What You Can Do
Our generation holds the future of coral reefs in its hands. If we fail to act now, coral reefs and the communities and cultures that depend on them may be lost forever. If you care about coral reefs and want to make a difference, there are lots of ways you can help.
Join CORAL by Making a Donation
Your support allows CORAL to protect coral reefs from the effects of climate change and other human-induced stresses by creating Coral Reef Sustainable Destinations (CRSD) in seven sites around the world. Our goal is to expand our work to seventeen sites within the next five years, and we need your help. Donate Now »
Become a Friend of the Reef
When you make an ongoing commitment to CORAL through regular monthly or quarterly donations, you receive special benefits as a Friend of the Reef, including a one-year subscription to our quarterly print newsletter, CORAL Current, a wall calendar featuring stunning underwater photography, and more. Become a Friend of the Reef »
Be a Smart Consumer
Support the health of the oceans when you shop by understanding how your purchases can impact the environment.
Don't buy coral jewelry - harvesting of red coral for jewelry is deadly, and CORAL supporter Tiffany & Co. claims it’s too precious to wear.
Choose seafood wisely - if you don't know which fish are sustainably harvested and safe to eat, we have guides that can help you make the right choices.
Support coral-friendly businesses - know what to look for when planning your next dive trip or vacation.
Buy a copy of Reef - CORAL receives a portion of the proceeds from every copy sold of this beautiful coffee table book and DVD produced by Scubazoo and published by DK.
Give the gift of coral reefs - CORAL memberships make great gifts for friends and family members who care about our planet.
Shop smart - buy from your favorite stores and save coral reefs at the same time: premier online dive shop Leisure Pro is partnering with CORAL to raise awareness about the importance of saving coral reefs now, and when you shop at your favorite online retailers using iGive, CORAL gets a donation.
Show Your Support
To help CORAL raise awareness about the importance of saving coral reefs and the work we do:
Send a beautiful coral reef E-Card to three of your friends and ask each of them to pass it on.
Order coral reef–themed checks, mailing labels, or cotton checkbook covers from Message! Checks. CORAL gets a percentage of each order.
Become a CORAL Fundraiser
Log on to Change.org or Chip in and launch a CORAL fundraising campaign of your own. Be sure to let us know all about your progress so we can share your story with other coral reef supporters and inspire even more people to get involved.
Live Sustainably
Conserving energy to reduce your carbon footprint is one way to fight the effects of global warming and lessen large-scale threats to reef ecosystems. Discover your current carbon footprint and measure your conservation success using a carbon footprint calculator.
Take small but powerful and environmentally conscious steps like switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, planting native trees, buying energy-efficient cars, and teleconferencing instead of flying.
Follow the 3 R's—reduce, reuse, recycle—to ameliorate the negative impacts of pollution and landfills on the health of our oceans.
Check out the CORAL resources section for more ways to protect our environment.
Educate Others
Whether you are a teacher, a student, or simply a concerned and responsible citizen, you have the ability to share your passion and knowledge with others. Because much of the visible damage to coral reef ecosystems happens deep in the ocean, many people don’t realize that our reefs are in trouble, nor do they understand that this crisis will affect all of us, no matter where we live. Please help us get the word out; we have lots of educational materials to help you.
Give a presentation - at your school, a club, or a house party that you host.
Contact the media - write a letter to the editor or pitch a coral-related article in your local newspaper.
Sign up for CORAL’s e-mail list - we'll let you know about opportunities for you to help your elected officials understand the importance of coral reef conservation.
Do Even More
Become a CORAL volunteer - we’re always looking for smart and passionate people to help us save coral reefs.
Research corporate matching - ask your company to match your personal donation or underwrite CORAL’s publications, Web site, or videos.Remember CORAL at tax time - designate CORAL for a Combined Federal Campaign Contribution (#10418).
Add CORAL to your will - and make the gift of living reefs part of your legacy.
Do even more - contribute appreciated securities, real estate, art, or other items of value.
We need your help! Anything you can do to give, teach, or inspire on behalf of coral reefs is deeply appreciated, not only by CORAL, but also by the millions of creatures, human and otherwise, that depend on coral reefs. Thank you.
A Poignant Response CORAL’s Director of Conservation Programs, Rick MacPherson, received an unmarked package containing a coral necklace and an anonymous letter written in response to a post on Rick's blog about SeaWeb’s "Too Precious To Wear " campaign. Read the story »