So much has been forgotten, but it is not lost as long as the land endures and we cultivate people who have the humility and the ability to listen and learn.
It is not enough to weep for our lost landscapes; we have to put our hands in the earth to make ourselves whole again.

~ Robin Wall Kimmerer

We, as the Environment Pillar, believe today’s ecological crises—deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate disruption, and more—are inseparable from a loss of compassion for our Earth and all beings, human and more-than-human. Through compassion, we can begin to repair this rupture and take healing action.

Our work is grounded in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on:

• #6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
   
• #12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
   
• #13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
   
• #15 Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, halt land degradation, and biodiversity loss

We recognize that all 17 SDGs call humanity to protect the planet and promote shared prosperity.

Our Acknowledgement

We honor the interconnectedness of all beings—the cosmos, Earth, Indigenous Peoples, ancestors, and creation itself. We express gratitude to all who have cared for this planet before us, and we acknowledge the harms humanity has caused. We commit to repair, reciprocity, and responsibility as stewards of the Earth.

Mission

To live in harmony and stewardship with all beings. Through compassion we heal suffering, embodying dignity, respect, and the Golden Rule in our relationship with one another and with the natural world.

Vision

A world where humanity unites in common purpose with the Earth and the more-than-human, so that all may thrive.

Goals

• Provide education and hands-on opportunities that inspire compassionate action for all beings.
   
• Strengthen the human–nature connection through projects that nurture reciprocity and respect.
   
• Engage partners and the global public in sustainability initiatives.
   
• Lift up smaller-scale but vital environmental projects worldwide.

Strategies

• Heal the Waters – promote ecological awareness and action globally and at interfaith gatherings such as the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
   
• Compassion Tree Project (CTP) – mobilize individuals, schools, faith communities, and Compassionate Cities to plant native trees, restore habitats, and protect old-growth forests.
   
• ArtistTree & Youth ArtistTree Projects – amplify environmental awareness through creative expression, including youth-led initiatives in Cameroon.
   
• Support bee propagation and other species vital to ecosystems.
   
• Minimize paper use across Charter programs.
   
• Use the Global Read program to highlight environmental voices and stories.
   
• Collaborate with partners such as Green World Campaign, Sacred Earth Institute, Community Green Engagement, and MACE Ltd.
   
• Work across other Charter Pillars, including RISE (Religion/Interfaith/Spirituality for Everyone), Arts, and Social Justice.
   
• Consider the impact of all decisions on the next seven generations, following the wisdom of the Iroquois.

The biggest gift you can give is to be absolutely present. Don’t worry about whether you are hopeful or hopeless. The main thing is that you are here, showing up, finding ever more capacity to love this world—because it will not be healed without that.

~ Joanna Macy