GreenAroundYou.org

Green Around You Right Now:

I want 50 25 10 5
Green Credits at $5 ea.     [more options]

A Message From the Founder

Andrew Burt

Hi, I'm Dr. Andrew Burt, founder and President of GreenAroundYou.

People have asked me why I founded GreenAroundYou, and what's it all about. I founded GreenAroundYou because when I see an unmet need I have a habit of starting a nonprofit/charitable/free service to meet that need. Back in the early days of the Internet, when it was difficult and expensive for the public to get access to the net, I founded the world's free Internet service. I was a computer science professor at the University of Denver, and while the University wasn't exactly happy about this, I twisted their arm into it; and later I turned Nyx into its own 501(c)(3) non-profit. Nyx.net is still running, after all these years, and though I don't have much to do with it these days, having handed it off to a trusted group of supporters, I'm proud that it's still running and serving its mission.

When I couldn't find a writers workshop on the Internet, I started one, and Critters.org is now one of the largest and longest running workshops on the net. Like Nyx, it's free to members, with donations encouraged from those who like it, and this funding model has kept both of these running successfully for a long time.

I've started many other nonprofit sites, and I've also served on boards of a number of other nonprofits, such as several years as Vice-President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America; and I've contributed to and support the open source software movement. Those are the kinds of thing I do. I feel it's my obligation to give back to society.

While I've lived pretty green by nature, I recently realized it isn't enough if we each do a bit — we must treat green as a verb and green around us too if we're to keep the earth a sustainable place to live. So, as is my nature, I noticed an unmet need, and founded GreenAroundYou, to help people address the many aspects of making the world sustainable that they have no direct control over. My background is in software and the net, so I realized I could help by setting up an organization and web site that leverages technology to be most efficient with your donations, and thus make your money go farther toward solving our problems.

GreenAroundYou isn't competitive with other sustainability organizations — we're adding a voice to the mix. We need lots of voices to grab attention to this very important issue. If you donate elsewhere, that's terrific — just donate somewhere, since this is one of the most important problems facing us as a civilization. Not only is it important to have a livable planet, now and for the future, but looking at the big picture, wars, geopolitics etc. are often about resources, so the better we manage resources the less conflict there is in the world, between peoples or between us and the planet. We all win.

GreenAroundYou is unique in may ways: There's something here for everyone; we're not a "global warming" site or focused on other single issue topics. Our purpose is to address the underlying issues and address them broadly, to make the planet as sustainable as possible. To do that, we each — you — have to make green a verb that encompasses more than just our own individual lifestyle choices. To solve this problem, you have to green around you. If you do, everyone benefits.

I hope you'll become part of the GreenAroundYou family. Thanks!

— Dr. Andrew Burt, Founder and President, GreenAroundYou, Inc.

Now is a Good Time to Start...

One thing I've learned about running non-profits is that you need to make it really, really easy for people to make a donation. I don't like to force people to donate by holding things hostage, the way public TV/radio won't let you view/hear the programming until a certain number of people have donated. I imagine that's successful for them, but it's a bit annoying. I've had success with a less forceful method, of having the donation forms be visible, easy to use, and a bit humorous. That's why you see the donation forms prominently on the GreenAroundYou site. Of course, we operate 100% on donations, and we need yours, so I hope you'll agree this makes some sense. :)

That said... wouldn't you like to donate, say, right now? Why, yes, you say, I'd like to buy
(There are also more options.)

Thanks!!