Organizations with Shared Roots
Leadership for the Ecozoic
Leadership for the Ecozoic (L4E) currently has one node in ecological economics based at the University of Vermont and one in anthropology based at McGill University. L4E aims to become a growing network of institutions committed to working towards a vision of the Ecozoic for the future founded on mutually enhancing relationship between human societies and the global community of life through the lens of social justice by:
(1) Advancing transdisciplinary scholarship in select doctoral programs to educate and empower new leaders for the Ecozoic;
(2) Co-creating a global research-to-action network to heal and restore Earth’s life support systems and to define and foster a new mode of inhabiting the Earth, respectful of life’s myriad ways of knowing and being; and
(3) Mobilizing and focusing higher education resources and communications towards systematically addressing multi-faceted, human-induced, planetary declines in life support capacity for all species, and developing systems of economics, governance, and ethics that promote cooperation, participation and collective well-being. Learn more.
University of Vermont Gund Institute for Environment and Ecological Economics
“The Gund Institute is an international leader in ecological economics, a transdisciplinary field that integrates the study of ecological, economic and social systems to solve humanity’s greatest environmental challenges.” Learn more.
Economics for the Anthropocene
“Economics for the Anthropocene (E4A) is a graduate training and research partnership designed to improve how the social sciences and humanities connect to ecological and economic realities and challenges of the Anthropocene. Overarching goals are to articulate, teach and apply a new understanding of human-Earth relationships grounded in and informed by the insights of contemporary science.
Based at McGill University, York University and University of Vermont, E4A forms the core of the partnership that includes academic, government, and NGO partners.” Learn more.
International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE)
The mission of the ISEE is to be “a transdisciplinary partnership of scholars, professionals, and activists from a broad range of backgrounds. Through education, research, policy, and social action, we foster transformation towards an equitable and ecologically sustainable society with respect for the rights of people and nature, biological and cultural diversity. At the heart of this, we recognise that our economy is part of a finite biosphere and needs to respect its ecological limits.” Learn more.
Center for the Advancement of The Steady State Economy (CASSE)
The mission of CASSE is “to advance the steady state economy, with stabilized population and consumption, as a policy goal with widespread public support. We pursue this mission by:
educating citizens, organizations, and policy makers on the conflict between economic growth and (1) environmental protection, (2) ecological and economic sustainability, and (3) national security and international stability;
promoting the steady state economy as a desirable alternative to economic growth;
studying the means to establish a steady state economy.” Learn more.
International Society for Biophysical Economics (ISBPE)
The mission of ISBPE is to incorporate the biophysical realities into economic theory by identifying “the most important energy, economic and social issues facing our global community, focus on solutions and practices compatible with earth's biophysical realities and work for social, economic and environmental progress through scientific research (focused on and informed by science-based economic theory), public education, coalition building, advocacy, and direct action.” Learn more.
BioPhysical ECOnomics Institute (BPEI)
BPEI “is a non-partisan, non-profit, multidisciplinary organization of scientists, economists, investment experts, corporate & project finance analysts and policy professionals, who are working together to bring the natural sciences into economic analysis and decision making. Specifically, BPEI aims to incorporate the analysis of energy efficiency, in particular Energy Return On Investment (EROI), into assessments of various strategies to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, while supporting our natural habitats and human flourishing.” Learn more.
Global Footprint Network: Advancing the Science of Sustainability
The mission of Global Footprint Network is to promote the Ecological Footprint, as a comprehensive sustainability metric. Ecological Footprint “was created by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees in the early 1990s as part of Wackernagel’s PhD research at the University of British Columbia. Over the years, the Ecological Footprint concept has grown to become a household phrase around the world. The term “footprint” has become synonymous with human behavior and its impact.
Global Footprint Network’s key strategy has been to make available robust Ecological Footprint data. The Ecological Footprint continues to be the only metric that comprehensively compares human demand on nature against nature’s capacity to regenerate. It is based on simple, straightforward accounting – not on arbitrary scoring. Since its inception, Global Footprint Network has calculated Footprints of countries for each year that UN data has been available. Currently this means 1961 to 2018. Together with our partners, we have made every annual edition more transparent and more accurate. This has included rigorous reviews by government institutes and advisory committees.” Learn more.
Vienna University Institute for Ecological Economics
“The Institute is a leading institution for ecological economic research, teaching, learning, knowledge exchange, and community engagement. Over 30 researchers, a secretary, a research coordinator, and a graduate program coordinator make up the Institute’s staff. Research is generally grouped into five research groups: Sustainable Work, Macroeconomics & Environment, Climate Economics and Finance, Global Resource Use, and Socio-Ecological Transformation.” Learn more.
Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics in Sweden
The mission of the Beijer Institute is based on the understanding that “humanity is embedded in the Biosphere and shape it from local to global scales, from the past to the future. At the same time humanity is fundamentally dependent on the capacity of the Biosphere to sustain development. With this overall perspective, the Beijer Institute strives to create research frontiers at the interface of ecology, economics and related disciplines, in order to promote a deeper understanding of the interplay between ecological systems and social and economic development in relation to sustainability.
The institute’s major activities are international research programmes, synthesis workshops, a broad set of research projects, teaching and training programmes, dissemination of results, the science-policy interface and collaborative communication. Our vision is to create a deeper understanding of major challenges confronting the wellbeing and future of humanity as part of the biosphere, and how to tackle these challenges.” Learn more.
Doughnut Economics
Doughnut economics acknowledges that “humanity’s 21st century challenge is to meet the needs of all within the means of the planet. In other words, to ensure that no one falls short on life’s essentials (from food and housing to healthcare and political voice), while ensuring that collectively we do not overshoot our pressure on Earth’s life-supporting systems, on which we fundamentally depend – such as a stable climate, fertile soils, and a protective ozone layer. The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries is a playfully serious approach to framing that challenge, and it acts as a compass for human progress this century.” Learn more.
Emergy Society
The Emergy Society is “an international society dedicated to the advancement of research on emergy and energy transformity as a means to accomplish better decision-making in a complex world. This work is accomplished within the framework of Energy Systems Theory (Odum 1994). Our goal is to support research and communication that will increase the quantity and improve the quality of emergy research throughout the world.” Learn more.
Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas)
The mission of the EJAtlas is to collect “stories of communities struggling for environmental justice from around the world. It aims to make these mobilization more visible, highlight claims and testimonies and to make the case for true corporate and state accountability for the injustices inflicted through their activities. It also attempts to serve as a virtual space for those working on EJ issues to get information, find other groups working on related issues, and increase the visibility of environmental conflicts.” Learn more.
Degrowth Movement
“Degrowth is an idea that critiques the global capitalist system which pursues growth at all costs, causing human exploitation and environmental destruction. The degrowth movement of activists and researchers advocates for societies that prioritize social and ecological well-being instead of corporate profits, over-production and excess consumption. This requires radical redistribution, reduction in the material size of the global economy, and a shift in common values towards care, solidarity and autonomy. Degrowth means transforming societies to ensure environmental justice and a good life for all within planetary boundaries.” Learn more.
The Donella Meadows Project: Academy for Systems Change
“The mission of the Donella Meadows Project is to preserve Donella (Dana) H. Meadows’s legacy as an inspiring leader, scholar, writer, and teacher; to manage the intellectual property rights related to Dana’s published work; to provide and maintain a comprehensive and easily accessible archive of her work online, including articles, columns, and letters; to develop new resources and programs that apply her ideas to current issues and make them available to an ever-larger network of students, practitioners, and leaders in social change.” Learn more.
Club of Rome
The Club of Rome’s mission states that “it was created to address the multiple crises facing humanity and the planet. Drawing on the unique, collective know-how of our 100 members – notable scientists, economists, business leaders and former politicians – we seek to define comprehensive solutions to the complex, interconnected challenges of our world.” Learn more.
Earth4All
“Earth4All is an international initiative to accelerate the systems-changes we need for an equitable future on a finite planet. Combining the best available science with new economic thinking, Earth4All is designed to identify the transformations we need to create prosperity for all. This future is possible, but we don’t have much time. The next ten years must see the fastest economic transformation in history.” Learn more.
Post Carbon Institute
“Founded in 2003, Post Carbon Institute’s mission is to lead the transition to a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable world by providing individuals and communities with the resources needed to understand and respond to the interrelated ecological, economic, energy, and equity crises of the 21st century.” Learn more.
Post Growth Institute
The Post Growth Institute “is an international organization accelerating the world’s shift to a society that thrives within ecological limits.” Learn more.