In my country, the United States of America, there are numerous popular environmental organizations. In fact, there are so many that it is a challenge to provide an overview. As a result, I will introduce two organizations that are prominent in their work to fight climate change.

1. The Sierra Club.

The first organization that I would like to introduce is the Sierra Club. It is on Forbes' list of the top 200 charities in the United States. It has more than 2 million supporters in the United States, and is organized by local chapters. My local chapter is the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter. It was founded in 1892 by the famous conservationist John Muir, who is known for his writings to preserve Yosemite National Park.

The Sierra Club is one of our nation's largest environmental non-profit organizations. Over the years it has been involved in protecting wilderness lands, along with lobbying to pass environmental legislation. For example, this includes the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. More recently, they have been focused on climate change issues to move towards a clean energy economy.

Presently, the Sierra Club is organizing and fundraising to have an impact to protect the environment during a Donald Trump presidency, as many are concerned that his interests in profit will come at the expense of the environment. The student chapter is called the Sierra Student Coalition.

2. 350.org.

The second organization that I would like to introduce is 350.org. It is very different from the Sierra Club in terms of its history, but it has similar goals to fight climate change. It was started more recently in 2008. It is focused on climate change alone, rather than the broader conservation goals of some environmental organizations.

As a result, 350.org is known as a "climate movement" that organizations days of action to enable activists and organizations to be more effective. For example, they started the International Day of Climate Action in 2009, and Climate Impacts Day in 2012.

In general, their goals are to "keep carbon in the ground," while transitioning to a low-carbon economy and pressuring government to limit emissions.

It is organized by local chapters. The two chapters in my area are 350 Silicon Valley and Fossil Free Stanford. Both of these groups are grassroots initiatives led by citizens who take action locally to try to influence laws and policies affecting the planet. 350 Silicon Valley is a local effort that works with the larger 350 movement. Fossil Free Stanford is seeking to have Stanford University fully divest from fossil fuels.

I believe these two organizations are noteworthy because they both have a strong impact. The Sierra Club operates in a more traditional fashion, with a large budget and influence in Washington, D.C. with lawmakers. 350.org has impact at the grassroots activist level, to make sure that everyday voices are heard in the fight against climate change.

Image Credit: 350.org