Meet our Partners
Main Partner: Gaia Trust
Gaia Trust is a Danish-based charitable trust founded in 1987 on the guiding vision of Hildur and Ross Jackson. Its aim is to support the transition to a sustainable society through grants and proactive initiatives like Gaia Education.
Gaia Trust has always been self-funded by earnings from its very successful daughter company Gaiacorp, a foreign currency manager and advisory firm. The basis for Gaiacorp’s business was software and research donated to Gaia Trust by operations researcher Ross Jackson, who retained 10% of the shares for the first five years. The announced intention from the beginning was to sell off Gaiacorp after about 10 years in order to free up capital for the charitable activities, and this sale was indeed completed in 2000.
Institutional Partners
UNITAR: United Nations Institute for Training and Research
An autonomous UN body established in 1963, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research is a training arm of the United Nations System, and has the mandate to enhance the effectiveness of the UN through diplomatic training, public awareness-raising, education and training of public policy officials.
UNESCO: Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development
The UNESCO Global Action Programme (UNESCO-GAP) recognises Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a crucial enabler for sustainable development. UNESCO-GAP seeks to generate and scale-up ESD and to accelerate progress towards sustainable development.
Global Ecovillage Network
The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) delivers education programmes in order to build bridges between policy-makers, governments, NGOs, academics, entrepreneurs, activists, community networks and ecologically-minded individuals across the globe, and to develop strategies for a global transition to resilient communities and cultures.
ECOLISE
ECOLISE, the European network for community-led initiatives on climate change and sustainability, was founded in 2014. It is a coalition of 43 national and international networks of community-led initiatives on sustainability and climate change, as well as organisations that support transformative community education.
Academic Partnerships
One of our international partner academic institutions may be offering a Gaia Education accredited course near you.
In addition to being closer to where you live, some of our courses with partner institutions allow you to work while you are learning, whether in a residential programme or online.
Currently a number of universities are partnering with Gaia Education to offer academic credits or a joint certificate for courses based on the Gaia Education whole-systems design curriculum. More universities will join this innovative partnership as we develop relationships with institutions around the world.
If you have academic contacts with a university near you and you think a partnership may be possible, please send [email protected] their contact address and position title, and let them know that you have recommended them to us for a partnership.
Goddard College
Goddard College specialises in low-residency degree programmes – a format designed for adults of all ages wishing to complete their undergraduate or graduate studies. The university’s mission is education for ‘real living’, incorporating the facing of real life problems as an essential part of the educational programme.
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde, based in Glasgow, Scotland, is a multi-award winning technological university, with a reputation for teaching and research excellence and its strong links to industry and business.
Publishing Partners
UNESCO: Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)
UNESCO was the lead agency of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) which ran from 2005 to 2014. The Decade was a UN response to the severe global situation of poverty, violence, inequity, and the exhaustion of natural resources, with the aim of integrating the values and principles of sustainable development in to all aspects of education and learning in order to create behavioural change.
EcoHabitar
Gaia Education’s publishing partner in Spain helped translate the 4-Keys books into Spanish and distributes them globally to the Spanish speaking public.
Permanent Publications
Established in 1990, Permanent Publications publish inspiring, practical permaculture books that encourages people to live more healthy, self-reliant and ecologically sound ways of life. They are also publishers of Permaculture Magazine – a pioneering magazine that feature thought-provoking articles on topics such as renewable technology and sustainable agriculture.
Associated Partners
Ecosystem Restoration Camps
Ecosystem Restoration Camps Foundation is a Dutch non-profit foundation with hundreds of members from over 30 countries around the world and is continuing to grow. In 2017 ERC established Camp Altiplano, the first Ecosystem Restoration Camp in Spain, and now have a camp on every continent. Their aim is to open 100 camps by 2030.
Transition Network
The Transition Network is a movement across over 50 countries for communities who want to step up to address big challenges through local solutions. Through crowd-sourcing solutions they are able to reclaim the economy, spark entrepreneurship, reimagine work, reskill themselves and weave webs of connection and support.
