The IRC will put in place high-impact, cost-effective solutions that help people affected by crisis. We’ll also use our learning and experience to shape humanitarian policy and practice in ways that improve the lives of more people worldwide. And in all of our work we will focus on breaking down each of the barriers faced by women and girls.
Ecotourism Kenya promotes responsible tourism practices within the tourism industry. This entails encouraging the adoption of best practices in the use of tourism resources, working with local communities and managing wastes and emissions.
The cause for this crisis is essentially the inappropriate and unsustainable exploitation of life support system, which is apparent in the incredible rate of loss of bio-mass cover, soil erosion, irregularity and lack of precipitation, climatic change and creeping desertification.
Therefore, there is not only a strong need to reverse this situation, but also that the demand for some important attitudinal shifts among farmers, entrepreneurs, planners, decision makers, research and development think-thanks, and the public at large has never been more acute.
This needs a rational base for policy development in the fragile area of natural resources management, alongside the responsibility and accountability one should assume.
It is against this background of, on the one hand the horrifying environmental degradation that has rendered life support systems in the country untenable and, on the other, the emergence of new development paradigms on sustainability that LEM, the Environment & Development Society (Lem Ethiopia) is being launched. Thus, Lem the Environment & Development Society of Ethiopia is a citizen’s movement inspired with the concepts of sustainable development and established in March 1992. Since its establishment Lem Ethiopia has entered into a voluntary partnership with communities, schools, civil societies, national & international NGOs, government institutions at different levels, etc. working on environment/natural resources conservation and promotion of alternative technologies to translate the noble ideas of sustainable development and livelihood security into everyday action. It has legally registered by authorized government body & renewed its license every year.
More importantly, LEM Ethiopia enters into a voluntary development partnership with communities, to translate the lofty ideas of a stable environment, sustainable development and livelihood security into everyday action.
Samburu Girls Foundation, (SGF) is a Kenyan non-profit whose primary work is to rescue girls from child-marriage, beading and FGM. Over 1183 girls have been rescued and 326 are currently being sponsored in schools around the country.
The organization was registered as an NGO in October 2011. Its head office is based at Loosuk Center, Samburu County and works closely with 3 more counties namely, Marsabit, Laikipia and Isiolo.
Founded by Josephine Kulea, the organization saves lives by advocating against Harmful Cultural Practices and builds futures for the girls by taking them to school.
Employment
Please visit our careers page for information about working with the IRC.
Use our online job application system to apply for the positions for which you are interested and qualified.
Internships
To find out what types of internships are available and how to apply visit our careers page.
Green Kenya Investment Corporation is a vibrant and growth oriented Environmental Consultancy Firm that offers sustainable development solutions. Based in Nairobi, GKIC has been involved in projects in extensive works of large, medium and small scale, with varying degrees of complexity and environmental concern.
The firm comprises of a team of experts from different fields, with the aim of being a one stop shop for different consultancy services in the field of sustainable development. We offer practical and sustainable consultancies. We provide our Clients with the full range of high quality solutions and consultancy services comprising; – A responsive service delivery capability; and a first rate approach to work.
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) was established by the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015, to provide regulatory framework to adequately safe guard human health and the environment from potential adverse effects of modern biotechnology and genetically modified organisms, while harnessing the potentials of modern biotechnology and its derivatives, for the benefit of Nigerians. The Act came into force in April 2015, with the appointment of a Director General and Chief Executive Officer. The UN international agreement known as Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which Nigeria signed is an environment protocol and it requires members to domesticate the agreement through a law. The Biosafety Act is therefore to domesticate the Protocol and address our National Biosafety requirements.
The National Biotechnology Development Agency has currently a biotechnology bill before the NASS. Its mandate is to promote biotechnology development in all sectors of the Nigeria economy. It is to promote indigenous acquisition and development of easy and affordable requisite biotechnology in Nigeria and Indigenous R & D to generate copious innovations in biotechnology as well as for the sustenance and growth of the biotech industry.
The National Biosafety Management Agency regulates modern biotechnology activities and the release into the environment, handling and use of genetically modified organisms which are products of modern biotechnology to prevent adverse impact on the environment and human health. On the other hand the National Biotechnology development Agency promotes modern biotechnology activities and GMOs.
The Biosafety protocol which Nigeria signed, requires a biosafety management and Regulatory Agency separate from biotechnology promoting Agency for transparency and to avoid biosafety being compromised and to also avoid the promoter being a judge in its case. This is the situation in other countries where there are biosafety laws and agencies.
ACT Alliance is the largest coalition of Protestant and Orthodox churches and church-related organisations engaged in humanitarian, development and advocacy work in the world, consisting of 155 members working together in over 140 countries to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalised people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality in keeping with the highest international codes and standards.
ACT Alliance is supported by 30,000 staff from member organisations and mobilises about $3 billion for its work each year in three targeted areas:
- humanitarian aid
- development
- advocacy
ACT Alliance is deeply rooted in the communities it serves. It has earned the trust and respect of local people long before large international interventions scale up, and remains steadfast in its grassroots commitments for many years after world attention has shifted elsewhere.
This means that every day, ACT Alliance is on the frontlines:
- addressing systemic poverty
- supporting survivors of disasters, wars and conflicts
- training rural communities in sustainable agricultural techniques
- helping people adapt to environmental change,
- and influencing governments and other key decision makers to safeguard citizens’ human rights.
Members are associated with the World Council of Churches or the Lutheran World Federation.
The global secretariat of ACT Alliance is based within Switzerland, Jordan, Thailand, El Salvador, Kenya, Canada and New York. In addition, the ACT Alliance Advocacy office to the EU is based in Brussels, Belgium.
Founding Documents, Statutes and By-Laws
ACT Alliance Statutes here
ACT By-Laws here
ACT Founding Documents here
International codes and standards
ACT Alliance is a signatory to the highest humanitarian codes and standards, including the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief.
ACT Alliance is a member of the International Council for Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) and a member of the CHS Alliance.
ACT is committed to the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response and has a seat on the Sphere Board.
ACT is also a member of Reuters AlertNet.
Although William Holden’s illustrious acting career spanned over 40 years, and included nearly 80 films plus a coveted Oscar for STALAG 17, the role in which he took the most pride was as a conservationist and co-founder of the Mount Kenya Game Ranch. His dedicated efforts to preserve the wildlife so precious to all of us soon expanded throughout the world, as he instilled in everyone he touched a reverence for nature’s creatures. In his memory, I founded the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, in cooperation with his former partners, to carry on his important efforts and to meet the ever-increasing demand for alternatives to extinction. The foundation’s education program currently serves over 11,000 students per year. Overhead expenses in the United States are underwritten through the generosity of a single donor, ensuring that virtually 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes directly to our work. We hope you will consider participating in our present and in our future. Stefanie Powers |
We discover emerging social entrepreneurs and invest deeply in the growth of their ideas and leadership. Over 30 years, we’ve built a broad, dynamic ecosystem to support these leaders as they solve the world’s biggest problems.
The Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST) is a non – governmental environmental conservation organization established in 1999. ECOTRUST has developed a valued niche in ‘conservation finance’ and pursued relentlessly a clear vision of ‘a healthy environment with prosperous people’ and a mission, ’to conserve natural resources and enhance social welfare by promoting innovative and sustainable environment management in Uganda.’
ECOTRUST’s core values of ‘accountability and transparency in all our dealings,Creating value for our stakeholders, Pursuit of excellence and continuous improvement, Commitment to personal integrity, creating a culture of teamwork’, remain the jealously protected business principles of the organization, guiding all business decisions and entire management ethics.
Objectives;
• Private Land Management
• Management and control of pollution
• Renewable Energy
• Sustainable Land Use.
• Restoration, Conservation and Management
ECOTRUST works with different communities and stakeholders to conserve natural resources and biodiversity. The key strategies include financial intermediation, capacity building and direct involvement in selected conservation activities. During the year 2016, ECOTRUST commissioned a process of developing a strategic plan for the next 5 years. The goal of the strategy is; To build ECOTRUST as an efficient, socially responsible and sustainable organization in the field of conservation and climate change response.
ECOTRUST will aspire to achieve the above goal under 4 Key Results Area aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their respective outputs as shown below;
- Rural Livelihood and Resilience in high climate risk areas built.
- Private Land Trust management in fragile corridors promoted.
- Integrity and functionality of protected natural capital maintained.
- Institutional re-engineering and capitalization of ECOTRUST for long term sustainability enhanced.
Tsavo Trust is a field based, Kenyan not-for-profit conservation organization working towards protecting wildlife and its habitat.Tsavo Trust believes in conserving the vast wilderness of the Tsavo Conservation Area, that encompasses Kenya’s biggest Protected Area, is home to Kenya’s largest elephant population, several iconic Tuskers, numerous high value species and one of the few truly wild places with significant wildlife left in Africa.
This national heritage is under threat and faces multiple challenges including wildlife crime, climate change and habitat loss.
Tsavo Trust works on a unique strategy, in partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service and other partners on direct wildlife conservation projects as well as engaging specific local communities in the stewardship of community conservancies, so as to encourage participation in conservation activities that bring many varying benefits to those marginalised people that border the formal Protected Areas.
Welcome to the Buckminster Fuller Challenge (BFC) archive! Here you will find a comprehensive history of the BFC program and a curated archive of the ‘best of’ entries reviewed by the program from 2007-2017 making visible the vibrancy and dedication of an emerging field of comprehensive, whole-systems designers. This searchable archive is offered as a resource and tool for educators, the design community, and the general public to use to discover the remarkable ideas and successful projects at work in the world today.
ORIGINS AND HISTORIES
In 2010 Fuller Challenge juror David Orr – the esteemed sustainability educator and author – remarked that human civilization has entered the historical equivalent of shooting the dangerous rapids of a treacherous white-water river. With a broken paddle. Blindfolded.
Buckminster Fuller put it in stark relief with this famous question: Are we heading toward Utopia or Oblivion? He challenged his contemporaries to creatively respond to the urgency of this moment by re-framing the crisis as an opportunity pointing to humanity’s “option to make it – to live successfully without compromising the ability for all of life to thrive.”
Fuller demonstrated through his research and design practice that the resources needed for all forms of life on the planet to live in relative peace and prosperity exist. Creatively deployed, these resources are more than enough to raise the standard of living for everybody.
He called for a revolution by design –not political or military – but a revolution driven by the problem-solving creativity of design combined with the empirical demands of science.
Fuller’s practice took a comprehensive approach, starting with the whole; anticipating future trends and needs; employing the scientific method; and aligned with nature’s operating principles. He saw that this way of thinking and doing was to be the future of design. He called his practice design science. And in the 1960’s he launched the Design Science Revolution with an open call to the world’s creative communities “to make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.”
In 2007 The Buckminster Fuller Challenge Prize program reintroduced Bucky’s vision. After extensive research we determined that the development of a competitive prize – an open call to anyone creatively addressing any of the world’s most urgent problems – would enable us to accomplish several goals:
1. honor the legacy of Fuller and create a prestigious program that would encourage innovation and recognize integrity;
2. draw attention and support to the thinkers and doers applying a comprehensive, whole-systems approach to designing solutions to the
great challenges we face today;
3. leverage the power of a prestigious innovation prize to demonstrate the importance of whole systems-thinking and its integral function in design-
thinking;
4. educate a new generation of designers to take up Fuller’s Challenge to transform our world through design, by showcasing world class projects
and celebrating the people behind them”,
Over the program’s ten-year history (2007-2017) the Fuller Challenge attracted thousands of initiatives from across the globe, tackling every conceivable issue facing humanity and the planet today. Each team submitted an application that was subject to a rigorous vetting process in which our esteemed review team and juries invested hundreds of hours of investigation, research, and debate to select our honored entries.
First recognized in 2011 by Metropolis Magazine as “socially responsible design’s highest award”, the program conferred an annual grand prize of
$100,000 to a project that best fulfilled the entrance criteria and embodied what we have called the ‘spirit of the Challenge’. Winning projects are visionary initiatives that address multiple problems simultaneously, and evoke inspiration for others to study and replicate.
The winning team also received with The Omnioculi, a commissioned sculpture created by artist Tom Shannon in collaboration with geodesics expert Joseph Clinton.
While one project was selected as the winner, each year the Fuller Challenge program awarded resources and support to an additional 40-60 projects through our Catalyst Program. These projects typically represented the top 20% of the entry pool and received opportunities for additional funding and investment, pro-bono legal services, fast-track access to accelerator programs, mentorship opportunities, and international press coverage.
The projects included in the archive demonstrate that design can and must be applied to every aspect of the global system, and reveal a groundswell of successful solutions to our most complex and urgent problems.
With an expanded view of design’s scope, we were able to recognize design innovation in places and projects that were unusual and new. And in the process we discovered an extraordinary group of passionate people with an unusual capacity to feel a deep sense of generosity for the future. It is our hope that
history will look back on their sacrifice, commitment and creativity to recognize that these were the trimtabs of our time who navigated us to safer shores, calmer waters, a world that works for all.
On behalf of the Fuller Challenge staff, review team and our generous supporters we thank you for your interest in this project and hope you will enjoy this archive!
-Elizabeth Thompson, Founding Director
Syngenta is a leading agriculture company helping to improve global food security by enabling millions of farmers to make better use of available resources. Through world class science and innovative crop solutions, our 28,000 people in over 90 countries are working to transform how crops are grown. We are committed to rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities.
The Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) is a groundbreaking environment and climate change fund. Its purpose is to be the engine of green growth in Rwanda, while serving as a touchstone for Africa and the rest of the world. Its strategy is to provide unheralded technical and financial support to the best public and private projects that align with Rwanda’s commitment to a green economy.
Women Environmental Programme (WEP) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political, non-religious and voluntary organization formed in April 1997 by a group of women in Kaduna State. WEP envisions a world where the lives of women and youth are positively transformed.
Although WEP emerged in response to the environmental pollution by industries in Kaduna State, over the years she has expanded her interventions to conflict transformation, climate change and governance issues.
WEP has United Nations Economic and Social Council of the United Nations(UN) (ECOSOC) special status, Observer Status to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). With the Observer Status, WEP participate as a major group organization in contributing to the intergovernmental decision-making process in the UN-System. WEP is one of the Organizing Partners (OPs) of Women’s Major Groups and serves as the National Coordinator for Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) in Nigeria. WEP is also the Focal Point for Global Environment Facility (GEF) CSOs in West and Central Africa.
Since 1997 WEP has impacted over 20,000,000 lives positively across the globe through her interventions in Environment, Governance, Climate Change, Women and Youth Empowerment, Peace and Conflict Transformation.
Zoï Environment Network is a non-profit organization that helps build sustainable societies through informed analysis, visual communication, design and action.
The Council for Renewable Energy Nigeria (CREN) was born in November 2004 out of the spirit of Energetic Solutions – An international renewable energy conference held in Nigeria. This conference included representatives from Africa, the Americas and Europe, and was a follow up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development and Bonn Renewables conference to address the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and issues of energy and development.
During the conference, Nigerian government, private, civil sector representatives came together to combine their efforts to envision a renewable energy future for the country. Their vision was encapsulated in the Calabar Declaration, an action plan for renewable energy in Nigeria.
Founded and comprised of stakeholders from all sectors of renewable energy , the Council For Renewable Energy Nigeria is in a unique position to effectively build partnerships to facilitate the large scale implementation of renewable energy in Nigeria.
Created in 1948, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. As a membership union of government and civil society organizations, IUCN harnesses the experience of its 1,300 member organizations and around 16,000 experts. IUCN provides knowledge, tools, and a neutral forum in which governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples groups, faith-based organizations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges.
IUCN works with partners to achieve large-scale forest landscape restoration (FLR), or in other words to restore whole landscapes “forward” to meet present and future needs and to offer multiple benefits and land uses over time. IUCN collaborates with FLR partners to gather knowledge, develop and apply tools, and build capacity while supporting policy-makers, practitioners, researchers and landowners around the world. IUCN and WRI developed a proven Restoration Opportunities Methodology Assessment (ROAM) with practical steps for diverse stakeholders to restore landscapes at any scale.
At the invitation of the German Government and IUCN, the Bonn Challenge was established at a ministerial roundtable in September 2011. The Bonn Challenge is a global initiative to restore 150 million hectares of the planet’s deforested and degraded lands by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. The platform facilitates the implementation of several existing international commitments that call for restoration, including the CBD Aichi Target 15, the UNFCCC REDD+ goal and the Rio+20 land degradation target. AFR100 is a contribution to the Bonn Challenge. IUCN is the Secretariat for the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration, a global network that unites governments, organizations, academic/research institutes, communities and individuals under a common goal: to restore the world’s lost and degraded forests and their surrounding landscapes.
Focus countries within AFR100: Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda
Our mission is to ensure sustainable forest resource management and production, food production/security, forest-based industrial raw material provision, utilization, Bio-diversity conservation, self-employment opportunities and poverty alleviation through scientific research.
The Climate Action Network (CAN) is a worldwide network of over 1300 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in more than 120 countries, working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.
CAN members work to achieve this goal through information exchange and the coordinated development of NGO strategy on international, regional, and national climate issues. CAN has regional network hubs that coordinate these efforts around the world.
CAN members place a high priority on both a healthy environment and development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Commission). CAN’s vision is to protect the atmosphere while allowing for sustainable and equitable development worldwide.