Gaia Movement
Encyclopedia
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
. In the late 1960s, independent ecologist
and environmentalist
James Lovelock
used the name in his Gaia hypothesis
, which posits that the earth is a superorganism
. This theory has gained much support in the environmentalist movement. Its use here is similar to the Feminist Movement or the Civil Rights Movement.
GAIA International: GAIA International (Global Awareness Interdisciplinary Alliance) is a scholarly and educational organization whose mission is to sponsor projects, events, and publications that promote ecological awareness, understanding, and responsibility in every academic discipline and in every domain of human endeavor.
The structure of the Gaia Foundation avoids the central committee-passive periphery structure of conventional non-government organisations. All activities of the Foundation are created as independent "projects" in which participants involved in that project have all power and authority.
the promotion of socially responsible technologies,
Their agricultural headquarters, the Rincão Gaia, has functioned for 11 years by 2005.
The Gaia Trust website (www.gaia.org) has for many years served as homepage for the Global Ecovillage Network.
River.
, a famous rubber tapper leader who was later assassinated, and Ailton Krenak, an indigenous leader, to form an "affectionate alliance" with them. Since then Gaia has formed an alliance with indigenous groups in Colombia through the COAMA (Consolidation of the Amazon Region) Program which has now been running for 11 years. The COAMA program last year won the Right Livelihood Award
for "Vision and Work forming an essential contribution to making life more whole, healing our planet and uplifting humanity".
The work is done through multiple means, such as educational programs, demonstrations of sustainable technologies, providing consulting to non-governmental, governmental organizations, and businesses in developing policies on local, state, national and international level. Also we are working on practical projects within a community where we reside.
GAIA: GAIA is a non-profit organization that promotes initiates and co-ordinates projects and activities that protect and conserve the natural environment - and the species which are dependent upon them. An integral part of these activities,is to address the social and economic issues that lie at the heart of so many of our environmental ills.
GAIA is actively involved in the protection of open spaces and wilderness areas.
GAIA is actively involved in the health, education, and social aspects of community development initiatives, 'social inclusion' and 'neighbourhood renewal' strategies.
GAIA is actively involved in ethically and ecologically sensitive commerce and industry, including social enterprise, and business & community partnerships.
GAIA is a 'key' and 'umbrella' organisation, so in addition to in-house projects we are also involved in partnership programmes with community groups, government departments and both national and international organisations with compatible aims and objectives.
The Gaia Institute: the Gaia Institute is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit corporation. Focused on environmental research and development, education and design, our work is centered on the restoration and ecological re-engineering of natural systems to protect and enhance environmental quality. The work of the Gaia Institute couples ecological engineering and restoration with the integration of human communities in natural systems. While much environmental engineering has the worthy aim of minimizing harm, the Gaia Institute explores, through research and development, design and construction, how human activities and waste products can be treated to increase ecological productivity, biodiversity, environmental quality, and economic well being. The purpose of the Gaia Institute is to test through demonstration the means by which the ecological components of backyards, communities, towns and cities, as well as watersheds and estuaries, can be enhanced through integrated wastes-into-resources technologies.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, where it is the name of the Goddess of the Earth
Gaia (mythology)
Gaia was the primordial Earth-goddess in ancient Greek religion. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods and Titans were descended from her union with Uranus , the sea-gods from her union with Pontus , the Giants from her mating with Tartarus and mortal creatures were sprung or born...
. In the late 1960s, independent ecologist
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and environmentalist
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
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...
used the name in his 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...
, which posits that the earth is a superorganism
Superorganism
A superorganism is an organism consisting of many organisms. This is usually meant to be a social unit of eusocial animals, where division of labour is highly specialised and where individuals are not able to survive by themselves for extended periods of time. Ants are the best-known example of...
. This theory has gained much support in the environmentalist movement. Its use here is similar to the Feminist Movement or the Civil Rights Movement.
International
Gaia Preservation Coalition: The Gaia Preservation Coalition is a gathering place for people who consciously acknowledge the human predicament and who seek with others its resolution through the creation and exploration of ideas and actions that move Humanity toward a more harmonious relationship within Gaia.GAIA International: GAIA International (Global Awareness Interdisciplinary Alliance) is a scholarly and educational organization whose mission is to sponsor projects, events, and publications that promote ecological awareness, understanding, and responsibility in every academic discipline and in every domain of human endeavor.
Country organizations
Informal Gaian groups exist in many countries. More formal organisations are found in:-Australia
The Gaia Foundation: Members of the Australian Gaia Foundation are committed to its 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 structure of the Gaia Foundation avoids the central committee-passive periphery structure of conventional non-government organisations. All activities of the Foundation are created as independent "projects" in which participants involved in that project have all power and authority.
Brazil
Fundação Gaia: The Gaia Foundation was created as a vehicle to assist amplify the work of its founder and president, Jose Lutzenberger. It supports and work together to implantation alternative solutions that will produce a more sustainable society. Through the work of its members, the Foundation aims to contribute to guarantee the survival and sustainability of all species of our living system, the wonderful and fantastic planet - Gaia. The Foundation works in the areas of- Lifelong Education
the promotion of socially responsible technologies,
- Regenterative Ecological Agriculture,
- sustainable use of the natural resources,
- natural medicine,
- decentralized production of energy and
- alternative sanitation.
Their agricultural headquarters, the Rincão Gaia, has functioned for 11 years by 2005.
Canada
Gaia Foundation for Earth Education: Gaia Foundation for Earth Education focuses on energy and the environment, environmental economics and sustainable resource management, the Foundation strives to develop solutions for protecting the environment.Denmark
Gaia Trust: Gaia Trust is a Danish charitable entity founded in 1987 with the objective of promoting a global consciousness that experiences the whole planet as a living organism and Mankind as part of that whole. One of Gaia Trusts main activities over the past years has been supporting the growing network of eco-villages across the globe, and helping create The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN).The Gaia Trust website (www.gaia.org) has for many years served as homepage for the Global Ecovillage Network.
Hungary
Ariadne Gaia Foundation: Gaia Research and Education Center for Sustainable Rural Development. The Gaia Foundation, or more precisely, the Gaia Research and Education Center for Sustainable Rural Development, has been the incubator and sponsor of many cooperative and ecological projects. One of its ongoing activities is training. A conference and education center was built to provide training for farmers-not only in the Galga Farm cooperative, but also throughout the Galga Valley region-in organic and sustainable agricultural methods. Farmers attend weekend workshops at the center, as it is hard for them to leave their work for more than a few days. Occasionally center staff members go out to the farms to bring the training to people who need it. 180 to 250 farmers are trained each year.Malta
The Gaia Foundation: The Gaia Foundation exists to protect Malta's environment and promote sustainable living. It was formed in June, 1994 "To promote and implement ways through which human beings can interact meaningfully with their environment without denying future generations their right to do the same."Poland
KLUB GAJA: On April 23, 1994, Club Gaja launched the Teraz Wisła [Vistula Now, a takeoff on the "Teraz Polska" slogan used to indicate quality Polish products] Campaign as part of Earth Day activities throughout Poland. The Teraz Wisła campaign objective is to develop community awareness and to promote the democratic empowerment of people as a means of preventing further industrial development of the VistulaVistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
River.
Turkey
GAYA NPO: A Turkish non profit Organisation that works on promotion of a better life for all mankind. Established on 2004 in Ankara, GAYA design and implements social and economic projects on women, youth, entrepreneurship, training, environment, sustainability which all has a special focus on the GAIA philosophy that accepts "to promote a new, global consciousness which sees our entire planet as a living organism with Humankind as an integral part of the entity."United Kingdom
The Gaia Foundation: The Gaia Foundation is an international non-government organization (NGO) based in London. Its mission is the protection of cultural and biological diversity, and democracy. Gaia began work in the Amazon when they were invited by Chico MendesChico Mendes
Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes , was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the human rights of Brazilian peasants and indigenous peoples...
, a famous rubber tapper leader who was later assassinated, and Ailton Krenak, an indigenous leader, to form an "affectionate alliance" with them. Since then Gaia has formed an alliance with indigenous groups in Colombia through the COAMA (Consolidation of the Amazon Region) Program which has now been running for 11 years. The COAMA program last year won the Right Livelihood Award
Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the "Alternative Nobel Prize", is a prestigious international award to honour those "working on practical and exemplary solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the world today". The prize was established in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, and is...
for "Vision and Work forming an essential contribution to making life more whole, healing our planet and uplifting humanity".
United States of America
The Gaia Foundation: The Gaia Foundation is a non-profit organization active in promotion of sustainable development and creation of livable communities with better quality of life.The work is done through multiple means, such as educational programs, demonstrations of sustainable technologies, providing consulting to non-governmental, governmental organizations, and businesses in developing policies on local, state, national and international level. Also we are working on practical projects within a community where we reside.
GAIA: GAIA is a non-profit organization that promotes initiates and co-ordinates projects and activities that protect and conserve the natural environment - and the species which are dependent upon them. An integral part of these activities,is to address the social and economic issues that lie at the heart of so many of our environmental ills.
GAIA is actively involved in the protection of open spaces and wilderness areas.
GAIA is actively involved in the health, education, and social aspects of community development initiatives, 'social inclusion' and 'neighbourhood renewal' strategies.
GAIA is actively involved in ethically and ecologically sensitive commerce and industry, including social enterprise, and business & community partnerships.
GAIA is a 'key' and 'umbrella' organisation, so in addition to in-house projects we are also involved in partnership programmes with community groups, government departments and both national and international organisations with compatible aims and objectives.
The Gaia Institute: the Gaia Institute is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit corporation. Focused on environmental research and development, education and design, our work is centered on the restoration and ecological re-engineering of natural systems to protect and enhance environmental quality. The work of the Gaia Institute couples ecological engineering and restoration with the integration of human communities in natural systems. While much environmental engineering has the worthy aim of minimizing harm, the Gaia Institute explores, through research and development, design and construction, how human activities and waste products can be treated to increase ecological productivity, biodiversity, environmental quality, and economic well being. The purpose of the Gaia Institute is to test through demonstration the means by which the ecological components of backyards, communities, towns and cities, as well as watersheds and estuaries, can be enhanced through integrated wastes-into-resources technologies.
External links
- The Gaia Foundation UK
- International Gaia Preservation Coalition
- GAIA International
- Gaia Foundation Australia
- Gaia Foundation Brazil
- Denmark's Gaia Trust
- Hungary's Ariadne Gaia Foundation
- Malta's Gaia Foundation
- Norway's Ongaialink
- Polish Gaia Foundation
- Gaia Unlimited
- GAIA
- The Gaia Institute
- BVI Documentary This documentary exposes the challenges facing the Islanders who are battling the government to stop this developmental disaster