Donor Profile

Jennifer Morris, Global Environmental Counsel at Hewlett-Packard

I grew up in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, so I always felt connected to the land. My favorite place is located deep in a grove of redwood trees within the mountains, with an open patch of forest where you can see the ocean.  

Why are you passionate about conservation?

I’ve found that you fight for what you care about. Conservation is not a hypothetical. It’s tangible and yet it’s so fragile. I can see the places I love going away. When I was young, my parents encouraged me to take advantage of where we lived. That meant that on weekends we went outside and came back when it got dark. We could ride on horseback all over the mountains.  Over time, properties were fenced, there were fewer open corridors, houses went in, and the trees came down. That’s why I am crazy about redwood trees now.

As an environmental lawyer, we deal with so many details. It’s nice to see the outcomes of the law have a positive effect. But we’ve got to get better at coming up with solutions and fighting about the semantics before it’s too late for key species like bees and bats.

How did you find us?

I found The Conservation Fund through its board member, Paul Hagen. My theory on environmental organizations is that it comes down to the passion of the people who work there more than anything else. I usually ask, “Who are the people and are they working on things that I care about?” When the pieces click, it’s inspiring.
 

Looking ahead, what would you like to see us achieve?

I urge you to continue to educate people about the connections between wild places and the health of the earth, between trees and climate and between open space and diversity. Sometimes these issues can seem so big and overwhelming. Give us the one specific thing we can do to make a difference.

You said yourself that people make all the difference.  With HP, you can double your impact.  There are more than 300,000 HP employees who have the opportunity to give back to their communities through HP’s giving and volunteer programs (volunteering 1.6 million hours last year alone).  How do you take advantage of HP's employee cash matching program?

HP allows US employees to give to registered charities, and the HP Foundation will match the full donation up to $1000.00 USD through its “Fund your Passion Campaign.” I make sure to use the full match every year because it’s a great way to impact the organizations I support while leveraging a wonderful benefit.

What other charities are you passionate about? 

I love the Ventana Wildlife Society and its work to save wild condors. Anyone trying to save such an ugly bird is my kind of people.  What can I say? I love ugly birds and big trees.