In regard to Earth Day, donations help too

To the Editor:

As our community prepares to mark Earth Day once again this April 22, the environmental movement has become more and more difficult for everyday people to navigate: A maze of climate change, carbon offsets, emissions guidelines and more.

While these big-picture issues can often seem far removed from everyday life, Wabash Valley Goodwill Industries encourages consumers to remember the widespread impact from one simple act: Donating goods.

For 86 years, Wabash Valley Goodwill has been an environmental pioneer of the "reduce, reuse, repurpose" practice, diverting more than four million pounds of clothing and household goods from landfills every year.

In 2010, Goodwill Industries launched the Donate Movement, a public awareness platform that lets people calculate the social impact of their own clothing and household item donations.

The Donate Movement website also offers consumers a step-by-step guide on how to organize to raise awareness by joining the Donate Movement Network, and provides resources on where to bring used goods for donation. On Earth Day this year, don't forget that small actions can still have a big impact. To find the donation site nearest you, visit http://goodwill.org and joint the Donate Movement.

Bill Tennis, Executive Director,

Wabash Valley Goodwill Industries, Inc.