Restoring Earth Connection

Our Mission: We seek a change in how we relate to the natural world. The current paradigm teaches domination over Earth, causing cataclysmic changes that threaten life on Earth. However, there is a new and ancient paradigm that recognizes the necessity for an interdependent, reciprocal relationship with Earth. We pursue this vision through advocacy for climate stability, increasing biodiversity, social justice, and sustainable environmental practices.

This year we launched in September our Climate Challenge Project which is a once a month gathering of folks who want to dive into personal ways we can make a dent on climate change.  Each month has a different theme. (Examples: Electric Vehicles, Home Energy Efficiency, Divesting Finances from Fossil Fuels, Low Carbon Gifting, etc.)  With each theme, we address the science behind it, with earth restoration possibilities. We give information on concrete actions participants can take on that theme - and then how to make a policy difference in that area (because we know change comes collectively not individually). We also spend support group time on helping each participant figure out their next action steps.  We also work in coalition with Local Good Governance - a coalition of local environmental groups.  We have been monitoring whether the Thurston Climate Mitigation plan is moving forward into their 30-year comprehensive plan, and we are also keeping up pressure on them to keep enacting the items in the mitigation plan.

Trees are a climate solution. They have always been a significant focus of our organization’s work through our Action Group, Thurston Friends of Trees.  From Sept 2024 thru June 2025 we also carried out our Tree Ambassadors program.  We trained volunteers to walk their neighborhoods with a handout about the benefits of trees - sharing with neighbors with big trees all the amazing and irreplaceable things that tree does.   We hope by raising the citywide awareness about trees, to both protect more of them, and help us make better policies.  We have a website where people can register their big trees.  We held a contest for the biggest tree in each neighborhood of Olympia, the biggest of each species in Olympia, and the biggest tree in Olympia.  See photo below.  (Most of our programs are countywide, but this one was funded by the Olympia Inspire grant, and so it was only Olympia-wide.)  From this project, we collected a lot of useful information about where the biggest trees are, which are common species, and health of trees, which we hope to utilize as both Tumwater and Olympia are poised to redo their tree ordinances.  We are pleased to have played a significant role in 2024 in influencing Thurston County to adopt one of the strongest tree ordinances in the country.  We have also joined with a whole coalition of groups statewide to keep the pressure up on the Department of Natural Resources to not cut down our last remaining Legacy Forests - in this county, but also throughout the state.

Not all our work is about trees. Examples of how we have worked on paradigm change in the past: We do this through Active Hope workshops, Imaging a Sustainable Planet workshops, and through Braiding Sweetgrass Action groups (read more about these type of workshops on our website.) We do this through using creativity and art to reach people. We held a modern dance performance about Legacy Forests, an endangered species mask-making project with all the 6th grade science students at Marshall Middle School, and through an annual Interfaith Earth Day Celebration. We held online webinars on the history of social change, as well as a "Sheroes" webinar about women who have led campaigns to save trees.  We have offered a variety of classes through Olympia Parks and Recreation, ranging from Braiding Sweetgrass, to immersive classes outside with the trees.

                                                                                                                          Dances with Forests

        <-- Tree Ambassador Training    Winner of our largest tree competition- a Sequoia