Omega Institute Pledges to Strengthen Role as a Model for Scalable Solutions to the World’s Climate Crisis
RHINEBECK, NY – Omega, a 40 year-old nonprofit educational organization, today announced it will join the growing list of nongovernmental entities who will step up efforts to help the U.S. continue to meet its obligations under the Paris Accord in the face of the president’s promise of U.S. withdrawal.
“We must show the world that despite our president’s reckless decision, local governments, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals are prepared to step into the leadership vacuum and continue the unprecedented efforts at global cooperation reached in the Paris Accord to address climate change—the largest threat to the future of humanity,” said Robert “Skip” Backus, chief executive officer at Omega Institute.
In 2009, Omega launched the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OSCL), recognized around the world for modeling and teaching innovative solutions for wastewater reclamation, energy conservation, and regenerative design principles. With a global reach of more than 2 million people and growing, Omega is committed to helping people learn how we can take a smart approach to using the best solutions that technology has to offer, plus nature’s wisdom, to live in a way that can restore the environment and stop the degradation that has led to the climate crisis.
“Through the OCSL, we know firsthand that we have the human ingenuity to solve the problems we face. It takes education, personal commitment, and collective action to make it happen,” said Backus. “In the wake of our grave disappointment at the decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord, we can’t become paralyzed. We have to evaluate how we can work together and leverage the renewed commitments of developing multistate and city partnerships to meet the agreement’s goals of drastically reducing carbon emissions,” he said.
This year the OCSL will offer vital trainings for educators to bring information into schools across the U.S.; immersive ecological literacy programs for professionals of all kinds; and a globally broadcast conference for everyone, Being Fearless: Action in a Time of Disruption, featuring some of the most impactful thought leaders working today—including Bill Moyers, Amy Goodman, Van Jones, Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Cornel West, Pat Mitchell, and others.
“We believe in an integrated approach to personal and social change,” Backus said. “With more than 1 million people walking through our doors since 1977, we know that there is a connection between people making changes within themselves and our ability to create the kinds of changes we need in systems and structures to build a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world. It’s critical now for everyone to play their part.”
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