives in San Diego. “There’s no organization that does that better than Earthjustice.”

Borden’s support has come a long way since those early post-college days. While he continues to maintain monthly donations, he also has made Earthjustice a major beneficiary of his estate and his Individual Retirement Account (IRA), as well as his donor-advised fund succession plan.

As a passionate environmentalist, as well as an avid cyclist and occasional hiker, the fourth-generation Californian hopes to ensure that Earthjustice can continue to protect things he cares about, even after he’s gone.

“Earthjustice’s stability and strength of leadership ensures that they are going to be there for the long haul,” he explains. “The organization is very smart and very strategic — they don’t just chase the latest hot environmental issue, they choose which cases to be involved in to have the greatest impact.”

Borden notes that it took no more than a few minutes to make Earthjustice the beneficiary of his IRA. The process was only slightly longer for his estate. “You don’t have to look any further than the current political situation to see how important it is to support Earthjustice,” says Borden.

In considering the ways in which I wanted to support Earthjustice, I pondered the question of abundance and what would that look like to me. I’m not wealthy, but I’m single and have been saving money for a while. I support Earthjustice and other organizations I like with smaller gifts — $25, $50, $100 — but generally not more than that. But I was inspired to ask: “What would it be like if I could make a much larger gift to an organization – like Earthjustice — that I really believed in?” I thought about it and reveled in the positive feelings that idea gave me.

I started thinking about what I had saved and where I might like it to go after my lifetime. I knew I wanted to leave some to family members and a few friends, but I also recalled the joy I felt when I thought about making a really significant gift to Earthjustice.

It was perfect timing, because I learned about the Sandler Foundation Bequest Challenge Match. The Sandler Foundation will match a percentage of my future gift with an immediate gift today. By naming Earthjustice as a beneficiary of my brokerage account, I was able to generate an immediate matching gift that was significantly larger than the gifts I was previously able to give. It was just what I had imagined I’d be able to do someday, but I also get to see my gift in action now.

I made my gift in such a simple way — by naming Earthjustice a beneficiary of my brokerage account. But you can also make a gift in your will or trust, or name Earthjustice a beneficiary of your financial accounts — bank, brokerage, savings, life insurance, or retirement accounts.

My dream of abundance and being able to contribute more became a reality. And I’m grateful to the Sandler Foundation – it’s such a beautiful gift on their part, to make my own gift possible.

I realized that the work Earthjustice is doing is just too big to think small. Please think bigger with me!

I encourage all Earthjustice supporters to make or update their plans and ask each of you to participate in the Sandler Foundation Bequest Challenge Match by making a future gift to benefit Earthjustice.

Her passion to protect the environment has been demonstrated on both a national and local level. Working at the University of Illinois, she advocated tirelessly to help implement a university-wide recycling program, which still exists today. “There’s definitely an activist bone in my body,” Tania admits. “These smaller victories add up and make a difference and can change the future.”

Tania understands the long-term nature of defending the environment in court, and she knows a legacy gift can have an enduring impact on Earthjustice’s promise to combat climate change, protect precious wildlife, and secure a pollution-free future for all. In 2008, she became a member of the Evergreen Council by naming Earthjustice a beneficiary of her retirement plan. “They never give up and never back down. Supporting this work is crucial for me — both today and after I’m gone — because this is what it will take to save the environment and make a difference.” Creating her legacy gift was an intimate and important decision. “I want to ensure that a portion of my estate will be used to promote a thriving planet for generations to come and designating Earthjustice as a beneficiary of my IRA was a way to make a substantial impact.”

From her years of advocacy, Tania learned that many environmental policy battles require decades of effort. Since the earliest days of her involvement with Earthjustice, the organization has been working to protect the 17 million-acre Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. With its towering stands of old-growth spruce and hemlock trees, it is the country’s largest national forest and contains approximately 29% of the remaining unlogged coastal temperate rainforest on the planet. The Tongass is also the traditional territory of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples. “Over the decades, I’ve written reams of letters to my legislators about this forest, and we are still entangled in heated disputes over its fate. This is a fight we need to keep on fighting.” Tania was thrilled to learn that this July, in a huge victory for the climate, the Biden administration ordered the end of large-scale old-growth logging in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s litigation on the Dakota Access Pipeline is another area of particular interest to Tania. “In addition to the environmental damage, it hurts me deeply to think about how this impacts the Indigenous communities whose land was taken for these projects. I support their fight for justice and all they are doing to protect the sanctity of their land and water. My activism in my younger days was all about environmental protection, but over the years, I’ve learned more about the intersection of the environment and social injustice.”

Tania believes vivid content that resonates with diverse audiences has the power to bring about change in this area. “I learn so much from the information Earthjustice shares with me, but I worry about those who don’t have access to these messages. I would love to see additional public-facing campaigns and advertising that capture the imagination of the mainstream and help everyone understand the grave threats the pipeline poses to clean water, important fisheries, and the health of Indigenous people.”

Tania celebrated her 34th anniversary as an Earthjustice donor this year. Everyone at the organization is sincerely grateful for her decades of advocacy and her long-standing commitment to defending the environment. She observes, “You get such a meaningful return on your investment when you include a gift to Earthjustice in your estate plans because the work they do impacts so many lives.”

“They actively cultivated environmentalism in their children,” says Rosie. “Even the legal aspect of environmental protection is a family tradition that I keep up through my support of Earthjustice. Because my mother was a lawyer, I have a particular interest in the legal side of the work.” Her support of Earthjustice is driven by the realization that “if we don’t have good quality air and water, then we don’t have anything else.”

Over the years, Rosie has made many small contributions to Earthjustice, and she’s also signed petitions and written letters whenever asked. Her decision to leave a gift for Earthjustice in her will was made so long ago that she can’t even remember when the idea first occurred to her. “I love the partnership between Earthjustice and other environmental organizations. It creates tremendous leverage and it appeals to me to see groups working together to solve a problem.” Her decision to leave a gift has recently been reinforced by what she calls “the onslaught of corporate interests.” She adds, “I felt I wanted to do something very personal to preserve our environment in the face of that threat, and my bequest accomplishes that.”

Although she has a special interest in Central and South America because, as she puts it, “those areas need more help,” Rosie doesn’t feel the need to designate her bequest to any particular part of the world or issue. “I can’t give a lot of money now, but it gives me peace of mind to know that when my time comes, my money will go to an important cause,” she says. “I want Earthjustice to use the funds in a way that has the most impact at that particular time.”

As a community organizer, Helen has advocated locally and beyond for better environmental policies and programs. “I began to understand environmental problems when I was a student at UCB. After I read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, I had to become active. In 1970, our local YMCA held a series of weekly talks on pollution. The speakers were scientists and professors from UCB and Stanford. We neighbors were electrified; we had to do something immediately! We opened our garages once a month for neighbors to recycle. After three years, our Richmond Environmental Action became so popular that we had to start a weekly recycling center.”

The drive to improve their community has been a recurring theme in their lives. And they know that the most effective actions are taken as a community. “Coming together as a group and forming consensus is very important. In 1981, I participated in direct action at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. I was nervous about going to jail for the first time. But I was with hundreds of very committed women and found strength in being with them. We were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King and trained in non-violent resistance by wonderful teachers. I saw the impact non-violent resistance could have: One of the guards at the jail was so impressed that she later became an advocate for non-violent civil disobedience.” Helen also participated in non-violent actions in 1982 and 1983 and the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab.

As they have moved into their retirement years, Helen and Raj have expanded their philanthropic support. “In Hinduism, there are four life stages based on the concept of Dharma,” explains Raj, “student, householder, retired, and renunciate, each stage roughly 25 years. The student stage is the learning years. In the householder stage, we work to support our families and build our financial resources. With luck and hard work, I was able to build a successful engineering firm and had the luck and right timing to invest in real estate, which now funds our philanthropy. In the renunciate phase, we take time out to experience quietude, peace, and beauty. We contemplate and meditate; we walk in gardens, parks, and forests. We are letting go of our possessions and using our resources to support organizations like Earthjustice.” Helen adds, “Gandhi reminds us that we are not amassing wealth for ourselves — we are custodians of it and ultimately need to give it away.”

The Desai’s relationship with Earthjustice continues to grow. They provide generous annual support through qualified charitable distributions from their IRAs and, having included Earthjustice in their estate plans, are members of the Evergreen Council. “In my lifetime I experienced the power of grassroots,” says Helen, “and I saw that we need the lawyers too!” One of their granddaughters is a lawyer for the environment.

In 2020, Raj and Helen met with Earthjustice attorney Michelle Ghafar to learn more about Earthjustice’s current legal battles. While they were thrilled to hear about her work, Michelle was equally inspired by them. “They are the first supporters I’ve met. They are so thoughtful and committed, and it was meaningful for me to meet the people who make my work possible. All of us at Earthjustice are working against well-funded, well-resourced industries; knowing that we have the steadfast support that Helen and Raj provide makes me feel so excited and hopeful!” And the feeling was mutual.

“Then in the mid to late 1970s, I helped protect the Irish Wilderness in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. We formed a committee, met with the Forest Service, and shared reports & photographs. This picture is of me in the Irish Wilderness, photographing the Eleven Point Scenic River.

When I heard about Earthjustice and its legal work to protect the environment, I started supporting them. While these days I can only write letters & make phone calls to my representatives, I know that the gift I’ve included for Earthjustice in my estate plan will help their attorneys save our wildlife and wildlands.”

“My radio keeps me company as I eat meals at home. I am continually shocked by the tales of greed, corruption and short sightedness I hear on public and listener sponsored radio. Unless we make very big changes now, we will no longer have a livable world.

To more effectively fight for environmental justice and at the suggestion of my financial advisor, I have established a charitable annuity with Earthjustice. ‘Because the earth needs a good lawyer.’”

Only nine when he lost his parents, Ben was raised by his grandparents in northern Utah. “Many family gatherings included a trip up a canyon to picnic and hike,” he recalls. “I learned early on what treasures wild spaces are.” Later, most vacations were backpacking trips.

Ben’s commitment to wild places was cemented through two extensive, years’-long trips, one of which took him around the world. “I visited wildlife preserves in India and saw the degradation of the land through deforestation,” he says. “It was heartbreaking. That’s when I realized that when we protect nature, we do so not just for our country, but for the whole world.”

Ben’s real “aha” moment came later. “As a lawyer, I know how powerful effective legal advocacy can be — especially the kind Earthjustice provides against the Goliaths of government and acquisitive corporations.”

Passionate about Earthjustice’s work to prevent Utah’s Canyonlands National Park from becoming a highway for off-road vehicles, Ben praises Earthjustice’s approach of partnering with local groups — like the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, which he also supports. “The local group provides the knowledge of the community and its issues, and Earthjustice provides the legal and financial resources to effect change,” he explains.

Over the years, Ben and his wife have supported wilderness and environmental organizations, not just with activism, but with donations. As they began making provisions for what would happen when they pass away, they knew they wanted to leave most for protectors of the natural world. They decided to make a provision for Earthjustice.

“We believe in giving the children in our families many of the benefits of having money — things like education, health care and homes in good neighborhoods,” Ben explains. “But then they need to be on their own. Neither of us was born to wealth, but by living frugally and investing, we’ve saved enough to make a difference. Not a Warren Buffet difference, but a difference nonetheless. We choose to make a difference for the natural world, and believe Earthjustice can most effectively do that.”

Alan & Marie have included a provision in their estate plans to benefit Earthjustice. Learn more about how you can make a special gift through your will or trust.

James and Mina made plans to transfer assets in their bank accounts to Earthjustice after their lifetimes.

“There have always been those who want to develop government land for short term economic gain. They fail to see the true value that forests and lakes, mountains and streams, desserts and bogs, provide for the common good. Good lawyers and the courts make the final decisions on the future of wilderness. That’s why I give to Earthjustice.”

“Our whole family has been interested in environmental issues for a long time,” shares Isolee. And she is also reminded of why conservation matters through another family connection she experiences every time she walks outside: “My husband’s great grandfather was the original settler out here. The property is home to quite a bit of wildlife, especially birds. So that reinforces my desire to maintain and protect the land and habitat.”

The Smiths found Earthjustice’s legal work to be a natural focus for their philanthropy. “My husband was an attorney before he retired and I was a court reporter, so we’re very comfortable with Earthjustice’s legal work.”

In addition to the Smith’s decades of membership, support, and engagement, in 2008, Isolee and Sandy decided to donate real estate – two apartment buildings – to Earthjustice by creating a charitable remainder unitrust (CRT). The trust makes payments of 5% of the value of the trust yearly for 15 years, after which the remaining funds will come to Earthjustice.

“A gift of real estate was something that we were comfortable with and worked well with our family situation. We liked the tax advantages, particularly being able to avoid capital gains taxes that would have been due if we had sold the property. And by the time we set up the trust, our children were educated, grown and on their own, so we didn’t have the same concerns with providing for them. It was a very good fit for us. We established the CRT in 2008 and I have been very happy with our gift since then.”

“Creating laws is only the beginning of change; enforcing them is the other part, and that’s what Earthjustice does. I love the idea of giving a legacy to lawyers so that they can do what they need to do. By making a gift to Earthjustice, and supporting its unique position, our gift will go very far.”

David and Alexis included Earthjustice in their family trust. Learn more about how you can make a special gift through your will or trust.

Dr. Goldstein has established charitable gift annuities that provide him with guaranteed income for life and tax benefits.

“Even though we never had a lot of money, we always supported environmental organizations and gave what we could. We especially support Earthjustice because they harness our most important tool, the law. What we choose to do with our charitable gifts, even if they are modest, can and should reflect our values. I wanted my gift to help the environment, which is why I set up a charitable gift annuity with Earthjustice. I like to know that, when I am gone, my gift will continue working to protect regions that are so dear to me.”

“Let’s stay with fundamentals: clean air, unpoisoned water, uncontaminated soil. The desire for a healthy planet and a healthy environment in which to live a healthy, joyous life.”

My fondness for nature began when I was a child, but it wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I learned about Earthjustice. The tagline struck me: “Because the earth needs a good lawyer.” This is just so real and so true, and it sparked my interest immediately.

Like many people, I did some serious self-reflection in 2020. I decided to focus my financial support on my three favorite organizations, Earthjustice being one of them. Over the years I’ve been a monthly sustainer, an annual donor, and most recently, I transferred a life insurance policy to Earthjustice. I’m glad I discovered the benefits of making a planned gift, which is a great investment and a great use of assets. And I love knowing that I can do my part to bring about a better future for the planet.

I have total trust in Earthjustice to use my donations to do the right thing, and I am particularly excited about their focus on social justice. In communities across the country, the scales are tipped in favor of corporate interests and polluting industries. Neighborhoods that lack resources and political influence are often the targets of environmental discrimination, and their voices go unheard as their health and well-being are put at risk. That’s why it’s so essential that Earthjustice has picked up that torch.

Here in the South, I drive through communities near my house that have benefited from Earthjustice’s work. It’s a shame when a company spews their toxic waste right into an area’s sewer system, and that pollution infiltrates the whole neighborhood: leaking gases, poisoning the environment, and harming children and other residents. Often, the culprits aren’t held accountable. They get away with it. But Earthjustice is there to defend these communities with the most effective tool available – the power of the law.

The degradation of the environment, ultimately, has a negative impact on everyone because we are all connected. When we protect forests, we help people; when we protect rivers, we help people; when we help one community, we help communities all over the world.

Earthjustice looks at the big picture. They don’t just say, “we fought for this law and it was passed,” or, “we defended this place and it got cleaned up.” There’s a reason they choose certain battles; they are the most urgent battles of our time. Behind these fights are real people, real lives, and real needs, and Earthjustice does what they can to put these human stories at the forefront.

I had a career in advocacy, working for nonprofits, and you don’t make a lot of money in that line of work. My donations, at first, seemed small. Yet I know that there is strength in numbers, and together a donor base is powerful. Every little bit counts.

To learn that I could make a legacy gift was wonderful. And then I found out that the gift from my insurance policy would trigger a $5,000 matching gift from the Sandler Foundation. It was amazing! I almost cried. I am so thankful to the Sandler family, and it means so much to me to make a legacy gift for the future and have it matched immediately at such a significant level. 

Working with the Planned Gifts team to create my legacy was easier than I imagined. They demystified the process. For my situation, naming Earthjustice as a beneficiary on my life insurance policy made perfect sense, as I am not married and don’t have children. Now I feel a sense of peace and purpose knowing my money will go to an organization like Earthjustice, whose values and vision so closely align with mine.

My academic and professional focus is human geography: what our environment does to us, how it creates us, how it molds us, how we mold it and shape it, and the impact that it has on us culturally, sociologically, and economically. I see Earthjustice’s work as very much a part of that.

I recently reread “The Caveat to Clean Energy,” an article from the summer 2022 edition of Earthjustice Quarterly, carefully filed away in a special folder. The piece was something I had come to expect – one of the many discussions of the energy transition, jam-packed with details – but, in this case, telling the story from the standpoint of those whose welfare is jeopardized by the pursuit of alternatives to oil.

Seventy-nine percent of lithium and 69% of cobalt, minerals needed for rechargeable batteries, are found within 35 miles of Native reservations, so it’s not surprising that mining companies are swarming upon the stockpiles in droves. Depleted water supplies, polluted air, and contaminated soil follow in their wake.

“The Caveat to Clean Energy” is a gripping story about the Hualapai Tribe in northern Arizona, whose sacred hot spring, Ha’Kamwe’, is under threat. This is not the first time Indigenous communities have gotten such in-depth coverage. In fact, for as far back as I can remember, each of Earthjustice’s newsletters has come with some mention of Indigenous partners, from high-profile clients such as the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to little-known cases such as Chickaloon Native Village in Alaska, fighting a long-running battle with a nearby coal mine. It’s this sustained partnership that drew me to Earthjustice to begin with. 

I have no special qualifications on these subjects, having been trained as a literary scholar, teaching American literature at Yale for many years. Still, Native history has somehow always found its way into my work. My first book, Empire for Liberty, discussed Manifest Destiny as a shaping force in Melville’s novels, especially Moby-Dick. Indigenous characters are more than sideshows here, I argued. Supposedly on the losing side of history, they have refused to disappear, instead showing up and proving themselves consequential at every turn, from the beginning of the book to the very last paragraph. 

Earthjustice also sees Native tribes as consequential – and not just because of their chronicled endurance.  Hardworking lawyers believe that the power of the law can bring about real change, and they know from their work with Native clients that battles can be won. I used to be more skeptical about litigation, a mindset I shared with many literary scholars. My second book, Residues of Justice, published in 1996, emphasized all those issues left unresolved by clear-cut moral and legal verdicts. Since then, though, as my environmental commitments have deepened, my work has also evolved. Earthjustice sets an example I find especially compelling. Rather than seeing court wins as the endpoint, it often goes much further, spearheading more fundamental changes. In the case of the Hualapai Tribe, it has a bigger target: the 1872 General Mining Act. This archaic legislation continues to drive today’s sloppy environmental risk assessment and non-existing consultation with tribes, often just yards away from the drilling sites. Earthjustice aims for legislative reform no less than legal victory.

I’m now a full-time researcher at Harvard’s Center for the Environment, writing about the science and technology needed to deal with climate change. Recently, I published an op-ed in Scientific American, “AI can help Indigenous people protect biodiversity,” that would have astonished my former literary self. It’s pretty exciting being a newbie to a field of study once again, even if I have all the naiveties of a newbie. Through all these changes, Indigenous communities have been a constant, keeping me going in a way I never imagined. Earthjustice has been a constant as well. It’s good to think about the future through the work they will continue to do, long after I’m gone. Yes, the earth needs a good lawyer so that the overlooked casualties of history won’t be overlooked, and justice can live up to its full range of meanings, accessible even to the least privileged.