Youcanchangetheplanet.org was created in 2007 to facilitate and promote sustainable conservation. We are currently in the developmental stage of creating an officially recognized and accredited non-profit organization.
Youcanchangetheplanet.org founder Andrew Kowalski was frustrated by the number of aluminum cans he saw along dirt roads bordering the cotton fields he scouted for a living. One day he started collecting these cans as he waited to be picked up. First, the cans were kept in a small bucket used for washing the work trucks. Eventually, enough cans were collected to fill a trash bag. By the end of the summer, two trash bags had been filled.
Andrew and his dad took the cans to a recycling center in Kennett, Missouri, where they received $16.40 for the aluminum. Andrew decided to donate this money to area conservation efforts, but he quickly realized that the type of conservaton he wanted to promote simply didn't exist.
For these reasons, we at youcanchangetheplanet.org have developed a form of conservation that we're calling "dually sustainable". We plan to purchase marginal and degraded land and restore them to viable, native ecosytems through natural succession and direct action. The ecosystems we restore will be capable of perpetuating, or sustaining, themselves. Many of these conserved lands will also serve as a source of revenue as part of federal programs like the Conservation Reserve Program.
A bit of quick math tells us that at $2,500 per acre, $16.40 only buys about 285 square feet of land. It quickly became evident that more money would be needed. That's where our name came from. You really can change the planet, and we think it's important to encourage you to do so. We want to give you a way to make it happen.
Our name was built around the words "can" and "change". We figure that anyone can collect, save, and recycle aluminum cans. We cannot imagine a better use for the money you receive for your aluminum than an investment in sustainable conservation. Our other key word is change. Any time you spend some portion of a dollar, you get change back. We will certainly put your dollars to good use, but saving and donating your change is a really easy way to make a big difference! For more information check out the
How It All Works page.