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The Earthways Foundation is dedicated to environmental and social justice through personal and global
awareness. Earthways is at the forefront in the quest to change the way human beings relate to the
natural world. In order to go beyond symptoms and confront the underlying problems, we have created
projects, lectures, conferences and other gatherings where people can embrace emotions, intuition, and
spirituality. Earthways supports projects which reflect understanding on a deep level and is always eager
to look at fresh ideas in the areas of environment, social justice and education.
Projects: The Speakers Program has produced two Ecopsychology Conferences. Participants are
presented with a world view which is holistic, organic, ecological and embedded within Nature, using a web
rather than a pyramid as a visual paradigm of relationships. Two Activist Retreats have been coordinated
where participants learn to relate to others in a non-confrontational manner, abandoning the us vs. them
mentality characteristic of the majority of today's dialogues. Speakers Program lecturers have included
Joanna Macy, Fritjof Capra, Terrence McKenna, Matthew Fox and Thomas Moore.
Projects also include:
Spirit
Awakening -- directed by Akuyoe Graham, uses performance and workshop to help at-risk youths and
imprisoned gang members discover their own potential through personal expression;
World Wheel, Theater
of the Earth -- an artistic forum orchestrated by Vijali Hamilton. Working with local artists, performers
and community, the theater addresses peoples' deepest spiritual, personal, social and cultural concerns.
The actual wheel consists of twelve stone and earthen sculptures ringing the globe at the 35th parallel;
The
Southern California Council on Environment and Development (SCCED) -- directed by Kathleen Gildred,
brings together environmentalists with people from government, business and community groups in a spirit
of conciliation and mutual respect in order to find a road to "progress" which enhances the natural world;
John Seed Directed Grants -- administered by Earth Trust and awarded by John Seed, the celebrated
rainforest activist, help indigenous peoples preserve their rainforests from the onslaught of industrialism
(reaching sites such as Ecuador, Australia, Siberia, Papua New Guinea, and Eastern Europe) and incorporate
such projects as permaculture, endangered species survival, and wetlands work;
Southeast Asian
Information Network -- operates in Thailand, using incursions into Burma to bring world visibility to the
environmental and human rights tragedies occurring there. Photos, video and other evidence has been
displayed internationally by the press;
Burma Project -- works in the United States to bring awareness to
the plight of the Burmese people who are victims of a brutal military dictatorship backed by American and
European multinational corporations;
Atomic Mirror -- coordinated by Pamela Meidell, works to create a
nuclear-free world powered by sustainable sources. In Spring 1996, on the tenth anniversary of the
Chernobyl accident, Atomic Mirror led a pilgrimage throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Seeking to
inspire public action, pilgrims visited both sacred and nuclear sites. Atomic Mirror plans to host events in
all of the nuclear weapons states to bear witness to a different set of values than those that created the
nuclear age;
Wetlands Action Network -- coordinated by Marcia Hanscom, strives to protect the few
remaining wetlands in as pristine a condition as possible. Wetlands, the indefinable boundary between land
and sea, help to filter pollutants, recharge groundwater, soak up floodwaters, serve as nurseries for fish,
and provide refuge for millions of migrating birds. Along with 61 other groups, WAN works to halt a
proposed megacity development on the Ballona Wetlands on the Westside
of Los Angeles;
Forest Action Network -- works to save temperate rainforests from the ravages of
clearcut logging. Recent activity has focused on Bella Coola, a coastal region of British Columbia where
old-growth forests are being cut despite opposition from the Nuxalk, the native people who have lived in
these forests for thousands of years. More visibility is needed if these forests, and the Nuxalk Nation, are
to survive;
Children's Comedors -- works to reduce hunger and malnutrition in the Peruvian Andes. Dr.
Jose Miguel Rueda established children's' feeding programs, nutritional education and economic projects to
build community empowerment;
Village Bank and Training Program -- supports women's micro-enterprise
loan funds in several Central American countries. In Northern Guatemala, a permaculture
(organic) gardening project has resulted in greater food security for a
Mayan village. The garden project is presently being expanded to include
reforestation and the development of fuel-efficient cook stoves.
Touch the Jungle -- through cooperation with a local community has
developed a 10,000-hectare rainforest reserve, with the margay as its
flagship species. This habitat-protection project has created a safe
haven for the six species of neo-tropical felids indigenous to the area,
as well as three species of monkeys and several rare birds. A research
station in the reserve provides living quarters for rainforest
researchers, and a source of sustainable income for nearby village of
Playa de Oro.
Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs: offers financial, legal and
administrative guidance to grass-roots environmental, social justice and educational projects. Besides
acting as a fiscal sponsor, SEE spares people the time, cost and headaches associated with obtaining
charitable status and creating accounting and administrative structures. SEE projects include: Save
Ahmanson Ranch, Meso-American Sustainable Agriculture Network, Global Impact permaculture, and the
Friends of the Seal Beach Wildlife Refuge.
Resources: Memberships available; newsletter; lectures, conferences, and gatherings
Volunteer Opportunities: If any of the above projects pique your interest, please contact Andrew Beath,
Steve Sugarman or Pepper Fernandez at 310- 456-8300. To volunteer/intern for the Ballona Wetlands,
please contact Marcia Hanscom at 310-456-1700.
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Build the Earth