Who We Are
Earth Rights Institute
The Earth is the birthright of all people
Earth Rights Institute (ERI) is designed to be an equilateral knowledge platform, where local people collaborate with academics and development professionals, both local and foreign, by exchanging skills, experiences, and knowledge to solve crucial development issues such as widespread poverty, land right disputes and environmental degradation.
Earth Rights Institute (ERI) takes an innovative approach to join education, advocacy and research in building ecologically, economically and culturally sustainable communities in some of the world's poorest communities. ERI advocates a model of development that supports the re-localization of development expertise. We believe that in order to empower communities to manage and direct their own development, strategies and expert knowledge must be conceived locally.
We are affiliated with the IU as a United Nations NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) for these UN Departments
- ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council)
- UN Habitat
- UNCSD (United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development)
- UN Finance and Development
ERI has developed the program "Earth Rights Institute Living Lab" that offers innovative immersion programs that use a variety of powerful tools and processes to develop creative and informed leaders in the global sustainability movement. These exciting new programs evolved out of our 2010 ERI UCLA “Living Labs” in Africa that offered a different take on development education and research. Besides our study/immersion cultural abroad programs, we offer online courses: "Become a Leader in Sustainable Development" and "Course on Land Rights, Land Value Taxation and Commons Rent"
Incorporated in 2001 and recognized as a 501 (c) (3) organization by the American Internal Revenue Service
Earth Rights Institute is also a GuideStar Gold participant.
Our Mission & Goals
Earth Rights Institute exists to support a culture of peace and justice worldwide by establishing dynamic worldwide networks of persons of goodwill and special skills, promoting policies and programs which further democratic rights to common heritage resources, and building ecological communities.
EMPOWER
BRIDGE
BUILD
ADVANCE
HOW WE WORK
The Earth Rights Institute proposes an integrated solution to community development that is intended to be socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable. This solution is based on the model of the “ecovillage”, a community where human activities are harmoniously integrated into the natural world, in a way that is supportive of healthy, human development, and can be successfully continued indefinitely into our future. It relies upon the integration of ‘green’ infrastructural capital and traditional socio-cultural values to create a community that thrives on renewable energy sources and permaculture, local purchasing to support the village economy, local food production and distribution between neighboring villages, and community led education initiatives. In accordance with local normative social and value interests, an eco-village develops consensus decision-making for governance through an active choice to respect diversity.
READ MORETo learn more about Land Rights issues and how you can make a difference sign up for the Earth Rights Institute Land Rights online program
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