Our Mission - New River Earth Institute

Our Mission

New River Earth Institute Mission

The New River Earth Institute was formed as a sister of the Northwest Earth Institute, and so, follows very closely to its goals and mission:

THE NORTHWEST EARTH INSTITUTE IN A NUTSHELL

Dick Roy, Co-Founder & Executive Director
February 2, 2000

1. We seek the fundamental change in American society that is required for it to be sustainable. We develop innovative programs in Portland, transport them to Northwest communities where they are offered through our chapters or local volunteer groups, and replicate them in other regions through autonomous groups.

2. Our program targets are individuals, since they must lead the way to a sustainable future. We believe that each person has immense potential (a) to reduce personal impact on the earth, (b) to become an assertive protector of and advocate for the earth, and (c) to become, individually or collectively with others, an agent of change in her or his organization, community, or other circle of influence. Thus, our strategy is to develop programs that (a) facilitate profound and permanent change in individual values, attitudes, and habits, and (b) move participants through the following sequence of activity to action: awareness, consciousness, motivation, intent, and action.

3. As an outreach strategy, we organize groups of eight to twelve around discussion courses that meet for about ten weeks. We invite participants through the structure of our courses (a) to meet with a sense of purpose, (b) to engage in deeper questioning of themselves, and (c) to acknowledge the highest in themselves and have it affirmed by a supportive group. If the group works well, the result is self-discovery, bonding, and empowerment. We believe this is an ideal formula for profound individual change.

4. Program themes include the principles of deep ecology or earth-centered ethics, the practice of simplicity, knowing and protecting one's place, the impact of daily choices on the earth, and globalization. We believe these themes address core issues related to the societal change that we seek.

5. In Portland, we develop, test, and adapt programs and offer them extensively in the metropolitan area. Some are designed to convert the enthusiasm created by a discussion course into action. For example, we are developing a "Neighborhood Sense of Place Manual." The manual will be used by neighborhood groups who complete our course on Discovering a Sense of Place. With the manual, they may develop community gardens or join a CSA, prepare and distribute a directory of locally owned businesses, map the neighborhood for pollinator habitat or potential sites for naturescaping, etc.

6. We replicate our programs in Northwest communities by organizing volunteer groups and NWEI chapters. We develop replication models in Northwest communities. For example, we are now experimenting with paid help to support volunteers in our chapters in Boise ($7,500), Olympia ($10,000), and Corvallis ($3,000).

7. We replicate our programs in other regions through autonomous groups that become part of the National Network of Earth Institutes.

Created on 10/08/2006 08:03 AM by nrei
Updated on 10/08/2006 08:06 AM by nrei