Yaroki’s mission is to enable positive individual action that safeguards our environment and supports sustainability.  

What is Yaroki?

Yaroki is an organization devoted to promoting sustainability.  Yaroki originated with two observations:  (1) Our planet is undergoing significant change that increasingly threatens human beings and other life.  The pace of environmental change seems to be speeding up.  (2)  Human action – individuals acting together – can make a profound impact to restore the equilibrium on which life as we know it depends.

Earth is over 4.5 billion years old.  Life on earth began about 3.5 billion years ago.  Homo sapiens – human beings – have existed for only a tiny sliver of that time – only about 200,000 years, or 0.04 percent.  (Even human ancestors have “only” emerged around 7 million years back, which is still barely over 0.15 percent of earth’s history.)

From its earliest days, Earth has been in a constant state of change, from abrupt events like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes to slower, persistent forces like the water cycle and evolution.  Even amid these forces of change, the planet maintained a degree of equilibrium.  Its environment provided the conditions necessary to support life.  For much of human existence, those natural patterns continued, the equilibrium was maintained.  Yet, in just the last 150 years, human activity has abruptly altered the planet in ways that have upset this delicate balance.

The world is rapidly growing warmer.  Some areas are much wetter; others are turning to desert.  Food scarcity.  Deforestation.  Disease.  Extinction rates are soaring.  Living creatures of all types are competing for much reduced habitable domain.  “Once in a century” events are occurring ever more frequently. 

Earth’s history is not without precedent for such abrupt, dramatic change.  It is believed, for example, that a large asteroid impact led to a mass extinction ending not only the reign of the dinosaurs, but 75 percent or more of all species on Earth.  In fact, Earth’s history includes at least five large scale extinction events.  In each case, the planet survived, but the majority of existing species did not.

Build knowledge to support sustainability.

Yaroki seeks to be a catalyst for lasting and positive impact on the local, regional, and global environment.  We know that small steps add up to make a big difference.  Individual action matters – especially individuals acting in concert.  So, Yaroki seeks to spark positive, individual action that in the aggregate supports a more sustainable, just society.

Effective coordination depends on access to relevant information –– knowing what is going on, where collective action or input may be most effective, and examples of how progress toward sustainability is being made.  To have a meaningful impact, those involved need to be on the same page, but these days, with so many news sources and information outlets, it can be difficult for individuals to coordinate.  

Yaroki seeks to fill this gap, identifying and curating news on sustainability topics, and providing a hub to connect individuals and enable better coordination.  We are focused on building out four key elements.

Law, Policy, and Government Action 

As Enlightenment philosophers, America’s founders, and present day civic leaders know, the power to enact social change is with the people – individuals acting in concert toward a common goal.  It’s what powers democracy.  This is no less true when it comes to advancing  sustainability.  Tracking proposals and government action, particularly at the community level, is vital to supporting progress toward greater sustainability.  Having relevant information enhances accountability of elected officials, and can help ensure that sustainability concerns are not ignored.  In addition, knowing what has worked in one area or domain, for example, can help inform positive steps elsewhere.  Yaroki identifies and curates information to support coordinated action and to facilitate benchmarking programs and practices in support of sustainability.

A platform to spur positive individual action.

Whether it’s the universe, the automobile or the computer, practically every big thing started small.  We believe approaches to promote sustainability and green living are no different.  But the world is a busy place.  With so much “noise,” ideas with great potential may go unnoticed.  Yaroki seeks to highlight good ideas so that they can benefit from community input and develop.  Attention is like oxygen for good ideas.  Yaroki aims to be a platform where good ideas can get the air they need to grow.

Inspire positive community action.

Sustaining success in any endeavor depends on motivation.  Yaroki identifies simple, meaningful ways to support sustainability, contribute to projects designed to make the world a more livable, and make life more fulfilling.  By publicizing events, discoveries, individual success stories, and instances of natural wonder, Yaroki seeks to encourage greater commitment to sustainable living, raise awareness about important progress, foster a sense of community, and –– dare we say it? –– have a little fun!

Personal consumption as a tool for good.

Coordinated individual action may take many forms, including personal consumption decisions.  With every purchasing decision – everyday consumption choices – we can each be instruments for positive change.   Here again, access to relevant information can make all the difference. Yaroki aims to enable purchasing decisions that express and fulfill the aspiration to live sustainably – to contribute to a world where resource demands are in balance with their availability.