Climate change. Global warming. Carbon footprint. However you put it, the environment has become an issue of monumental concern. As polar ice caps shrink (and gas prices climb) we are all considering the impact we have on the earth we will leave to our children. Organizations like the Audubon Naturalist Society were ahead of the curve on this one: founded in the

Browse the 2008-09 Nature Charities

District in 1897 and with just a few hundred members in the 1940s - including influential ones like Rachel Carson - it has now grown to encompass a larger region and a growing suburban membership. More than 5,000 individuals in the Central Atlantic states participate in education programs and conservation campaigns. It seems we're catching on. This year's Catalogue charities (including several that were first featured in '03 and '04; they are marked with our icon ) include a network of farmers' markets that are part of the "local food movement," a youth garden that teaches youngsters and families how to grow their own dinners, environmental education programs, and even a film festival, where participants learn about the earth, the stars, and everything in between. All instill a love and respect for the environment as they teach stewardship skills that can pay huge dividends. We're also thinking about how to make our urban spaces livable: "smart growth" is the watchword, and in the place of sprawl we have a Blueprint for a Better Region. Fortunately, young people are growing up with a different way of thinking about the planet. They don't need to be convinced that it is their job to protect it; they just need to understand how. Here are some of the ways.