Activists Fund the FutureMeet Diane & Ian WalkerDiane Walker’s environmental activism is the result of her personal history. The seeds of her environmentalism were planted early in life when, as a young girl, she summered with her grandparents in Colorado. “It was such an enjoyable time for my brother and me. I rode horseback and hiked, and my brother fished,” she recalls.

Diane also credits the desert landscape of California, where she grew up, for inspiring her love for the earth. She vividly recalls the impression that reading Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring left on her. This early awareness of nature prompted her support of the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, the organization we now know as Earthjustice.

In fact, part of the reason Diane prizes Earthjustice is because of its long history of successfully enforcing environmental laws. She appreciates that Earthjustice works on her behalf. “I’m not in a position to fight the legal battles myself, but I can write letters and send emails,” she explains. Two of Diane’s first letters were published in The New York Times.

Diane and her husband, Ian, still actively protect the earth by supporting Earthjustice

TheEvergreen CouncilNews

L E G A C Y N E W S L E T T E R O F E A R T H J U S T I C E FA L L 2 0 1 3

InsIde This Issue: • My Environmental History • Income for Life and Year-End Tax Savings

and by writing letters and sending emails. “I read everything Earthjustice sends me so I can continue my education and advocacy on behalf of the environment,” she says. “And Ian and I have included a bequest for Earthjustice in our will. Although we’ve made bequests to our children, grandchildren and other causes we champion, the real legacy we want to leave is a healthy planet. Ian and I rest easy knowing that, with our help and the help of other Earthjustice members who make a gift for the future, the organization will continue its work long after we’re gone.”

“Although we’ve made bequests to our children, grandchildren and other causes we champion, the real legacy we want to leave is a healthy planet.”

—Diane & Ian Walker, Evergreen Council members

Each Earthjustice member has followed an individual path to become an environmental activist and join forces with Earthjustice. Perhaps your commitment to our environment started with an early Earth Day celebration. Or perhaps a visit to one of the natural wonders of the world—the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef—transformed your understanding of the importance of protecting the environment. Maybe you were affected by a battle closer to home, where the quality of your own water or air was at stake. You have made Earthjustice a part of your life story by ensuring that we, as the premier environmental law organization, are able to fight to protect people’s health; to preserve magnificent places and wildlife; to advance clean energy; and to combat climate change.

Whatever first prompted you to support Earthjustice, you can permanently link your story with ours by taking two steps today. First, share your story with us. We are launching the “My Environmental History Campaign,” a new effort to collect and

My environmental HiStory

Please contribute your unique story to help us create an archive of narratives that illustrate the many connections Earthjustice members have to our work. Use the enclosed reply form to tell us your story, or enter your story at www.earthjustice.org/myhistory.

Tell Us Your Story

archive the stories of our members and their commitment to protecting the environment. To participate, return the enclosed reply form to get started or enter your story at www.earthjustice.org/myhistory.

Second, consider making a legacy gift. It’s so easy to do. Simply designate Earthjustice for a bequest in your will or trust, or make Earthjustice a beneficiary of your retirement plan or life insurance policy. These options cost you nothing now and preserve your right to change your beneficiaries at any time. Use the enclosed reply form to let us know. Notifying us of your plans is the best way to ensure we receive the gift you intend for us.

Endangered manatees are dying in record numbers! Legacy gifts help Earthjustice fight for strong pollution standards to help save this gentle species.

To include a bequest to Earthjustice in your will or living trust, or to designate us as beneficiary of an IRA or other financial account, simply provide your advisor or financial account administrator with the following information:

“I hereby give (percentage, residuary, share or

specific amount or asset) to Earthjustice,

50 California Street, Suite 500,

San Francisco, CA 94111.” Earthjustice Tax ID: 94-1730465

UsIng The Right Words

LookIng For A hIgh-IMpAcT 2013 Tax Break?If you’re looking for a high-impact tax break that can benefit you while also helping to ensure that the earth has a good lawyer, consider a 2013 IRA rollover gift to Earthjustice. If you are 70½ or older, you can transfer up to $100,000 (per individual) this year and reap two important financial benefits. The distribution will count toward your required minimum distribution but will not count as taxable income for 2013, helping to keep you in a lower tax bracket—and the transfer is not subject to new limitations on itemized deductions. Your transfer must be directly from your IRA to Earthjustice and must be completed by December 31, 2013.

Check the box on the enclosed reply form to receive a sample letter you can send to your IRA administrator directing a gift to Earthjustice or visit www.earthjustice.org/IRA.

no-cost Ways to giveYou might be surprised to discover that many assets you may not have considered can be used to make a legacy gift. Designating all or part of these assets for Earthjustice costs you nothing now; preserves your right to change your beneficiaries at any time; requires no minimum contribution; and enables you to provide for loved ones and for Earthjustice. These include:

u Bequests in your will

u Retirement plan assets

u Life insurance policies

u Savings bonds

u Funds remaining in bank and brokerage accounts

u Funds remaining in a donor advised fund

u Certificates of deposit

GIFT ANNUITIESMADE EASY

esTATe pLAnnIng resoUrcesEarthjustice has complimentary estate planning publications available to our supporters. Download the publications at www.earthjustice.org/planning.

Free!

EASY WAYSTO GIVE

ESTATE

PLANNING

ESSENTIALS

Please consult your qualified financial or tax advisor before making any gift.

For assistance in crafting your personal legacy, for more information, or to notify us that you have included Earthjustice in your plans, please contact us.

Tracy Donahoe, Director of Planned GiftsLinda Coffee, Planned Gifts Officer

(800) 584-6460

legacy@earthjustice.org

50 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94111

We’re here to help

Income for Life and Year-end Tax savings With a charitable gift AnnuityHigher capital gains taxes this year, combined with the challenges of finding attractive, fixed returns on investments, make charitable gift annuities funded with appreciated securities a smart strategy. When you make an irrevocable donation of at least $10,000 to Earthjustice, we’ll send you a fixed annual payment—for as long as you live—at an attractive rate. You will be eligible for a charitable deduction, too. Contact us today to start realizing tax benefits while enjoying the satisfaction of making a gift that benefits you now, and in the future, helps Earthjustice preserve our natural heritage, protect our health, and promote a clean energy future for generations to come.

prAIse For Gift Annuities

“It’s the gift that keeps on giving—and that even gives back to the benefactor. In growing numbers, philanthropic advisers are trumpeting so-called gift annuities as a win-win proposition, because they let donors support their favorite causes and get a decent income stream in return.”

—Smart Money magazine

“To more effectively fight for environmental justice and at the suggestion of my financial advisor, I have established a charitable annuity with Earthjustice. ‘Because the earth needs a good lawyer.’”

—Joanna Katz, Earthjustice annuitant

Your savings deadline Is

december 31

See Your Benefits

To see what your charitable gift annuity

payments and tax savings would be, based

on your age and gift amount, simply contact

us to receive a free proposal. We’ll send along

with it information that describes the many

benefits of charitable gift annuities. There is

no obligation on your part to learn more.