Earth Island Institute: Making Our Island Better

The Earth Island Institute, a non-profit environmental group based in Berkeley, California, recognizes that the Earth is the only island in the universe that humans can survive in, so far. Its programs and projects are then geared toward environmental conservation in general and toward supporting activism for environmental issues in particular.

Its business model: To provide for fiscal sponsorship for individual projects with the organizational infrastructure in place.

Since 2000, the institute has also presented the Brower Youth Awards to six youth environmental leaders. The award is named for its founder, David Brower.

The Earth Island Institute’s projects have been praised for their forward-thinking results including:

• The Borneo Project. The institute provides its local partners with the support that best suits their specific campaign needs, such as online actions, small grants, and international advocacy on issues like forest conservation and climate change. The partners include Partners of Community Organizations, Borneo Resource Institute, and Sahabat Alam Malaysia.

Emphasis must be made that the institute does not initiate the campaigns but only provides the support for the partner organizations.

• The Borneo REDD program. This is part of The Borneo Project with an emphasis on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) particularly on the aspect of international policy. This is a concerted effort toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which are partly caused by the destruction of forests in areas like Borneo, in the island. This is also designed to provide indigenous populations with the tools necessary to alleviate their poverty especially among communities that rely on the forests for their livelihood.

Other projects include dolphin-safe tuna labelling in cooperation with the S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Earth Island Institute is also a mother organization for many independent non-profit organizations including the Mangrove Action Project. It is also the parent organization for previously separate groups, such as the Center for Safe Energy.