Frequently Asked Questions:

What is The Earth Organization Viewpoint?

The Earth Organization is an international, non-profit, conservation and environmental organization, founded by veteran South African conservationist and explorer Lawrence Anthony, who recognized that a new approach and new solutions were necessary to reverse the dwindling spiral of life on planet Earth.

Recycling: does it really help?

Recycling is a practical and simple way of doing something positive about the refuse that is polluting the Earth. Everyone should endeavor to recycle.

What is The Earth Organization standpoint on zoos?

The Earth Organization?s members only support modern, habitat-oriented, educational facilities, and require the closure of improperly managed facilities that have little or no educational benefit, where caged animals are trapped and abused, or simply ?gawked? at.

What is an ocean dead zone?

A dead zone is an area in the ocean which does not support life. There are over 400 dead zones in the ocean. Many of them are now considered permanent because, without further pollution, it could take 100's of years for them to recover. Some are small, and some are huge - as large as 40,000 sq. miles. Dead zones are caused by excess nitrogen from fertilizer and sewage washing down rivers into the sea, triggering an explosive growth of plankton which uses up all the oxygen in the water. Because there is no oxygen, everything that cannot swim away fast enough dies.

Does The Earth Organization support circuses?

Our members do not support wild animals performing in a traveling circus, and believe all such facilities should be entirely banned. Our view is that circuses entertain people at the expense and to the detriment of wild animals and that animals are not on this planet to be abused and to amuse others.

What is The Earth Organization standpoint on hunting?

We do not support pleasure or trophy hunting if the only purpose is to kill. If responsible husbandry is used to maintain a proper balance and the animals are used as a food source, then we understand that hunters and the permits and licenses they pay have contributed enormously to the preservation and maintenance of many of our national parks and natural land and wildlife resources.

What is The Earth Organization standpoint on whaling?

We do not support whaling for ?research purposes? or otherwise.

Does global warming exist and is it man made?

There are credible scientists on both sides of this issue. The Earth Organization is continually monitoring and assessing this situation and, when possible, provides a neutral forum for serious discussion between educated scientists involved in researching this issue. Irrespective of this debate, our atmosphere is not a refuse dump. Per statistics, significant headway is being made in many countries to cut down on the amount of air-borne pollution and we strongly support these initiatives.

What is species depletion?

All life on Earth is placed into groupings based on similarities and differences in characteristics. Individuals with the same characteristics are called species. Many species are interdependent, meaning that life forms depend on other life forms for their own survival. Over billions of years, a delicate symbiotic relationship between species has evolved. It is this natural balance which allows life to survive in the way it does. With toxic chemicals, pollution, and natural habitat destruction, a severe man-made disturbance to the natural balance of life on Earth is occurring. If Mankind's operating basis does not change, it will continue to have a direct and ever-increasing negative impact on all life, including Man.

This interdependency of life forms is so important we have built it into our tag line to our logo:

THE EARTH ORGANIZATION
Because None Survive Alone

Why Destroy?

There are a small percentage of people with antisocial tendencies who work to harm life. Such people will be destructive or irresponsibly uncaring in their attitude and actions to other life forms and to the Earth. However, the great percentage of people who are not actively involved in taking some measure of responsibility for caring for other life forms and the Earth are primarily operating from a lack of knowledge about the symbiotic relationship of all of life and how what they do or don't do does make a difference. They simply are not aware that their actions can have far-reaching destructive, or constructive, ramifications. It is these people to whom The Earth Organization is working to reach out, to help raise their awareness and knowledge of, and involvement in more creativce living practices that enhance and support the long-term survival of all life.

How do I join?

You can join online by clicking the "Join Us" icon, or by contacting The Earth Organization nearest office to you. Locate your nearest office by writing to us through the "Contact Us" page.

What is expected of me as a member?

Members take creative actions alone, or as part of a club or chapter, to enhance the survival of the plant and animal kingdoms and Earth itself. We are an action organization that believes that actions can always be taken to improve any situation, no matter how bad it is - and we are doing it. As a fun part of your membership you are expected to plant sufficient trees to provide you and your family with your own oxygen needs, plus a few extra for the planet.. For details see Tree Project.

We know them by their actions:

There are also the many that are not educated or aware of the delicately balanced relationship between Man, the environment and other life forms. For the latter, The Earth Organization is engaged in an international campaign to raise awareness of the mutual interdependency and cooperation of all life forms and the material universe. We call this concept COOPERATIVE ECOLOGY. It is based on the premise that all life forms are interdependent and engaged upon the same objective and are acting in mutual support of this objective for their mutual perpetuation. The moment life forms, including man, fall away from the concept of mutual cooperation with all other life forms and the material universe, their capability to survive diminishes and becomes less effective. It includes the study of man's sciences in view of this cooperative relationship of all life forms and it determines the value of sciences on these principles. Whether sciences bring about a steady improvement for life forms and the material universe or whether they create imbalances determines to what degree the sciences themselves are cooperating with life and, thereby their relative value. The study includes, as well, ecological and economic policy and their effects based on these principles. It is holistic, by necessity, and requires the interaction with, and study of, the full spectrum of scientific methods and views, all life forms and their interrelationships, micro to macro economic, governmental, religious and population systems and their relations to each other on the environment. Cooperative Ecology considers it the domain and responsibility of the United Nations in cooperation with individual nations to rehabilitate existing imbalances and to enact advances made in science and policy to raise the survival potential of all interdependent life. The objective of Cooperative Ecology is to generate improved science and policy that increase the survival potential and productivity for all interdependent life to a level of balanced abundance guaranteeing mutual perpetuity.

Is The Earth Organization a political or religious organization?

The Earth Organization members come from all walks of life, from all cultures, races and religious backgrounds, all motivated by a common cause: to reverse the dwindling spiral of life on Earth and create a healthy habitable Planet on which all life flourishes and prospers. It is a non-profit, non-partisan, issue-oriented organization.

Donations to The Earth Organization

One-time donations can be made online. You will find a picture of an elephant's eye on the right hand side of the website page where it says "Donate to The Earth Organization Now". Click on that and it will take you to our donation page.

Are my donations or membership fees tax deductible?

The Earth Organization US is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and donations made to it are tax-deductible. Please check with your own financial adviser regarding any questions you may have about your own financial status as it relates to tax-deductible donations.

Is Mankind an endangered species?

Look at the evidence for yourself. There are billions of us and we are fouling the air we breathe, polluting the Earth, using our rivers and oceans as rubbish dumps and abusing other life forms as if there is no tomorrow. And then ask yourself the question - are these survival actions? Can we turn this around? Can we cut with the past and create a healthy, livable Planet that we are proud of? Of course we can, but we need to do it, and the only way we are going to do it, is by doing it. Being concerned about it, or thinking about it, is just not good enough any more. There is a lot at stake.

The Earth Organization is an honest effort, by a lot of good people all over the world, to really do something about it.

Will you help? Will you give your valuable support?

Make a decision! Go to the 'Join Us' icon and become a member, get active, join a club, start a chapter. Just get started! There is a lot of work to do, and your help is needed and valuable.

If you have a question which you can't find the answer to in our website, go to our Contact UsContact Us page and we will be happy to hear from you.

If you do not find an answer to your question, please just Contact Us and we will be happy to answer you.

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