SAN FRANCISCO – Climate change is one of the most pressing issues we face today, and finding a solution is critical. But there may be a glimmer of hope.

EarthFund Global, a new international non-profit organization founded by pioneers in renewable energy and sustainability in the U.S., announced its official launch on September 24.

EarthFund partners with governments, environmental leaders, non-profit organizations, educators, financiers, technology companies and local communities, to fully address climate change. It truly enables countries to achieve and exceed their climate goals faster, compelling them to take action customized to the needs of each country or state. This is done through three pillars: innovative education, break-through technologies, and reliable capital.

Global Green USA, the American affiliate of Green Cross International, is EarthFund’s fiscal sponsor and key collaborator to shine a spotlight on EarthFund’s core programs: EarthEnergy, EarthOdyssey and EarthIndex. Global Green’s Board and Advocates includes a long list of the top celebrities focused on the environment and climate change, all of whom are focused on making a difference through action.

According to Global Green’s CEO, William Bridge: “We only have ten years left to work together to create a secure, healthy, and safe future. We see EarthFund Global and EarthIndex as catalytic affiliates in our 10-year mission to lead a global response to keep us within planetary boundaries.”

EarthFund supports emerging technologies such as EarthIndex, the world’s first clean energy platform designed to accelerate a country or state’s ability to rapidly scale to 100% clean energy by 2030. To achieve this, EarthIndex works with world-class technology companies, such as ESRI, and advisors from Google and EIT-Climate-Kic Silicon Valley, to develop a country/state level solution to change the game in clean energy development, starting in Greece and in California.

EarthFund’s Founder, Alysia Helming, the visionary behind the EarthIndex platform, believes that countries can reach 100% clean energy, but only when they are armed with the right tools, infrastructure and capital.

Twenty years ago, Ms. Helming co-founded the first locally-based wind farm company in Kansas, which became one of the largest wind developers in the U.S., Trade Wind Energy, and was recently acquired by Enel Green Power, the leading developer of solar and wind energy in the world. As a pioneer of wind, solar and biofuels in the US, she is no stranger to seeking out-of-the-box solutions to advance clean energy: “To build clean energy faster, countries need a technology platform where governments and stakeholders can interact, in real time, to solve bottlenecks and identify the best possible sites for new projects.”

EarthFund’s co-Chairman, Vivian Panou, a leading spokesperson for sustainable living, is focused on greater collaboration and educating children and youth about climate change: “We work together with each country to promote a more sustainable livelihood. Together, we will breathe a little lighter, live a little healthier, and have a beautiful planet for our children to inherit.”

EarthFund’s Executive Director, Hannah Emerson, who has worked for the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva, Switzerland, wants to make a measurable difference to help each country, through the lens of human rights and engaging youth, achieve their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in line with the UN’s Agenda 2030.

EarthFund Greece has boots on the ground ready to help Greece deploy EarthFund’s programs and to create new jobs there. EarthIndex’s co-founder Vasilis Rallis, a former Senior Advisor for the Regulatory Authority for Energy in Greece, wants to help stimulate the economy by creating new jobs in clean energy there and looks forward to soon present the government with the platform’s Demo.

Why Greece? The European Union (EU) has committed itself to climate change adaptation strategies with its Green Deal. Greece has established a strong focus on digitalization of its government and ambitious climate solutions. The Greek Orthodox Church, through the ‘Green Patriarch’, has paved the way for religious leaders to promote spirituality in harmony with ecology.

EarthFund’s Executive Director in Greece, Epaminondas Farmakes, Founder of HumanRights360 and the former COO of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, looks forward to implementing solutions which focus on the local culture, people and economy. He recognizes the significance of starting a global initiative like EarthFund in Greece: “As Greece is the birthplace of ancient innovation, it makes a lot of sense that we would now advance modern innovation in climate, sustainability and clean energy, to serve as a beacon of hope and as a role model, starting here, in Greece.”

EarthFund’s Board of Directors reflects their strong ties to Greece with: Dr. Jim Dimitriou, Los Angeles-based President of the American Hellenic Council and Faculty Director for the Model United Nations program; and Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, one of the most-cited women economists in the world, President Elect of the EAERE, co-chair of the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Director of EIT Climate-Kic Greece. As a member of Greece’s Ministerial Committee on Climate Change, Prof. Dr. Koundouri looks forward to working with EarthFund to help Greece’s many climate initiatives. Recently, she hosted a Political Roundtable at the premiere event for island sustainability, the Virtual Island Summit, where she discussed the urgency of climate change: “Humanity is currently on an unsustainable development path, while facing three main tsunamis: COVID19 pandemic, the resulting economic recession and climate change. It is time to accelerate our transition to a greener, financially sustainable, and equitable world that will make us less vulnerable and more resilient to crises.”

More information about EarthFund Global and its partner Global Green USA, an affiliate of Green Cross International is available online: earthfundglobal.org, www.globalgreen.org, and www.gcint.org.

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