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, extinctions are 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 a sustainable share of the earth. And if everyone on earth consumed like we do—and they want to—we’d need four more planets to provide for us. 

That's the bad news. The good news is that nearly any action we take in the course of daily life can have a positive impact on the planet — whether eating lower on the food chain or refusing bottled drinks or buying local goods or holding the corporations accountable for their pillaging or using the car as a last resort. And these actions of ours can be an example for others, both in our society and in consumer-wanna-be societies, that there’s more to life than stuff.

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 orb 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!