Caring for this amazing but endangered planet is the challenge of our lifetime. Every one of earth's systems is in trouble: the climate continues to warm, half of all the earth's wetlands are gone, species' extinction is epidemic, only half of tropical forests remain. People who know about these things say we're making changes that will be with the planet and its people for generations — and maybe millennia — to come.

Here's the tricky part — we're the main cause of these problems. Yes, humans in general, and Rich World societies in particular. Those of us at the top of the global consumer chain use about five times our fair share of the earth. In the US, for instance, they say per capita resource consumption is 27 tractor trailer loads of the earth's bounty per year — that's everything our society requires from the planet for buildings, roads, fuel, housing, paper, food, etc, divided by the number of people. Not only is this a huge drain on the planet, but our pollution and consumption also hurt or further impoverish our poorer neighbors in other parts of the world while leaving a damaged and drained planet for our children. 

That's the bad news. The good news is that nearly any action we take in the course of daily life — whether eating lower on the food chain or refusing bottled drinks or buying local goods or holding the corporations accountable for their pillaging — can have a positive impact on the planet. And these actions of ours can also have a positive impact on our neighbors both near and far. They can be an example to the folks around us, while showing our global neighbors and our children that we care about them.

NCP offers loads of information about the challenges we face, exciting opportunities to make a positive difference, and experiences of our earth that will inspire and empower us. Follow the links below to join in this quest for a better planet for us, our neighbors, our children — and for the millions of other species who also call this spinning blue ball home.

Check out our earth-keeping projects--efforts that include everything from protecting rainforest to helping the homeless have access to low-cost bicycles. Special programs also help groups make good choices about purchasing responsibly and using energy efficiently.

Want to learn more about your impact on the planet--and how you can live more sustainably? We have info on everything from our diets to our driving, from our ecological footprint to facts about the Amazon, from global warming to grotesque consuming. Go! Learn! Change!