MyInchofTheEarth.com allows people to claim any virtual square inch of the earth or ocean for themselves. Each square inch is available for $12 a year. The fee is donated to charity.
During National Parks Week, all donations of inches claimed within the boundaries of a national park will go to the National Parks Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks.
According to Michele Favoretto, founder TerraYebo, the company that owns MyInchofTheEarth.com, the site gives people an opportunity to lay virtual claim to places that have special significance to them while benefiting a good cause.
"A lot of times people buy bricks in a pavement or a tile in a wall or something like that but you don't know anything about that person or why they did that. This could change all of that and put the emotion back into what drives this funding."
The service is unique in that it allows the purchaser to post information about their inch of the Earth to over 300 different types of social media, and include pictures or a special message about the place explaining why the location is significant. An inch can be given as a gift or dedicated to a specific individual or their memory.
The site currently offers the ability to donate to six different charities, but Favoretto says the they are working to get more organizations on board.
To learn more please visit MyInchofTheEarth.com.
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)