Environmental Organizations

Rainwater Management Solutions  RMS provides complete rainwater harvesting systems and solutions for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural projects. The firm provides professional design and consulting services to its clients, which include development firms, engineering and architectural firms seeking specialized rainwater and stormwater management system design capabilities. Many of our clients are focused on earning LEED points.

Water conservation and management is becoming a worldwide survival issue due to: accelerating water shortages; property development and population growth; aging infrastructures; growing agricultural demands; a general warming trend; and the ever-increasing cost of and demand for natural water resources

RMS brings a commonsense, cost effective approach to addressing the escalating issue of water conservation and management through its innovative rainwater harvesting system designs and its experienced, knowledgeable staff. The expertise of the staff encompasses industries directly impacted by water management issues.

SEEDS (Seek Education, Explore DiScover)  SEEDS is a non-profit educational organization that creates a discovery - oriented learning environment. Our activities focus on: Ecology and life's cycles, Cultural awareness, and Travel and play.

SEEDS and the Cabell Brand Center have worked together to better offer and develop many programs. SEEDS has a mission to develop future leaders as people conducting themselves with civic responsibility and accountability in a sustainable society.

Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech Located at Virginia Tech the Water Center has a long-standing tradition of offering resources and support to researchers, educators, and decision makers throughout the state.

The Code of Virginia explains that the Water Center exists

"for the purposes of developing, implementing and coordinating water and related land research programs in the Commonwealth and transferring the results of research and new technology to potential users." (Code of Virginia, 23-135.7:8)

Our functions, powers, and duties have also been established by the Code of Virginia and include:

  • Consulting with the General Assembly, federal, state and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, private industry and other potential users of research;
  • Establishing and administering agreements with other universities of the Commonwealth to carry out research projects;
  • Disseminating new information and research results;
  • Facilitating the application and transfer of new technologies
  • Being a liaison between Virginia and the federal research funding agencies as an advocate for Virginia's water research needs;
  • Encouraging the development of academic programs in water resources management in conjunction with the State Council on Higher Education.

National Academies of Sciences Division on Earth & Life Studies The National Academy of Sciences is a non-governmental, non-profit organization chartered by the US Congress in 1863 at the request of President Lincoln. The Academy has two missions: to honor the nation’s top scientists, engineers, and health professionals with membership, and to serve the nation with independent, expert advice. The Division on Earth & Life Studies is one of six subject area divisions that enlist the nation's top experts to respond to requests for advice from the Federal Government, states, and some foundations.

The division has 13 program units (boards) that undertake a wide-range of activities, including convening experts to share their individual views in meetings and workshops. However, it is the Academy’s reports that represent the most authoritative source of scientific and technical information for the nation. The division produces about 60-70 of these reports each year.

Sustainability at The National Academies  Science and Technology for Sustainability (STS) Program

The National Academies' Science and Technology for Sustainability Program (STS) in the division of Policy and Global Affairs was established to encourage the use of science and technology to achieve long term sustainable development.  The goal of the STS program is to contribute to sustainable improvements in human well-being by creating and strengthening the strategic connections between scientific research, technological development, and decision-making. The program concentrates on activities with the following attributes:

  • Cross-cutting in nature, requiring expertise from multiple disciplines;
  • Important both in the United States and internationally;
  • Effectively addressed via cooperation among multiples sectors, including academia, government, industry, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).                                                                            

The Heinz Center  is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank dedicated to improving the scientific and economic foundation for environmental policy.

The Center tackles some of the most important environmental issues of our time by convening business, environmental groups, academia and government.

Our guiding philosophy is that we must all work together to find lasting solutions to environmental challenges and leave the earth a better place for future generations.

World Resources Institute  WRI is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives.

Our mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.  We organize our work around four key programmatic goals:

  • Climate Protection - Protect the global climate system from further harm due to emissions of greenhouse gases and help humanity and the natural world adapt to unavoidable climate change.
  • Governance - Empower people and support institutions to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable decision-making.
  • Markets & Enterprise - Harness markets and enterprise to expand economic opportunity and protect the environment.
  • People & Ecosystems - Reverse rapid degradation of ecosystems and assure their capacity to provide humans with needed goods and services.
  • A fifth goal—Institutional excellence—supports and enhances WRI’s ability to achieve results.

Virginia Environmental Endowment  The mission of Virginia Environmental Endowment is to improve the quality of the environment by using its capital to encourage all sectors to work together to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources, and promote environmental literacy.  

Grantmaking priorities in the Virginia Program are focused on water quality research and monitoring of water quality conditions; land and open space conservation; Chesapeake Bay fisheries conservation, research, and education; and environmental education.  Although accorded a national scope by our charter, the Endowment currently limits awards to eligible nonprofit organizations for programs conducted in the state of Virginia and in the Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys of Kentucky and West Virginia.

Virginia Conservation Network  VCN actively supports conservation in Virginia through public policy research, advocacy, education, and capacity building for its member organizations.

  • Our Mission - VCN is a network of more than 100 organizations committed to protecting Virginia's natural resources. We work to serve and strengthen our member organizations and we advocate for shared environmental priorities, our common agenda.
  • Public Policy - VCN serves as a catalyst for sound and sustainable environmental policy. We act as researchers, advocates and watchdogs on issues ranging from cleaning the Chesapeake Bay to creating 21st century energy and transportation networks.
  • Education and Training - VCN provides year-round opportunities for citizens, public officials and conservation professionals to learn more about key environmental and public policy issues affecting Virginia.
  • Outreach - Conservation is everyone's business. VCN works to build a strong, diverse base of support for environmental stewardship and to make it easy for concerned citizens to get involved.

VMI Environment Virginia  Over the past 21 years, the Environment Virginia Symposium has provided the Commonwealth with a forum for the exchange of information, technology, and ideas pertaining to Virginia's environment. The aim of this annual symposium has been to support an cooperative approach to identifying and addressing our environmental challenges and opportunities. 

The Symposium brings together the public and private sectors to facilitate the exchange information and technologies to promote environmental stewardship, manage our natural resources for a sustainable and prosperous future. 

Blue Planet Run Foundation  Blue Planet Run Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising global awareness about the lack of safe drinking water, and funding working solutions today for the billion people living without ready access to this life sustaining resource.

Since 2004, the U.S.-based foundation has partnered with 59 non-governmental organizations worldwide to implement more than 200 sustainable water projects in 22 countries impacting hundreds of thousands of lives. The Foundation's inaugural awareness and fundraising event was the Blue Planet Run 2007, the first-ever around-the-world relay run.

Western Virginia Land Trust  The Western Virginia Land Trust was formed in 1996 as western Virginia's regional land trust. WVLT works to preserve our region's unique scenic, historic, agricultural, recreational and natural features. While we served 23 counties (10,000 square miles) for a number of years, we refocused our efforts in 2003 to the ten counties of Bedford, Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Henry, Montgomery, Patrick and Roanoke.

By educating landowners, elected officials, businesses and the general public we encourage respect for the environment and arrange voluntary conservation easements that protect land forever. WVLT’s educational activities help landowners make informed decisions about how various land conservation options can affect their estate planning, taxes, and the future of their land. 

New River Land Trust  is a local non-profit formed to protect the farmland, forests, open spaces and historic places in Virginia’s New River region. This service area includes the counties of Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski and Wythe and the cities of Galax and Radford. We preserve precious land by educating landowners and other stakeholders about the benefits of voluntarily donating conservation easements on their land, protecting it for future generations. Since 2002, the New River Land Trust has worked hard to help conserve over 31,000 acres in the New River region.

Friends of the Roanoke River  (FORR) is an effort to engage the growing net-roots movement in southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and the entire section of the Southeast impacted by the Roanoke River Basin, from the headwaters to Albemarle Sound.

FORR will serve as a clearing house for up-to-date information on regional efforts to improve the quality of the Roanoke River Watershed.  Initially, our daily efforts will focus on issues facing the Upper Roanoke River from the headwaters to Smith Mountain Lake.

The ultimate objective of FORR is to bring a Riverkeeper Program to the Upper Roanoke River through the Waterkeeper Alliance, a national waterway protection organization.  Several waterways in the region, like Virginia’s historic James River, have successful Riverkeeper programs.

Claytor Nature Study Center at Lynchburg College  Lynchburg College's Claytor Nature Study Center was made possible by a generous gift of property and an endowment from prominent Central Virginia resident and businessman A. Boyd Claytor III. The establishment of the Claytor Nature Study Center, in 1998, fulfills the dream of Mr. Claytor, and his late wife Virginia, that their Cloverlea Farm be protected for future generations to explore, study, and enjoy.

The mission of the Center is:
  • to enrich the learning experience about nature through education and research
  • to promote and demonstrate sustainable human-environment interactions
  • to preserve and enhance the diversity and function of ecosystems

The Center promotes natural ecosystems, research and education for the students and faculty of Lynchburg College, for teachers and students in elementary and secondary schools, and for the community. Sound environmental stewardship governs all uses of the Center.

Greenways Initiative  The Roanoke Valley, Virginia greenway program arose in 1995 as a citizen initiative to improve quality of life in the region. The City of Roanoke, Roanoke County, Salem and the Town of Vinton established the Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission in 1997 with the signing of an Intergovernmental Agreement. At the same time greenway founders set up Pathfinders for Greenways, Inc. to be a non-profit that could involve volunteers in greenway development.

To date 22 miles of greenways with bicycle/pedestrian trails have been built in the Roanoke Valley, with additional hubs of natural surface trails at Mill Mountain, Carvins Cove, and Read Mountain. The Update to the Roanoke Valley Greenway Plan in 2007 provides for 35 routes that would provide linkages throughout the Roanoke Valley.

Virginia Sustainable Building Network  VSBN's mission is to promote environmentally sound — or Green Building — practices for Virginia. These building designs, methods, and materials save energy costs, reduce waste and promote recycling, reduce environmental impacts and exposure to unhealthy substances, strengthen local economies, and contribute to an enhanced quality of life.

To accomplish its mission, VSBN

  • has built a statewide network of Green Building proponents,
  • provides Green Building events and training around the state and region,
  • provides technical assistance on Green Building design and operations, and
  • has created an information clearinghouse and resource directory.

Green America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. (We went by the name "Co-op America" until January 1, 2009.)

Our mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

Our Vision: We work for a world where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the bounty of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come.

What Makes Green America Unique:

  • We focus on economic strategies—economic action to solve social and environmental problems.
  • We mobilize people in their economic roles—as consumers, investors, workers, business leaders.
  • We empower people to take personal and collective action
  • We work on issues of social justice and environmental responsibility.  We see these issues as completely linked in the quest for a sustainable world.  It’s what we mean when we say “green.”
  • We work to stop abusive practices and to create healthy, just and sustainable practices.

The Mission of Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute Mission (VNRLI) is to: To develop leaders in the Commonwealth who can help groups involved in contentious natural resources issues move beyond conflict toward consensus building and collaborative problem solving.

Our Objectives are: To Create A Leadership Network of People:

  • Who are engaged in working with Virginia's natural resources at all levels, from the scientific to the policy levels;
  • Who are drawn from all sectors of activity - local, state, and federal government, elected officials, industry and private small businesses, academia, civic organizations, nonprofit environmental organizations, and individual citizen activists;
  • Who will earn each other's trust while respecting each others different perspectives;
  • Who will be able to call on each other over the years for assistance and ideas; and
  • Who will have the leadership skills needed to engage in collaborative problem solving around environmental issues, to move beyond conflict, and to find creative solutions.


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Community Development and Poverty Organizations

TAP (Total Action Against Poverty)  Total Action Against Poverty (TAP) is a non-profit community action agency. For 44 years TAP has been helping the residents of 11 cities and counties in southwestern Virginia to escape poverty and become self-sufficient. Our mission is to encourage economic vitality by strengthening and empowering individuals, families and communities and to mobilize the community’s good will and resources, expand access to existing opportunities and create new opportunities.


Washington & Lee University Shepherd Poverty Program  Washington and Lee's Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability integrates sustained rigorous academic study and focused direct service to disadvantaged communities and persons. It supplements and enriches the education of undergraduate and law students in all majors and career paths. Students with differing social and political perspectives graduate prepared to take new initiatives through varied professional endeavors and civic engagements. We seek to introduce this educational program in many similar institutions in order to reduce domestic and international poverty that devastates individual lives and undermines communities and nations.

Community Action Partnership  The Community Action Partnership is the nonprofit, national membership organization representing the interests of the 1,100 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the country that annually help 17 million low-income Americans achieve economic security.  Whether it's a Head Start program, Weatherization, job training, housing, food bank, energy assistance, financial education, or any of the other 40+ distinct programs, CAAs work to make America a better place to live.

THE PROMISE OF COMMUNITY ACTION: Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

National Community Action Foundation  NCAF formulates and promotes federal legislative and program initiatives to strengthen the ability of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) to serve low-income clients and communities. We do this by:

  • Working with members of Congress and members of the executive branches of federal and state governments to maintain funding and support for CAA programs and initiatives.
  • Conducting research on national and state legislative and policy proposals affecting the poor as well as the impact of existing programs and policies.

NCAF provides training seminars on the history of the war on poverty and on the workings of Congress, providing information to federal, state and local officials, and other policy makers on CAA program operations and on the needs that CAAs have identified in their low-income communities.

Further, NCAF serves as a liaison and coalition builder with allied national organizations, coordinates the legal defense necessary to defend the interests of CAAs and convenes an annual legislative conference for CAAs as well as other issue-specific conferences.

NCAF also sponsors a political action committee to support the interests of CAAs, the Community Action Political Action Committee (CAP-PAC) and participates actively, on a bipartisan basis, in the Congressional political arena.

Virginia Community Action Partnership  (VACAP) is the statewide membership association for Virginia’s twenty-nine non-profit private and public community action agencies. We all work together on our common vision to fight poverty and build self-sufficiency, for strong families and communities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Each agency focuses on its unique local needs. Each is also part of the community action network, coming together to discuss common issues, share ideas, experiences and strategies for success.

VACAP serves its members with state and federal legislative representation and advocacy, member training and education, public relations and marketing, resource development, facilitating collaboration, and statewide efforts to increase public awareness of Virginians in poverty and strategies to improve their lives and their communities.

CHIP of Virginia  CHIP of Virginia is a non-profit organization responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of a statewide network of community-based child health and family support programs in Virginia. CHIP of Virginia is governed by a Board of Directors and provides the following core functions for the CHIP statewide network: Administration, New Site Development, Training and Technical Assistance, Quality Assurance and Evaluation, Resource Development, and Public Relations and Communications.

The mission of CHIP is to improve young children’s health and promote wellness and self-sufficiency in low-income families, through partnerships with local communities. The Vision of CHIP is to lead Virginia and nation in developing community based service systems; to promote wellness and improved health status, and to improve the quality of life for young children and families in need

Chip of Roanoke Valley  CHIP stands for Child Health Investment Partnership. Although we are frequently confused with SCHIP (the State’s Children’s Health Insurance Programs), we are not affiliated with these programs.

CHIP of Roanoke Valley is an early childhood home visiting program. We pair low-income children, ages birth to kindergarten-entry, with a Community Health Nurse and Family Case Manager for health care coordination (help accessing needed medical services, assistance with the management of chronic conditions, and preventive services like fluoride dental varnish); developmental education, kindergarten preparation and regular child assessment and monitoring.

Their families receive services like anticipatory child development guidance, employment and education support, parent meetings and transportation. These services work to help build parenting capacity and to provide support to families as they set and reach goals and move toward self-sufficiency.

CHIP also offers supplemental case management services that target specific needs: Prenatal Case Management, Mental Health Case Management, and Asthma Case Management.

SW Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank Hunger diminishes the quality of life. Hunger kills the human spirit. We believe every person has the basic right to live a productive life and receive the nutrition necessary to keep the human spirit alive.

We strive to serve, at the lowest cost possible, hungry people – children, adults, the elderly and the less fortunate by any definition – by collaborating with an ever-widening network of nonprofit and faith-based food distribution agencies throughout our 26-county service area. We seek to improve the overall quality of life of those whose needs we endeavor to meet.

Our ultimate goal is to eliminate hunger in Southwestern Virginia.

Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley  was established in 1966.  Its purpose is to provide legal services for persons who cannot afford private attorneys.  The Society operates with a staff of 5 full-time attorneys, and provides counseling in civil (not criminal or traffic) cases.  Although the program is not funded adequately to provide court representation to all who cannot afford lawyers, it does provide a full range of legal services in selected cases.  Funding is provided by the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia and other sources.

Legal Aid helps clients residing in the Roanoke Valley area, which includes Roanoke, Salem, Lexington, Covington, Clifton Forge, Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, Alleghany, Rockbridge and Bath.  Legal Aid coordinates with another program, Blue Ridge Legal Services, to provide a range of civil services to all parts of this area.

Oliver Hill Foundation  The Center's goal is to enhance access to justice efforts in Roanoke.  The event is co-sponsored by the Oliver Hill Foundation and is part of a series of events to celebrate Law Day.

The W&L Community Law Center began offering pro bono legal services last fall in Roanoke to alleviate the harsh consequences of urban poverty. The Law Center operates out of the childhood home of the late civil rights activist Oliver White Hill. The home was made available to the School of Law by the Oliver Hill Foundation, which worked for several years to raise funds for the purchase and renovation of the Gilmer Street home in Roanoke.

Virginia Cares  The mission of Virginia CARES is to create and maintain a statewide network of ex-offender reentry programs to provide transitional assistance, financial aid, job readiness training, temporary employment, job search and career development, human relations and self-awareness training, and ongoing support services to prisoners, ex-offenders, and their families in Virginia.

Four thousand individuals get their lives restarted every year with the help and support of Virginia CARES. Our offices are staffed with individuals who are dedicated to assisting our participants succeed and thrive.

SERCAP  Southeast RCAP’s mission is to promote the development of affordable water and wastewater facilities, activities and resources to improve the quality of life for low income rural residents.  As a member of the National Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), we serve all of the rural citizens of seven southeastern states:  Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

In keeping with our focus on water and wastewater needs, a majority of our services are directed to rural individuals, families and small communities who are tackling the tough financing, infrastructure, and troubleshooting problems associated with getting and maintaining clean drinking water.  But we also focus efforts to serve those same folks on housing needs, economic development, community capacity building and other development issues facing rural communities.

As a Statewide Community Action Agency in Virginia, we also strive to fulfill the promise of Community Action:  “Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live.  We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”

Project Discovery  For nearly three decades Project Discovery has impacted thousands of students in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Currently offered through 21 local programs, Project Discovery works with students from predominantly low to moderate-income households and/or, are potential first generation post-secondary education attendees.  Stressing the importance of education to these students, Project Discovery, through its partner agencies, provide workshops to improve basic skills (e.g., study skills, time management, financial planning, etc.) and assist students on the process of completing applications (admission and financial aid) to post secondary institutions.  As a result, a greater number of students who would not have gone on to post secondary education have elected to continue their education.

Project Discovery's goal is to eliminate poverty through education.  A high school graduate makes 26% more than a high school drop-out.  A college graduate makes 36% more than a high school graduate.  Less than 40% of adults with less than a high school diploma are employed while over 80% of college graduates are employed.  It is clear that education is the "silver bullet" that can end poverty, not only for the graduating student but for the successive generations that will come after.
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Peace and Conflict Resolution Organizations

U.S. Institute of Peace  USIP provides the analysis, training and tools that prevent and end conflicts, promotes stability and professionalizes the field of peacebuilding.

Peacebuilding: Is a global imperative it is essential that the United States, working with the international community, play an active part in preventing, managing, and resolving conflicts. Fragile states, ethnic and religious strife, extremism, competition for scarce resources and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction all pose significant challenges to peace. The resulting suffering and destabilization of societies make effective forms of managing conflict imperative. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is dedicated to meeting this imperative in new and innovative ways.

The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help:
  • Prevent and resolve violent international conflicts
  • Promote post-conflict stability and development
  • Increase conflict management capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide

The Institute does this by empowering others with knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by directly engaging in peacebuilding efforts around the globe.

Rotary International Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution  Rotary Peace Fellows are leaders promoting national and international cooperation, peace, and the successful resolution of conflict throughout their lives, in their careers, and through service activities. Fellows can earn either a master’s degree in international relations, public administration, sustainable development, peace studies, conflict resolution, or a related field, or a professional development certificate in peace and conflict resolution.

The Object of Rotary District 7570 is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
  • First, The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
  • Second, High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
  • Third, The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
  • Fourth, The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

The Carter Center  The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.

The Carter Center is guided by five principles:

1. The Center emphasizes action and results. Based on careful research and         analysis, it is prepared to take timely action on important and pressing issues.
2. The Center does not duplicate the effective efforts of others.
3. The Center addresses difficult problems and recognizes the possibility of failure as an acceptable risk.
4. The Center is nonpartisan and acts as a neutral in dispute resolution activities.
5. The Center believes that people can improve their lives when provided with the necessary skills, knowledge, and access to resources.

The Carter Center collaborates with other organizations, public or private, in carrying out its mission.

The National Peace Foundation is committed to solving problems and preventing conflict through community peacebuilding and citizen empowerment. We work where the institutions of civil society (such as health, justice, education, safety) have failed or are no longer effective, NPF empowers local citizens to improve their situation and reduce conflict. Drawing on a legacy of work that stretches back over twenty-five years, today our projects produce tangible results around the world. We accomplish this by supporting grassroots efforts with access to networks of experts, related citizen groups in other countries, and the technical tools needed to establish, operate and sustain citizen-led initiatives. We believe that in the face of overwhelming adversity, citizens can rise to the challenge to build healthier, safer, and more stable communities.

The National Peace Academy supports, advances and nurtures cultures of peace by conducting research and facilitating learning toward the development of peace systems – local to global – and the development of the full spectrum of the peacebuilder – inner and outer, personal and professional. In all its operations, internal and external, the National Peace Academy strives to embody and reflect the principles and processes of peace.

The Center for Human Progress and Conflict Resolution

The University of Peace, Costa Rica  Headquartered in Costa Rica, the United Nations-mandated University for Peace was established in December 1980 as a Treaty Organization by the UN General Assembly. As determined in the Charter of the University, the mission of the University for Peace is: “to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress, in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations.”

Eastern Mennonite University Center for Justice & Peace Building  The Center for Justice & Peacebuilding (CJP) is comprised of the Graduate Program in Conflict Transformation, and the Practice and Training Institute which houses the Summer Peacebuilding Institute, Seminars for Trauma Awareness and Resilience and other intensive training, program, and partnership opportunities.

CJP was one of the first university graduate divisions to offer a Masters in the conflict and peacebuilding field. CJP also launched the first peacebuilding institute offering intensive professional development and graduate-level courses. Our Summer Peacebuilding Institute has become a model for other peacebuilding institutions around the world.

Common Cause  is dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to make their voices heard in the political process.

In this spirit, Common Cause serves as an independent voice for change and a watchdog against corruption and abuse of power. Together with our sister organization, the Common Cause Education Fund, we employ a powerful combination of grassroots organizing, coalition building, research, policy development, public education, lobbying and litigation to win reform at all levels of government.

Center for International Policy   The mission of CIP is based on promoting a U.S. foreign policy based on international cooperation, demilitarization and respect for human rights.

The Center for International Policy was founded in 1975, in the wake of the Vietnam War, by former diplomats and peace activists. This mix of those from inside the government and those from outside by choice has shaped both our methodology and our agenda.

The Center has led or played a vital role in an impressive number of citizens' initiatives. Working closely with allies in Congress, including two members who were to become the Center's co-chairs, Tom Harkin and Don Fraser, the Center campaigned to make sure that a government's human rights record became a factor in allocating foreign aid. In the 1980s the Center staff became the Washington advocates for Costa Rican president Oscar Arias's peace plan for Central America.

In the 1990s the Center attracted a number of senior diplomats to its staff and expanded its agenda to include reform of the nation's intelligence agencies. We continued to play an important role in Central America's post-conflict reconciliation, the effort to end the counter-productive isolation of Cuba, and efforts to condition military assistance to the Western Hemisphere on improvements in governance and increased respect for citizens’ human rights. This work continues today, along with a robust program on nuclear proliferation in south and east Asia.

Our groundbreaking Global Financial Integrity program promotes national and multilateral policies to curtail illicit financial flows and enhance global development and security.

CIP’s Americas Program offers timely policy analysis, North-South dialogue and in-depth reports on key issues of the hemisphere through weekly publications by its experienced staff and regional network of policy experts.

Our Win Without War project is a coalition of national organizations that oppose the militarization of U.S. foreign policy and the doctrine of unilateral military preemption. It advocates fundamental changes in U.S. policy in Iraq that will bring our troops home safely and quickly and promote the creation of a sovereign and peaceful Iraq.

CIP's newest program, Avoided Deforestation Partners, is an international network of thinkers and strategists, founded by leaders in carbon policy, finance, forestry, and conservation in May 2007 to support international efforts to halt tropical deforestation.

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs  Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1914, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is an independent, nonprofit, educational 501(c)3 institution serving international affairs professionals, teachers and students, and the attentive public.

Since its inception, the Council has focused on the enduring importance of ethical values in international relations. Then, as now, the Council aspires to be a worldwide "voice for ethics."

It provides a nonpartisan, open forum for discussions that go beyond the political efficacy and economic efficiency of policies to questions of values, principles, and moral argument—discussions which might not otherwise take place.

The Council focuses its efforts on three broad themes: Ethics, War, and Peace, Global Social Justice, and Religion in Politics. It convenes agenda-setting forums and creates educational opportunities and information resources for a worldwide audience.

In addition to its extensive public affairs lectures and other program events, the Council offers a wide array of reference material. Our flagship publication is our quarterly journal, Ethics & International Affairs and we also run Policy Innovations, an online magazine featuring the best thinking on a fairer globalization. 

George C. Marshall Foundation  Few Americans have done as much for their nation and the world as George C. Marshall.  As Army Chief of Staff during World War II, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, special envoy to China, and president of the Red Cross, Marshall was not only the architect of the Allies’ victory, he was also the prime mover behind the European Recovery Program (“The Marshall Plan”) that restored the economy of war-ravaged Europe.

The Foundation was founded in 1953 at the urging of President Harry Truman, the independent Marshall Foundation, is the place where the values that shaped and motivated Marshall are kept alive.  The Foundation perpetuates Marshall’s legacy, his leadership qualities and exemplary character through educational programs, Web site, and facilities (including a museum and research library) that offer a wide range of resources and materials for use by the general public, amateur historians, scholars and students of all ages.             

Through sponsorship of international conferences, the Foundation extends Marshall’s legacy into the 21st century by examining a variety of international challenges and issues.  The Foundation will continue to facilitate these important dialogues on the international stage regarding Marshall Plan-related solutions for economic development for emerging nations and economic recovery for those involved in post-conflict, post-regime change and post-natural disaster reconstruction.  The goal is to stimulate emergence of realistic, workable solutions and to communicate the results to policymakers and interested parties.

The Network of Spiritual Progressives was founded based on three basic tenets:

  • Changing the Bottom Line in America
  • Challenging the Misuse of Religion, God and Spirit by the Religious Right
  • Challenging the Many Anti-Religious and Anti-Spiritual Assumptions and Behaviors That Have Increasingly Become Part of the Liberal Culture

The Network of Spiritual Progressives is working on its own version of the Global Marshall Plan. Our plan promotes all the world's people to work in solidarity to eliminate poverty once and for all, and to heal the environmental crisis. It is a commitment to peace, social justice, and the ecological sanity of our planet.

The Global Marshall Plan is a plan for all the world’s people to work in solidarity to eliminate poverty once and for all and to heal the environmental crisis.

The Global Marshall Plan takes its name from the post-World War II Marshall Plan, amassive and successful project to provide aid to Western European countries—including Germany, which had been our antagonist
in the war. Historians have debated how altruistic the plan was. Some argue that a large part of the motivation for the original Marshall Planwas to strengthen capitalist economies in Europe to prevent them from becoming Communist. A similar motive to prevent theworld from devolving into terrorist-generated chaos might inspire some who will join our efforts for a Global Marshall Plan. But other historians point to the strong strands of generosity that were tapped when Americans embraced rebuilding the devastated lives of the defeated nations against which they had just waged war.
This was enlightened self-interest, and it can ally with strong altruistic tendencies
that persist in Americans andmany others around the world, this time mobilized to combat the suffering of humanity that leads to destructive wars, violence and ecological irresponsibility.

Council for a Parliament of the World Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.

To accomplish this, we invite individuals and communities who are equally invested in attaining this goal.

Our Vision
The vision of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions is of a just, peaceful and sustainable world in which:

  • Religious and spiritual communities live in harmony and contribute to a better world from their riches of wisdom and compassion
  • Religious and cultural fears and hatreds are replaced with understanding and respect
  • People everywhere come to know and care for their neighbors
  • The richness of human and religious diversity is woven into the fabric of communal, civil, societal and global life
  • The world's most powerful and influential institutions move beyond narrow self-interest to realize common good
  • The Earth and all life are cherished, protected, healed and restored
  • All people commit to living out their highest values and as

Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities: ALL ISSUES.  ALL AGES.  ALL ACROSS VIRGINIA. The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities conducts programs that promote understanding and respect on ALL issues of diversity, for ALL age groups, ALL across Virginia.

Each year, Inclusive Communities leads educational programs, conferences, retreats, and workshops for thousands of youth, educators, community members, non-profit organizations, and corporate and business leaders. These events and experiences teach participants not simply to notice differences, but also to respect variety in race, religion, and culture.  We deliver our message in schools, houses of worship, the community, and in the workplace.

At the Institute of Noetic Sciences, we employ the rigor of science, balanced by personal and collective wisdom, to support a shift in consciousness that transforms present global conditions into a world grounded in freedom, wisdom, and love. We serve an emerging movement of globally conscious citizens dedicated to manifesting our highest capacities.

The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS):

  • Explores the frontiers of consciousness
  • Builds bridges between science and spirit
  • Researches subtle energies and the powers of healing
  • Inquires into the science of love, forgiveness, and gratitude
  • Studies the effects of conscious and compassionate intention
  • Seeks to understand the basis of prevailing worldviews
  • Practices freedom of thought and freedom of spirit

Our Mission: Advancing the science of consciousness and human experience to serve individual and collective transformation.

ONE COUNTRY, the newsletter of the Bahá'í International Community, is a publication of the Office of Public Information of the Bahá'í International Community.

The Bahá'í International Community is an international non-governmental organization which encompasses and represents the worldwide membership of the Bahá'í Faith.

Founded a century and a half ago, the Bahá'í Faith is today among the fastest growing of world religions. With more than five million followers in at least 235 countries and dependent territories, it has become the second-most widespread faith, surpassing every religion but Christianity in its geographic reach. Bahá'ís reside in more than 121,000 localities around the world and they represent a cross section of humanity, coming from virtually every nation, ethnic group, culture, profession and social or economic class. More than 2,100 different ethnic and tribal groups are represented.

For more information about the Bahá'í International Community and the Bahá'í Faith, go to the Bahá'í World Web Site <http://bahai.org>


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