Animal Protective League (APL)
The Animal Protective League is committed to ending the euthanasia of healthy cats and dogs in Sangamon County. Every year, APL rescues more than 2,000 kittens, puppies, and adult cats and dogs who have been surrendered to animal-control facilities, are left homeless because of their owners’ changing circumstances, or left to fend for themselves only to fall victim to illness, injury, or abuse. APL is unique among area animal-welfare organizations because it specializes in caring for un-owned, sick, and injured cats and dogs—the ones that would suffer and die without our intervention. Animals are cared for in our shelter and in foster homes until they are adopted to new owners. To stem the over-population of cats and dogs that leads to pet homelessness, all are spayed or neutered before adoption, and they are among the 12,000 or more surgeries performed each year in APL’s high-quality, low-cost spay/neuter clinic, whose clients include individual pet owners as well as rescue groups located within 90 miles of Springfield . To ensure the health of pets, APL offers low-cost vaccine clinics and a pet-food-bank. Volunteers are a vital part of APL’s success, with community members assisting staff with daily tasks, adoption events, fundraising, and maintenance.
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Animal Protective League (APL)
City of Springfield
The City of Springfield has created safety videos to help residents stay
safe while walking, bicycling, and driving. Any questions please call the City at 217.789.2000
Watch:
Basic Walking Safety: created for kids walking to and from school
Basic Biking Safety: includes information on hand signals, how to properly wear a helmet, and road hazards
Basic Driving Safety: includes information on hazards, visibility, and pedestrian safety
Epic Gardening
Epic Gardening has a simple mission: Help 100,000,000+ people around the world learn how to grow fresh, healthy food, no matter where they live.
Watch:
9 Beginner Raised Bed Garden Mistakes to Avoid
Gift of Hope
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is proud to serve as the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates organ and tissue donation and services to families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. Since our inception in 1986, we have coordinated donations that have saved the lives of more than 23,000 organ transplant recipients, and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. As one of 58 organ procurement organizations that make up the nation’s organ donation system, we work with 183 hospitals in our donation service area.
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Promotional Video
Grow Springfield
Grow Springfield is an organization committed to increasing access to fresh, locally grown food throughout Springfield and the surrounding areas by linking individuals to community gardens, encouraging urban farming and re-connecting individuals with the land, their heritage and their communities.
We envision a Springfield where community gardens are abundant; where farm-stands and farmers markets are a part of daily life; where opportunities exist for urban growers to make a living; where residents know where their food comes from, how it is grown and how to use it; and families are healthier & happier as a result.
Website
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Promotional Video
Habitat for Humanity
The Habitat ReStore: Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County’s ReStore is the place to shop for new and used home goods and building materials at affordable prices! Some items available for purchase - small & large appliances (new & used), furniture, antiques, flooring, home décor, cabinets, outdoor tools (lawnmowers, snowblowers, trimmers, etc.), windows and doors, bathroom & kitchen fixtures, tables and chairs.
The ReStore also accepts donations, subject to customer demand, from contractors, suppliers, individuals and organizations. All items for acceptance are subject to ReStore staff discretion.
The ReStore then sells these goods to the general public to help fund the construction of new Habitat houses within the local community. The ReStore performs a valuable community service by diverting large amounts of reusable materials from landfills and providing these products to the public at affordable prices.
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Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County Restore
Upcycling Wood to Make A Birdhouse
Huws Nursery
Huws Nursery is a channel which dedicates itself to teaching you how to grow an abundance of food at your home. Videos are uploaded every week and cover a
vast range of subjects including; soil health, sowing, transplanting, weeding, organic tips, permaculture, pest control, harvesting and low maintenance
growing to name a few.
Watch:
17 Brilliant FREE Vegetable Gardening Hacks/ More Food for Less Effort
Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR): Division of Education
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Education is responsible for the development and dissemination of educational programs and materials about the natural resources of the state and for training in their use. Professional development workshops through the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program offer Professional Development Hours for teachers. Grants for developing wildlife habitat on school grounds or other public places and for taking students on field trips to natural areas and state historic sites in Illinois are offered. Educational materials for use in the classroom include lessons, video podcasts and publications. Resources trunks and packs are hands-on units that may be borrowed from locations throughout the state. The Web page is filled with information about the species and habitats of the state. Teachers, home-schooling educators, scout leaders, youth group leaders and families are among the people who utilize the information and resources.
Watch:
Kids for Trees: Tree Planting
Jubilee Farm
What is Jubilee Farm? A peaceful destination, a place of integrity, a home to farm animals and wildlife, an educational resource, a demonstration of living in an ecologically responsible way, an oasis for spirituality, a special gift to those who seek solace and spiritual enrichment in nature.
Sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, Jubilee Farm is a 164 acre center for ecology and spirituality located just west of Springfield, Illinois.
Our programs and services, ministry of hospitality and gently rolling expanse of grassland provide a setting where individuals and groups can nurture their spiritual and emotional growth. Come walk the land or spend time in quiet retreat. Our walking trails, outdoor labyrinth, creek and ponds offer tranquil settings for reflection.
Jubilee Farm’s programs and classes promote an understanding of our interdependent relationship to the whole of creation and offer insights into how to live more sustainably on our home planet. Our vegetable gardens and orchard produce healthy, chemical-free foods and are complemented by our classes that teach holistic and sustainable ways of eating.
We offer tours and programs for children and adults. Handmade pottery, fiber and woodworking items are for sale at our Creative Arts Center, which also has a large meeting space for groups. We also offer spiritual direction and private or directed retreats at LaCasa, which is located close to the gardens. LaCasa accommodates small group gatherings and a reading room with a lending library of books, audiovisual materials and children’s curriculums.
Website
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Promotional Video
Lincoln Library
Lincoln Library is a division of the City of Springfield The history of Lincoln Library stretches back in time for well over 150 years to 1856, when a group of Springfield businessmen organized a subscription library. Known as the Springfield Library Association, members or stockholders of the organization were able to check out books from the library. The Association incorporated on March 15, 1866 and opened a new library in 1869 under the management of Samuel Willard. A comprehensive catalogue of the library was published in 1871 with an alphabetical list of the 3,000 volumes in the library and the association’s bylaws. Since its founding the library has been in several locations.
In 1974, the original Carnegie library building was demolished to make way for a 3-story, 94,500 square foot structure. During construction, the library continued to operate out of temporary facilities located in a former JC Penney’s store at 522 East Adams. With construction complete by 1976, the new library made its grand opening to the public on February 21, 1977 with a collection of over 250,000 volumes. The building was noted for its free-standing stairway, skylight and Carnegie Room used for library programs and meetings of community groups. The entire building has been renovated in the past ten years with the addition of a computer classroom, expanded public computer area and study rooms.
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Promotional Video
National Geographic
With many of Africa’s key species, including elephants, heading toward extinction, Akashinga is a radical, new and highly effective weapon against
poaching. Founded in Zimbabwe by former Australian special forces soldier and anti-poaching leader Damien Mander, the women-only team of rangers
is revolutionizing the way animals are protected, communities are empowered — and its members’ own lives are being transformed. Mander’s
innovative approach to conservation calls for community buy-in rather than full-on armed assault against poachers: If a community understands
the economic benefits of preserving animals, then it will eliminate poaching without an armed struggle.
Watch:
Akashinga: The Brave Ones
Patagonia Films
Patagonia Films presents Treeline: A Story Written in Rings, available in full for the first time. Follow a group of skiers, snowboarders,
scientists and healers to the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia and the bristlecones of Nevada, as they explore an
ancient story written in rings.
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Treeline: A Story Written in Rings
Sustainable Springfield, Inc.
Sustainable Springfield Inc. (SSI) is an environmental grass roots organization that promotes and inspires sustainable solutions by our local governments, the business community, and Springfield area citizens through education, networking, and collaboration.
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Promotional Video
Urban Action Network
We all have great ideas. But turning ideas into action is harder than one might think, especially in neglected areas with limited resources. We’re proud to support local activists and community-based organizations that are creating and promoting community solutions. UAct provides in-kind, hands-on project management assistance to design, develop, execute and sustain community-based projects and activities. We provide tools, resources and connections to help local activists and organizations realize their goals.
Watch:
2021 WPC Earth Care Video
Map Link
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Watch:
2021 WPC Earth Care Video
WindSolar USA
WindSolarUSA, Inc. is a full-service renewable energy and energy efficiency company offering solar photovoltaics, solar pool heating, wind and LED lighting technologies.
Our services include customer and public education, site assessment, consulting services, research/communication of funding opportunities, system sizing and design, cost modeling, product procurement and project management. We can even recommend local financing opportunities for those that need it!
Founded in 2008 for the purpose of being able to assist individuals, businesses, municipalities and rural agricultural producers to secure clean energy at a fixed price for partial or total energy self-sufficiency, the company offers site assessments and technical sales advisors to professionally evaluate your renewable resource(s)/LED lighting opportunities and develop your project. We are proud to offer American-made products professionally installed by skilled labor.
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Promotional Video
World Wildlife Fund: “Work out Your Wild Side”
WWF has put together weekly exercises you can do with kids that are animal related/themed.
Watch:
Work Out Your Wild Side
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