Double Dip on Tax Deductions and Save the Planet at the Same Time!

“How can I do this?”  We hope you’re asking about now.  Well, C.E.D.O. our all-important non-profit environmental research, conservation and science education organization is holding their annual Holiday Garage Sale on Saturday December 10 to raise funds that will go to support their core missions (more about those worthy causes in a moment).  With certain restrictions, known only to you, you may qualify for a double dip in tax deductions by participating in this fund raiser.

Doesn’t it figure that if you show up at the CEDO field station in Las Conchas by December the 5^th, and donate some of your stuff, like clothes, furniture, doo-dads, thing-a-ma-jiggers and such, that you might receive a tax deduction on those items?  Well, if you return on the 10^th of December and purchase other used stuff and that money goes to a non-profit cause, it should also figure that those expenditures would be tax deductible as well.  Hence, the Great Double Dip Deduction Plan.

Note to all you accountant/tax types fidgeting in your seats right about now: Don’t spend your valuable time writing to explain how ridiculous this concept is. We really just wanted to use “double dip” because they’re such a fun combo… and just maybe when someone thinks of ice cream, they might remember that December the 5th is the date they need to bring their stuff to CEDO in Las Conchas for the Garage Sale. Then, maybe, they’ll remember “Double Dip” and it will remind them to come back on the 10^th of December to buy someone else’s stuff.

Stay with us now. If the money from stuff you donate and the stuff you buy go to an organization dedicated to saving our environment such as is CEDO, then you are certainly, without qualification, doing your part to save our planet as well.

Geez, this makes so much sense it’s probably illegal…or fattening.

Let’s talk about saving the planet a little more seriously, and how you might help:

Unless you were washed out with the highly active Sea of Cortez tide sometime before 1980 and are just coming back into shore with the high tide, then you’ve probably heard of C.E.D.O

Even for those of us who have heard of C.E.D.O. it’s always good to refresh their full name in our minds. CEDO is the acronym for El Centro Intercultural de Estudios de Desiertos y Océanos, their name in Spanish.  In English, it is the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans. CEDO has been recognized for its scientific research, environmental leadership and education since its formation in 1980.

Though its core mission is to maintain and promote conservation and sustainable use of all aspects of the Sea of Cortez, also referred to as the Gulf of California, and specifically the northern Gulf of California, CEDO has proven to be more than a catalyst for marine biology. The organization earned the coveted Mexico National Conservation Award in 2007 for their consistency in “promoting environmental awareness, disseminating knowledge and encouraging civic participation…[through] civic dialogue…and transparent decision-making.” These words are from the nomination paper submitted Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra, Biodiversity Research Center of the Californias in San Diego for the above mentioned award.

If you are not familiar with the unique importance of the Sea of Cortez, consider that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, and that the famed marine researcher, Jacques Cousteau, called this Sea the “Aquarium of the World” because of its diverse abundance of marine life that includes 90 species of endemic fish, over 10% of the bird species that are endemic to Mexico plus over 180 other bird species, and is home to the rare and seriously endangered Vaquita Marina Porpoise, and 90% of the world’s population of Heermann’s Gulls.

These are just some of the fascinating facts about this ecologically important body of water and its bordering wetlands. There are many more important aspects of the surrounding Sonoran Desert about which CEDO shares knowledge and promotes conservation and sustainable use.

These facts are shared for those who may not know, and to remind those who are aware of CEDO’s important work that it will be well worth the time you spend looking through your garage, your closet, or the trunk of your kid’s car for items that might be sold at the CEDO Garage Sale.  Just remember the 5^th of December to bring your gently used items to the Las Conchas field office and to come back on the 10^th for the Great Double Dip Deduction Caper when you buy something to fill the space you emptied with the stuff you donated for the Holiday Garage Sale.

The opportunity to help this great organization gets even better. Please look over the following lists CEDO affectionately calls their “Wish List” and just maybe you have something they can use to furnish part of their new facilities in outlying areas such as San Felipe, and El Golfo de Santa Clara as a result of the new MIA contract (Learn more at http://www.cedointercultural.org/content/view/107/106/1/2/lang,en/ )

 Wish list for new field offices:

—Beds and mattresses (2)

—Armoires, wardrobes or dressers (2)

—Office chairs

—Book shelves

—Desks

—Coffee table

—Kitchen table with chairs

—Pots & pans

—Plates, cups, utensils

—Microwave oven, coffee pot or coffee maker, food blender

—Drinking water base for 5-gallon water bottle

—Sets of curtains and curtain rods

—Welcome mats, area rugs or carpets

If you have any of the above items, please email info@cedointercultural.org  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or bring your items by the CEDO office nearest you! (More contact details below).

CEDO also has a Wish List for equipment and supplies to help support their ongoing programs in education and ecotourism, such as:

– Microwave
– Pickup truck, 4×4 SUV and cars
– Kitchen stools
– Sleeping pads
– Sit-on-top kayaks
– Life jackets and paddles
– Backpacks
– Laptop computer
– Snorkel gear
– Dive gear
– Multi-region DVD player

And, Scholarships for Mexican participants in Pies Mojados (Wet-Feet) Ocean Camp: $150 per child.

If you have any of the items in either of these Wish Lists, you can call or email CEDO right away and they will arrange pick up if you can’t bring it to their field office in Las Conchas or Tucson. Here is the contact information:

In Mexico, call America or Alycia at 638-382-0113 or 0115.

If you are in the U.S., call Sherie at 520-320-5473.

Or one email will get the job done also: info@cedointercultural.org .

And, finally, for a fascinating look inside one of the more ecologically important regions on our planet, and the non-profit organization that cares for its future for all of us, please visit www.cedointercultural.org . You’ll be glad you did!

This blog brought to you by Sonoran Resorts Sales, Jim Ringquist, Director of Sales