apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Center for Ecoliteracy: The Center for Ecoliteracy is dedicated to education for sustainable living. They provide information, inspiration, and support to the vital movement of K-12 educators, parents, and other members of the school community who are helping young people gain the knowledge, skills, and values essential to sustainable living. Their work is based on four guiding principles: 1) Nature is our teacher, 2) Sustainability is a community practice, 3) The real world is the optimal learning environment, and 4) Sustainable living is rooted in a deep knowledge of place.

Sustainable Harvest International: The mission of Sustainable Harvest International is to provide farming families in Central America with the training and tools to overcome poverty while restoring our planet's tropical forests. The 48 members of SHI's Central American staff have worked with more than 1,800 families in over 120 communities to implement sustainable land-use practices that alleviate poverty while restoring the environment. More than 600 families have graduated from the SHI program and no longer need assistance. Since the organization's start in 1997, SHI has planted more than 2.3 million trees and converted thousands of acres to sustainable uses; thereby saving tens of thousands of acres of tropical forest from slash-and-burn destruction.

Alliance for Community Trees: ACT is committed to restoring community forests for the benefit of all people. They are the only national organization solely focused on the needs of nonprofit and community organizations engaged in urban forest protection. They work to improve the environment where 86% of Americans live: our cities, towns, and villages. Together, ACT's national network of members have planted and cared for 7.8 million trees with help from 450,000 volunteers.

The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy works around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Since their founding in 1951, they have protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide and operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally. They work in all 50 states and more than 30 countries protecting habitats from grasslands to coral reefs, from Australia to Alaska to Zambia, and address threats to conservation involving climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems.

Slow Food USA: Slow Food USA seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. They reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. They work to inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat.

Worldwatch Institute: The Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organization recognized by opinion leaders around the world for its accessible, fact-based analysis of critical global issues. Its mission is to generate and promote insights and ideas that empower decision makers to build an ecologically sustainable society that meets human needs.

Image via National Geographic May 2008.