The Gaia Foundation of Western Australia is part of the international Gaia Movement

Gaia Movement

The Gaia Movement is an international network of individuals and groups that share a concern for living more sustainably on the earth. The term "Gaia" comes from Greek mythology, where it is the name of the Goddess of the Earth...

 of individuals and groups which share concerns with living more sustainably on the Earth, which was inspired by the Gaia hypothesis

Gaia hypothesis

The Gaia hypothesis, also known as Gaia theory or Gaia principle, proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on Earth are closely integrated to form a single and self-regulating complex system, maintaining the conditions for life on the planet.The scientific investigation of the...

 of James Lovelock

James Lovelock

James Lovelock, CH, CBE, FRS is an independent scientist, environmentalist and futurologist who lives in Devon, England. He is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the biosphere is a self-regulating entity with the capacity to keep our planet healthy by controlling...

 and Lynn Margulis

Lynn Margulis

Lynn Margulis was an American biologist and University Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is best known for her theory on the origin of eukaryotic organelles, and her contributions to the endosymbiotic theory, which is now generally accepted...

, and is attempting to bring about the Great Turning from our contemporary wasteful and consumeristic Industrial Growth Civilisation to the needed Life Sustaining Culture of the future. The members of the foundation share three objectives

• personal growth - commitment to your own healing and empowerment
• community building - strengthening the communities of which you are a part
• service to the Earth - enhancing the wellbeing and flourishing of all life

The Foundation was co-founded in 1987 by John Croft and Vivienne Elanta

Vivienne Elanta

Vivienne Heloise Elanta was a Western Australian environmental activist.-Personal life:Born in Germany, Elanta was the eldest of Gertraud Adler and Robert Neuman's five children. She had just six years of schooling...

, and a small group of committed activists came together to organise its first projects. Championing the Experiential Deep Ecological

Deep ecology

Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that recognizes an inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems and that of ecosystems with each other within the...

 approach of John Seed

John Seed

John Seed is an Australian environmentalist and director of the Rainforest Information Centre which successfully campaigned to save the sub-tropical rainforests of New South Wales. He is also a prominent figure in the deep ecology movement and co-creator of the Council of All Beings, and other...

 and Joanna Macy

Joanna Macy

Joanna Rogers Macy, Ph.D , is an environmental activist, author, scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology.-Biography:...

 by 1990 the Foundation adopted the intention "to lovingly empower ourselves and others to know oneness with Gaia, the living Earth, through taking couraggeous and joyous action, now".

Early Developments

The Gaia Foundation's first project was a series of information evenings promoting materials on "Rural Resettlement" that had been produced by Dr Patricia Sherwood of Edith Cowan University

Edith Cowan University

Edith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman....

 for the Australian Association for Suustainable Communities (AASC), in which Croft and Sherwood had been earlier co-founders. From there they joined with the Peace Education Foundation for 4 years helping to organise a series of workshops called Pathways to the Fuuture, aimed to deel with teenage depression and pessimism.

The Foundation with the Institute for Cultural Affairs then organised Seminars with Dr Jean Houston

Jean Houston

Jean Houston is an American scholar, lecturer, author and philosopher who has helped pioneer and motivate the human potentials movement. As a teacher and visionary thinker, Houston holds conferences and seminars with social leaders, educational institutions and business organizations worldwide...

, in Sacred Psychology and championed the development of the Greens Western Australia

Greens Western Australia

The Greens Western Australia is the state branch of the Australian Greens in Western Australia. The Greens WA was formed following the merger of the WA Greens and the Green Earth Alliance...

.

Its work

Over the years of its operation, the Foundation has supported and engaged in more than 611 projects. Examples of its work includes

1. Holding actions in Defence of all Beings of the Earth

1. . Climate Change and Air Pollution Projects
2. . Action in Forestry Campaigning and Tree Planting.
3. . Ecosystem Recovery Project (e.g. Frog Ponds in Gardens)
4. . Support to Native Flora and Fauna (e.g. Support to Bird Hospital)
5. . Refugee Action and Human Rights Projects
6. . Anti-War Activities
7. . Indigenous Peoples' Projects
8. . Anti-Nuclear activity (e.g. Gaia Pilgrimage)
9. . Globalisation and Free Trade Issues
10. . General Activist Support

2. Building the New Institutions for a Life Sustaining World

1. . Eco Village Projects
2. . Strawbale Building and Alternative Housing
3. . Gaia, LETSystems and Alternative Economics
4. . Renewable Energy Projects
5. . Food Cooperatives, City and Community Supported Agriculture
6. . Transport action
7. . Water Conservation initiatives
8. . Support to Alternative Education (e.g. Learning Telegraph)
9. . Wholistic Health and Healing Activities
10. . Gaia General Community Building Projects - organisation development

3. Shifting Consciousness to a Gaian or Planetary Awareness

1. . Gaia Youth & Intergenerational Projects (e.g. Pathways to the Future)
2. . Deep Ecology Training for the Great Turning (e.g. Seeds for the Future)
3. . Re-Earthing Training & other Ecotherapies
4. . Enlarging the Self: Gaia Work with Spiritual Psychology.
5. . Heart Politics, AVP, Restorative Justice and NVDA
6. . Personal Growth Courses and Activities of various kinds
7. . Planit Project - Earth Charter Dissemination
8. . Earth Voices, books, tapes and videos
9. . Gaia Libraries (Margaret River, Perth, elsewhere?)
10. . Gaia Talks and Presentations, Displays and Stalls

4. Gaia Foundation Project Support Projects

1. . Dragon Dreaming Training - theory and practice of how to run outrageously successful projects
2. . Other Great Turning Training, building a world that works
3. . Gaia House - Gaia Aid
4. . Vivienne Elanta Memorial Trust Fund for Activism
5. . Vivienne Elanta Yummy Book Fund
6. . Participatory Strategic Planning for Individual or Group Gaia Projects
7. . Radical Philanthropy and Alternative Fundraising
8. . Gaia Web Page & list server management
9. . Gaia Related Publications
10. . Project Support, Supervision and Evaluation