Principles of Earth Hero
Guidance for Our Management and for Partnering with Funders
Earth Hero Vision
A billion activists restore a healthy earth where life can thrive.Mission
Provide tools and ideas to empower all who want to reduce emissions and care for our shared planet to improve lives.Earth Hero’s Guiding Principles
- Earth Hero empowers individuals as agents of change: in their personal lives, with family and friends, in their various communities, and within government and industry - via actions of almost all types that are impactful. Based on repeated studies, individuals can have a measurable impact when: 1) their personal efforts add up in terms of total actual emissions; 2) they create infrastructural change that yields ripple effects; 3) they create governmental regulation/legislation change; 4) they join a collective action; and 5) they help shift human culture towards long-term thinking, collaboration, conscious consumption, environmental protection, restoration, and other dimensions. We especially support actions that also make people happier and/or healthier, and shift us away from individualism and materialism.
- Both individual/community and large-scale collective actions (by government, industry, or organizations, including organized protests) are needed to succeed.
- We support quick, simple, “easy” personal actions, as they may help shift the culture within a household or change a local community, but they also count in motivating people towards further action.
- Many types of climate actions exist; we are building tools to help people tailor actions to their particular situations as they learn about potential actions. We understand that people may only be able to carry out select actions at times depending on their personal situation, such as health, employment, and more. We support all actions at any level, and then encourage further actions of any level or variety but that may expand a person’s impact. Adopting a new habit is a learning process, so we created our rating system to help individuals select the level of ambition they can embrace.
- Earth Hero does not subscribe to the philosophy that only one action will yield the majority of climate emission reduction or cultural impact at the scale needed. For instance, a rapid reduction of the human population size or the promotion of nuclear power will not be enough by themselves to turn the tide. The combination of a variety of actions is possible and needed and includes the action levels possible for an individual.
- We respect and understand that more than one political party in any particular nation can present a climate change solution(s). Earth Hero is nonpartisan and does not engage in any lobbying activity.
- Earth Hero does not encourage violent or illegal civil disobedience.
- Due to the rapid onset of climate change, we not only talk and promote action towards mitigating carbon emissions, but also discuss community adaptation to the climate crisis.
- There is no completely knowing the answer(s) to solving carbon emissions. Research is still ongoing, and we must grow and evolve within the role of managing actions and expectations as we receive new data. Some things we propose now may later be found to have an inappropriate side cost. Earth Hero will follow the science, including the understanding of behavior science to help achieve success.
Transparency, Archival, and Accountability
- In all public materials and nonpublic solicitation materials, Earth Hero will fairly represent its mission, vision, goals, and principles, as well as governance structure.
- All goals, program activities and outcomes, annual financial reports, and our plans for the use of finances will be open and transparent to donors/funders, collaborators, and users on a clear, timely, and proactive basis.
- Earth Hero has set a document retention policy that is available upon request via contact@earthhero.org.
- Earth Hero will respond promptly to complaints and has a whistleblower policy available upon request.
Funding
This section regards both our principles for collecting and using funds and how we work with collaborators.- Earth Hero will raise funds and seek other resources from donors/funders who already reflect our mission in their support, or who clearly and accurately seek, on paper, to evolve towards supporting our mission.
- We recognize the dignity of programs and funders and respect their rights following standards such as “A Donor Bill of Rights.” (https://afpglobal.org/donor-bill-rights).
- The Board will not collaborate with any entity that, to the best of our knowledge, engages in behavior that conflicts with our vision, and/or whose willful practices result in the rapid or egregious production of carbon emissions.
- At no point shall the principles of Earth Hero pre-determine and exclude donors and organizations from being interviewed for funding or collaborations; we consider it a climate step to share climate change data and solutions – and that includes during interviews. However, Earth Hero principles will be used for discussion during interviews.
- Donors/funders or requested collaborators who have a publicly apparent, strong philosophical conflict-of-interest (COI) with Earth Hero’s principles, especially those that might engender public distrust in the mission, goals, objectives, and content of Earth Hero or in the impartial judgement in the business of Earth Hero, may be ruled out during interviews and then by discussion by the Board.
- We will ensure that the large majority of any funds provided are used for purposes consistent with a donor’s intent as stated by the donor in a solicitation or as otherwise directed before and during an application process.
Engagement and Communication
- Our relationship-building with users will be focused on providing services to any and all individuals, while creating tools to help users personalize their actions, and to do so, the lines of communication will be established and built on trust, respect, and integrity.
- We consider our engagement with our users a partnership, and we will seek feedback from them on ideas and existing features, as well as through supporting those interested in testing mobile app and website features.
- Earth Hero will be open to review and criticism and will be publicly transparent regarding our decisions and actions.
- Earth Hero believes that personal information of users is private, such as diet or housing arrangements, and that any such information uploaded for the purpose of action-planning shall not be shared beyond the Earth Hero secure system. Further details can be found under Disclaimers and Terms of Use.
- Earth Hero is against spam – considering it basically a form of pollution (electronic mail storage uses a significant amount of energy). But we do occasionally need money, and we do have updates and events to give news about. We will combine and minimize our emails to the necessary, interesting news.
On-boarding Volunteers, Employees, Board members, Officers, Advisors, and Collaborators
- Earth Hero seeks to be diverse and inclusive, as all peoples are affected by climate change and can bring different needs, viewpoints, and use cases to the forefront of action.
- At no point shall the principles regarding Earth Hero’s actions listed within this document pre-determine and exclude prior to interviews resource donors or Board, Officer, Advisor, Employee, or Volunteer candidates, but they will be used for discussion during interviews.
- Candidates who have a publicly apparent, strong philosophical COI with Earth Hero’s principles as given above, especially those might engender public distrust in the mission, goals, objectives, and content of Earth Hero, or impartial judgement in the business of Earth Hero, may be ruled out upon interviews and then discussion by the Board.
- Earth Hero respects the privacy of all community members onboarded regarding any personal decisions on how they themselves implement climate action, discussed or otherwise.
Posting and Revision
- The Board shall publicly make available on the Earth Hero website our principles regarding climate action, monetary or other resource acceptance, and others deemed appropriate.
- The publicly available examples of Earth Hero’s principles do not rule out other potential principles that may be held by the current Board.
- Earth Hero further has a set of financial and scientific COI policies that is available by email at contact@earthhero.org; these policies will be utilized for all Board and other decision-making.
- The Board may revisit and rewrite the language of Earth Hero principles to allow for the latest in scientific research.