How to help
At ARC we are lucky to have many people asking us
how they can help us in our work. Here are the most
common questions – and some of our answers.
What can I do to help?
How can I donate to
ARC?
How can I join ARC?
Can I volunteer?
What if I have no
particular religious beliefs, but am interested in
helping?
There is a polluted
well/overgrown pilgrim path/dilapidated chapel/etc
in my neighbourhood. What can I do about it?
What can I do to help?
ARC’s aim is to help people protect their environment,
through working with their different beliefs and cultures.
The first thing we invite people to do is think about
why they believe that caring for the environment is
important. What is so crucial about Creation that it
is worth conserving? If you have an allegiance or affinity
to any of ARC’s eleven faiths, or if you are inspired
by or interested in what they have to say, then take
a look at the relevant pages in our Faiths section.
Then read our section on thinking
the ARC way. It will probably give you many ideas
of how you can improve things in your own environment
– at work, at home, at school, in your neighbourhood
or at your place of worship – as well as in other
places you visit. Look at our list of ARC projects –
Sacred
Gifts, Sacred
Land, 3iG,
Asian-Buddhist
Network and Climate
Change - and have your own ideas about things that
you can change – whether it is your own petrol
consumption, your neighbourhood’s recycling campaigns,
your church’s holy well, your temple’s financial
investments or your country’s development strategies.
One of the most important things is to bring your beliefs
about Creation into your everyday life.
Of course, you can also help ARC directly, by donating
money.
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How can I donate to ARC?
ARC works on very tight budgets and we are always grateful for donations for
our projects. We can receive cheques made out to "The Alliance of Religions
and Conservation" in euros and other currencies as well as sterling,
although we have to pay bank charges of about £15 for each non-sterling
cheque.
If you are in the USA then we can receive funds made
out to the Garrison foundation, sent to the attention
of Jonathan Rose, at The Garrison Institute, 22 Katonah
Avenue, Katonah New York 10536 USA. Please mark clearly
on the cheque and on a covering letter that it is
intended for ARC. The Garrison Institute is a 501
Foundation.
You could also help us by buying books through our
bookshop
section. ARC is an associate of both Amazon.com and
Amazon.co.uk, and we receive 15 per cent of the price
of books listed on our website, if bought through
the Amazon link (or 5 per cent of the price of any
books, even if they are not mentioned on our website
- so do go through our link if you want to make any
purchases from Amazon.)
Some people have said they would like to leave a legacy
to ARC in their wills. This can take several forms.
• a residual bequest - after making provisions
for your family and friends, the balance of your
belongings (legally referred to as your “estate”)
is donated to ARC.
• a percentage of your estate - where a specific
percentage of your estate is left to ARC.
• a pecuniary bequest - where a specific
sum of money is donated to ARC.
• a life insurance/assurance policy.
• a life income plan - where you set up a
trust for your dependants, providing them with a
regular income, while the principal of the trust
(the original amount invested) is paid to ARC after
a specified time period - this can also be known
as a 'charitable remainder trust'.
We recommend you make an appointment with your legal
adviser to help you decide what sort of bequest to
choose, and make sure your will is legal and valid.
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How can I join ARC?
ARC’s members are the faithful of the eleven
religions - Baha’ism, Buddhism, Christianity,
Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shintoism,
Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. To cut down on administration
costs we do not have an organised membership of donors,
although we do have a number of people who have shown
support over the years, and who like to keep in touch
with our projects and activities.
If you would like to join their number we would like
to invite you to join our emailing
list to keep up with ARC’s latest news –
which will also be posted on this website. You will
receive emails once every one or two months. A donation
when you join would be very much appreciated. You can
download a form on our contact
page.
If you decide to set up a Sacred Land project, then
your group could become an associate of Sacred Land
– for a minimum donation of £10 although
we would suggest at least £50 if you can afford
it, to cover our basic administrative costs.
And as you will see in this website, there are many
other things you can do to make a difference –
including making sure you minimise your own impact
on the environment, through conducting an energy
audit, recycling, or buying environmentally-certified
materials including FSC
timber.
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Can I volunteer?
ARC does not have vacancies for volunteers. We are
a very small organisation, and in each of the 68 countries
where we have projects, our work involves collaborating
with local groups, helping them conserve their own
environment in line with their existing beliefs and
the values of their culture.
It does not often involve sending outsiders, and when
the project does require this, then ARC sends paid
consultants who are experts in their field whether
this is palaeobotany, Buddhist thanka painting restoration,
forest management, vernacular architecture or web
design.
However there are many excellent organisations –
both conservation groups and religious bodies - that
do have volunteer programmes or operate eco-tourism
projects. And although we cannot vouchsafe for each
of them personally, below are a few useful web links.
We most strongly recommend you discuss your enthusiasm
with members of your own faith community. Many religions
now run their own projects, which can enable you to
work with them on local, national or international
conservation programmes.
WWF
CAFOD
Evangelical
Environmental Network
Islamic
Relief
National
Council of Churches USA
Australian
Volunteers International
BTCV
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What if I have no particular
religious beliefs, but am interested in helping?
Many people are interested in the worlds of religion
and spirituality yet would not wish to be specifically
identified with one religion. If you do not actively
belong to a faith community there are still many ways
to contribute. Indeed ARC itself is a secular organisation,
and we have colleagues of all faiths as well as of
none. You might not necessarily believe in an all-encompassing
God or in a divine purpose, but perhaps you believe
that Creation – or the environment – is
special and should be looked after. Much of what ARC
does might be of interest to you, and – as several
secular organisations and businesses have already
found – there is something important to be learned
from religious wisdom even if you don’t follow
the rules the whole way, or agree with everything
they say.
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I’ve got a polluted
well/overgrown pilgrim path/dilapidated chapel in
my neighbourhood. What can I do about it?
You can probably do a great deal! Through our Sacred
Land project, ARC has had a great deal of experience
dealing with all of these situations. Take a look
at a few of our model projects
on this website and read our guidelines on how to
think in the ARC
way.
But most of all think adventurously and imaginatively.
Think about what you would most love to see happening
in your neighbourhood, and work in partnership with
other people to help make it actually happen. You
might be surprised: you might reach higher than you
had ever imagined.
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