These past few days have brought more bad news for our national parks. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke confirmed that there will definitely be big cuts to national park budgets. This comes after Donald Trump’s budget request revealed a call for $300 million cuts to national parks.
Since most of this money would be taken out of park operations, these cuts would not only cause a rise in unemployment but would also seriously deplete upkeep in our national parks.
Apple seems to be recognizing how important it is that we help our national parks in any way we can with a new promotion coming in July.
The promotion is going to run from July 1 through 15 and will donate $1 to the National Park Foundation for every purchase made using Apple Pay at Apple Stores, on apple.com or through the Apple Store app. The proceeds will help to preserve and protect national parks with conservation projects. But they also hope that having such a major company promote protecting national parks will mean that people will learn more about the national parks crisis and want to get involved in protecting them.
In a statement released by Apple, CEO Tim Cook said:
America’s national parks are an inspiration to us at Apple, and we know they are as important to many of our customers as they are to us. Our goal is to leave the world better than we found it, so this July we’re making it easier for anyone to help preserve the beauty of our natural, cultural, and historical treasures.
In addition to donating money to the parks, Apple has also announced other ways that they are offering support. Apple Watch owners get a special activity badge inspired by national parks if they walk a certain distance. Additionally, the App Store is also planning on showcasing the best apps to help users easily navigate national parks on the front page. So, if you don’t use Apple Pay, these apps can help bring attention to the budget issues by letting people know what they’ll be missing out on if we don’t do something to help our parks.
With the environment being such a hot topic recently, it is important for all of us to be as educated as possible. I won’t name names (you can fill in the blanks) but many have deemed environmental issues inconsequential, hence budget cuts to national park upkeep. It can’t be up to just Apple to make sure we’re doing what’s best to maintain our beautiful national parks and furthermore, our world. But Apple’s promotions are a good way for us to start to learn more and provide an easy way to get involved.
If you can, buy an Apple product using Apple pay, even if it’s just a phone case. If you can’t, that’s fine too, just do your best to get educated and maybe check out and share some of the apps that Apple is going to be promoting on the front page of their App Store in the coming month.
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