Pennies for the Planet

Pennies for the Planet

Pennies for the Planet is a nationwide campaign powered by kids collecting and saving spare change to help save wild places and wildlife in the United States. By raising thousands of dollars for conservation, kids have proven that they care about making the planet cleaner, greener, and wilder. Through Pennies for the Planet kids who love animals have already raised over $100,000 for wildlife. What’s more important are the countless wonderful acts of generosity and conservation actions on the part of children. 

How does it work?

Working in groups and troops of all sorts, in school classrooms, with their families, and on their own, kids have turned pennies into a gold mine for wildlife in need of protection. This year, we will be collecting for Project Puffin.

Here’s why this project needs your help: 

Project Puffin was founded by Audubon scientist Steve Kress in 1973 in an effort to learn how to restore puffins to historic nesting islands in the Gulf of Maine. Dr. Kress documented that after decades of people hunting puffins for food or their feathers, there remained only one pair of puffins south of the Canadian border at the turn of the 20^th century. Today, thanks to the efforts of Project Puffin there are more than 1,000 pairs nesting in Maine.

Despite this remarkable recovery, puffins need our help. Puffins are not endangered, but they are threatened by human activities and are still rare in many areas where they were once abundant. Puffin populations are threatened by overhunting, uncontrolled tourism, introduced mammal predators, and oil spills. Some scientists are also concerned about the impacts of global climate change on seabird populations.

Fun Fact: Did You Know?

For most of their lives, puffins live at sea. They hunt fish, using their wings to “fly” underwater and their feet to steer. The average catch for a puffin is around 10 fish per trip, but the record in Britain is a whopping 62 fish at once!

Are you hungry to help?

Getting Started

You can become involved in this exciting conservation program for all ages by collecting coins and sending them to Audubon. 

Click here to download an official 2013 participation form.

For more information about the history and recent accomplishments of the Pennies program click here.

Contact Us: Email: pennies@audubon.org or call us toll free at 800-340-6546.

Click here to sign up to receive notifications about Pennies for the Planet. We will let you know as activities and special updates are available. 

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