At Friends of the Earth we organise in a way that means groups of activists can self manage what they do, but do with a sense of organisational unity and shared common values.  Each group has the autonomy to do whatever they need to protect the natural environment as long as they act in accordance with these principles.

We strive for anti-hierarchy and practice consensus decision-making. Because we don’t have a CEO or bosses, it is the members of Friends of the Earth who decide how and what we campaign on.  

So what kind of projects are possible?

The beauty of our structure is that it's entirely up to you! As long as your idea is in line with our values, and has been endorsed by our network; the strategy, tactics and demands are all yours.   

Perhaps you want to lobby your local council to plant more trees, or your local area is under threat from a new quarry? Maybe you are a group of friends acting in solidarity with a first nations group to protect country, or you want to take your idea for better environmental policy to parliament?   Maybe you want to run workshops on climate justice, or curate an annual film festival of grassroots stories? 

Why organise with us?

Friends of the Earth Melbourne has been home to emergent grassroots campaigns for decades. Our philosophy of Mobilise Resist Transform embodies the need for radical system change to address the biggest challenges of our time. We do not operate like a traditional NGO. Instead, we are a community network of activists who support and uplift each other to achieve our goals. Campaign collectives at Friends of the Earth Melbourne have access to digital campaign resources, fundraising support, meeting spaces, and can harness the collective intelligence of the entire FoE network of activists and supporters to build your campaign through skillshares, trainings, grants and collaboration with diverse community networks. 

Please fill in this 5-question questionnaire to let us know about your idea. Before you start, we recommend reading about our values, organising model and our current campaigns.