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Sometimes, as a society, we won’t believe something until we see it with our own eyes. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Non-profit groups are using this stubborn sentiment to their advantage by showcasing satellite images of disturbing environmental changes on Google Earth. Green non-profits who are telling their stories on Google Earth include: United Nations Environment Programme, Appalachian Voices, Neighbors Against Irresponsible Logging, Jane Goodall Institute, and the Sierra Club.

These savvy environmentalists use Google Earth Outreach to create unique educational slides and photos that appear as a layer on the satellite maps. The Outreach website encourages charity organizations to use this tool to their advantage: “As a non-profit or public benefit group, you can use Google Earth to capture the work you’re doing, the people you’re helping, the challenges you face and the change you’re helping to enable - all in the visual context of the environment in which these stories take place. By downloading your KML files, anyone, anywhere can fly in Google Earth from where they live to where you do your work. This virtual visit to the projects and people you support gets users engaged and passionate about what you’re doing and builds support for your cause.”

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in particular has incorporated some striking images of our planet in their “Atlas of Our Changing Environment” on Google Earth. Before-and-after images of 100 spots that are facing environmental changes appear in the mapping program. Included in the slides are shocking images of the endangered Amazon rainforest region, the dwindling polar ice caps, the explosion of development in both Las Vegas and Shenzen, and the destruction of massive mangrove jungles in Southeast Asia. Google Earth users can zoom in on these regions and see high-quality images that serve as an educational object lesson. Slides also present content that explains the causes of specific environmental changes and the years the different photos were taken.

These Google Earth-hosted campaigns hope to rally support for their projects and reach the ears of government officials who can legislate to protect these areas. For example, Appalachian Voices uses the program to allow users to enter their location by zip code and see local supplies of coal and the damage mines have done in their areas. Dole Food Co. has also employed Google Earth to show consumers where their bananas were grown, the history of farms in the area, and see aerial images of the farm. The Fair Trade Certified organization also has a Google Earth presence which allows users to virtually visit certified farms producing fruit, rice, coffee, cocoa, and tea. This kind of awareness is essential to changing people’s habits, particularly in an era where homegrown or local food consumption is so rare.

Google Earth supports templates in KML format, and you don’t have to be a programmer to create engaging and beautiful slides to promote your cause. Their Outreach branch offers online tutorials to help users learn how to create slides, incorporate the passage of times into their maps, embed videos, and promote the finished product so it reaches their audience. This innovative idea is a great way to reach new advocates, interest potential donors, and add a visual element to the story of any non-profit. Explore Google Earth’s Global Awareness layer to see the unique tools that non-profits are using to give us a much-needed object lesson in environmental responsibility.

Friday, January 4th, 2008 Both comments and pings are currently closed.

By Haley January Eckels