KENNEBUNK, Maine —Tom’s of Maine, a leading maker of natural personal care products, is taking action to make a positive impact on the environment, and will donate $1,000,000 in 2018 to The Natu re Conservancy to help turn the tide toward better protecting, preserving and restoring our nation’s freshwater.

Just in time for Earth Month, the public can help by voting for their favorite of four different water-related protection efforts around the United States to direct project funding.  Consumer’s can vote today for their favorite water protection project at https://www.tomsofmaine.com/turnthetide.

“It’s easy to overlook the amount of water we use on a daily basis. At Tom’s of Maine, we want to be a part of the solution, and help show our kids that together we can have an impact at home, at work and as a community,” Rob Robinson, brand and goodness leader at Tom’s of Maine said in a statement. “Teaming up with The Nature Conservancy will help us make a difference in support of waterways around the nation.”

The top three vote-getting projects will receive $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000 in funding, respectively, in addition to a guaranteed base level of support for each. Projects include:

• The Colorado River Basin: Restoring and protecting water supplies for people and nature.
• The Mississippi River Basin: Restoring key floodplains to reduce nutrient pollution in a basin that covers (or drains) 41% of the U.S.
• East Coast Dam Removal: Freeing miles of river from Maine to Maryland by removing dams and improving habitat connections.
• Sustainable Rivers Program: Working with the Army Corps of Engineers to better balance what people and rivers need to thrive.

“The Nature Conservancy understands the importance of protecting and restoring America’s natural waterways to ensure people and nature have access to clean water to thrive,” said Shelly Lakly, managing director of the Conservancy’s Saving Rivers program. “To this end, the Conservancy is engaging in water protection projects across the country — such as protecting the Colorado River Basin and restoring the Mississippi River Basin — that not only provide clean drinking water and lower flood risk to our communities, but ultimately keep our rivers healthy.”

Remaining funds from Tom’s of Maine will go to support the Conservancy’s North American freshwater program, including on-the-ground projects along rivers and in river basins as well as water use and management projects to ensure that more of our natural waterways are protected.