Yesterday I posted a diary about an initiative to make factory farms in Iowa clean up their act. The organization doing this is the Environmental Integrity Project. They were trying to raise $5000 from individual donors by Friday of this week.
I received an email from EIP today, saying they received over $1000 in online donations yesterday. They've got a thank you message for all of us here at DailyKos, and it is below the flip if you'd like to take a look.
(Also below the flip, a few other thoughts based on the excellent comments left on yesterday's diary.)
From the Environmental Integrity Project:
Kossack Community:
I work for EIP and we wanted to post a big thank you to everyone who has donated. We really appreciate the diary entry and will put the donations to good use in the fight to clean up factory farms in Iowa and around the United States. As one example, EIP worked with several national and local organizations to stop a last minute push in Congress to exempt industrial agriculture from environmental laws
As a DC-based organization, EIP has been wary about taking donations away from the grassroots organizations we work with in states like Iowa and Ohio. The Foundation, which has been a very loyal and very generous supporter of EIP and local organizations, has given us an opportunity to expand our individual donor base and we are grateful for the push. We admit it has been in a painful learning process.
We thank everyone who has donated and realize your giving dollars can be spent many places. If you have any questions/concerns, please feel free to drop us a note or give us a call.
Thanks again from everyone at EIP and best wishes for the holidays.
I'm just floored by the response in donations. I think it'd be a great idea to follow EIP's progress to see the impact our community has made on factory farms.
As usual, the comments on my diary yesterday were far more interesting and insightful than the diary itself. Many people suggested boycotting factory farmed meat or cutting down on meat altogether. Several folks said they bought locally raised pastured meat and they off-set the higher price of it by buying less meat overall. Others said they went vegetarian or vegan.
A great point that was raised is that going veg in itself isn't necessarily the solution. Whether you eat animal products or you don't, buying locally from sustainable farmers is the way to really make a difference. While you might not feel that has much effect because Wal-Mart won't miss your business, keep in mind that even so, the small farmers WILL notice and appreciate your business. A relatively small group of environmentally- and health-conscious people can keep small farmers in business even if the same number of people boycotting factory farms won't be noticed.
As to those who questioned EIP as an organization, let me know if you'd like me to put you in touch with Lale, the Kossack who told me about EIP, or folks at EIP. Lale has a history of going after environmental criminals and getting real results so her recommendation of EIP is enough to convince me of their legitimacy but I understand skepticism of giving money over the internet.
Thanks again to everyone! Happy Festivas to all :)