You Are the Earth Charter –
Because You Can Make It Happen
Here’s How!

Personally endorse the Earth Charter (Visit www.earthcharter.org)

A nationwide Earth Charter Celebration of Interdependence Summits took place on September 29, 2001. Summits linked via satellite were held simultaneously in 12 cities throughout the United States as an opportunity for celebration and inspiration designed to make the Earth Charter principles come alive in our personal lives, workplaces, and communities. (Visit www.earthchartersummits.org for updates on the summits and further information.)

Create a "Green Map" in your neighborhood or city.

The "Green Map System" is a globally connected, locally adaptable framework for community sustainability. The purpose of making a Green Map is "to strengthen the community's awareness of and connection to the urban ecology through visual representations of hometown environments." The maps highlight the interconnections between society, nature, and the built environment. Once created, green maps could be presented to mayors along with a request to endorse the Earth Charter. This activity also educates people about the local/global connection embedded in the Charter itself. (Visit www.greenmaps.org for more information.)

Celebrate Earth Day in April 2002 by creating your own local "Procession of the Species."

Begun in Olympia, Washington, seven years ago, these parades have become immensely popular events in which people parade through city streets in elaborate hand-made animal costumes. These joyful processions "create a conversation about our human connection to the natural world" states organizer Eli Sterling (see Hope magazine, summer 2001). Linked to the Earth Charter, these processions could stimulate many pledges. Who could say ‘NO’ to a moose? (Visit www.procession.org for more information.)

Express yourself.

Write a song, poem, story, or submit any artistic expression concerning the Earth Charter to a host of organizations. You might even be in a position to create an event or an exhibit in your own community.

Make a difference.

YOU are the spirit of the Earth Charter. Using the Charter’s principles as a compass, find something that needs improving in your school, neighborhood, or city and make a plan to solve it. Then, send the good news to the Earth Council for their newsletter at info@earthcharter.org.