How You Can Help Protect the Colorado River and Other US Waterways

When most people think about the Colorado River, they visualize sun-drenched days, water skiing, swimming, and other water sports, or zooming down the river in a power boat. While that is all great (and I’ve had great times doing exactly all of that), mention of the Colorado River has a different meaning to me.

This is a sponsored post with Tom’s of Maine® to let you know about the Turn the Tide™ Campaign. All opinions are my own.

Coming from the desert in California, a state that has been in a drought for most of the years that I’ve lived here (which is most of my 60 years), I have a special appreciation of water. Childhood lessons taught us how to conserve: turn off the flow when you’re brushing your teeth, don’t allow the hose to keep running, put a brick in the toilet to use less (long before water-saving toilets were around). Those tricks have served me well, and these days when there are mandatory limits in place it is easy to stay in line.

Learn how you can make a difference and vote for your favorite water project. @tomsofmaine is donating $1M to the @natureconservancy to benefit our waterways. #turnthetide #adClick To Tweet

The Colorado River

Coming from the desert in California, I also have a special appreciation for the Colorado River Aqueduct and the underground aquifer that it feeds, which lies deep beneath the ground in the Coachella Valley.

The aquifer refers to the underground water basin which lies about 1200 feet below the Coachella Valley. You can visualize the aquifer as a giant tilted bathtub, filled with sand and gravel and topped with clay. The Colorado River supplies nearly all the irrigation water, and the local water district also imports Colorado River water to replenish the aquifer, supplementing natural groundwater replenishment from rainwater and melting snow.

Tom’s of Maine

That is why I was so excited to work with Tom’s of Maine® to tell you about their exclusive partnership with the Nature Conservancy, the leading conservation agency. Tom’s of Maine will be donating $1,000,000 to fund projects that restore waterways across the US. (No purchase necessary. Your purchase will not increase the contribution to The Nature Conservancy. A portion of the donation will go toward administration of the mission of The Nature Conservancy.)

This exciting campaign, called “Let’s Turn the Tide,” will allow people to vote on their favorite project! Here are the four from which to vote:

The Colorado River  Will work to restore and maintain water supplies for people and nature.

The Mississippi River Will work to restore important floodplains and reduce nutrient pollution in a basin that covers 41% of the US.

East Coast Dams Will work to free miles of river from Maine to Maryland by removing dams and improving habitat connections.

The Sustainable Rivers Program Will work with the Army Corps of Engineers to balance what humans and rivers need to survive.

Learn more about each project and vote for the one that means the most to you here. Note that all projects will receive funding, but the winning project will receive more.

Tom’s of Maine has been the leader in natural products for 48 years! All of their personal products are made with natural ingredients and have no additives, artificial colors, preservatives, fragrances or flavors and they are not tested on animals. They believe in full disclosure and you can find a list of every ingredient in every product here.

I have been using Tom’s of Maine Deodorant for years. I love that it is aluminum-free and, like all Tom’s of Maine products, is made from natural ingredients.

In addition to this $1,000,000 donation to the Nature Conservancy, Tom’s of Maine gives 10% of profits to other projects that benefit humans and nature. Plus, all packaging can be upcycled through Terracycle®.

You can find Tom’s of Maine products at your local Sprouts Market!

Don’t forget to celebrate Earth Month by voting for your favorite project so that you can have a lasting positive impact on our nation’s waters! Voting ends 4/30!

What project did you vote for?

 

 

 

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Weekly Linkups

My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!

Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Meatless Monday with Annmarie  and Dixya
Tuesdays on the Run with Marcia, Erika, and Patty
Inspire Me Monday with Janice
Wild Workout Wednesday with Annmarie, Jen, and Nicole
The Plant-Based Potluck Party with Deborah
The Running Coaches’ Corner with Rachel, Lora Marie, and Me!
Friday 5 2.0 with Rachel and Lacey and Meranda