Philanthropy

The myth of green hydropower

Large dams are disastrous for freshwater ecosystems. From preventing salmon migrations, to flooding niche river ecosystems, to blocking nutrient-rich sediment from getting downstream, hydropower is a catastrophe for wildlife. Yet currently, hydropower supplies more than half of our renewable energy. Isn’t cutting our dependence on fossil fuels worth the biodiversity cost of new dams? [...]

By |2023-03-13T14:10:17+00:00March 13th, 2023|Endowment Fund, Funding, Marine, Ocean, Philanthropy|Comments Off on The myth of green hydropower

A long-term commitment to our ocean: the Neptune Fund

There is an urgent need for increased long-term funding to support effective ocean conservation action. Mainstream ocean conservation efforts struggle to halt and reverse the decline in ocean health, while the ocean’s most reliable custodians—the people and communities who have long depended on it for sustenance—have often been overlooked and disenfranchised in efforts to [...]

By |2023-02-27T17:35:24+00:00February 27th, 2023|Endowment Fund, Funding, Marine, Ocean, Philanthropy|Comments Off on A long-term commitment to our ocean: the Neptune Fund

Changing how I see the world

Synchronicity Earth Trustee Catherine Bryan describes how her perception of the world around her has shifted since she moved into the environmental sector eight years ago, and explores the capacity we all have to help bring about positive change for nature. Giving nature space Writing during this summer’s unprecedented heat [...]

By |2022-11-28T14:24:19+00:00November 28th, 2022|Environment, Philanthropy, Sustainable Living|Comments Off on Changing how I see the world

Rethinking African conservation funding

“The most important things in the world that need doing cannot be done by large organizations. They will be done by many, sometimes hundreds, sometimes even thousands of smaller groups.” So said Andrew Steer, CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund, when the new fund made a pledge to spend $10 billon to tackle climate change. [...]

By |2022-08-02T15:53:29+00:00August 2nd, 2022|Approach, Conservation, Environment, Funding, Philanthropy|Comments Off on Rethinking African conservation funding

Placing trust at the heart of environmental philanthropy

With a wave of new pledges of large grants to environmental organisations, as funders, we need to reflect on how our philanthropy can be improved. Building trust between donors and grantees plus reshaping the donor community so it can better support the organisations working on the ground are the foundations of a philosophy and [...]

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