Our Moral Referents

The Foundations We Build On

1. Laudato Si’

2. Earth Charter

This layer does not explain what Green Cross UK does. It explains what Green Cross UK believes — and why that shapes every decision we make. For those who want to understand the organisation from the inside out, this is where to start.

Laudato Si'

Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home

At Green Cross UK, we adopt Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’ as one of our core philosophies within our ethical governance framework. This document is far more than a religious appeal; it is a universal invitation to engage in an urgent dialogue regarding how we are shaping the future of our planet.

Why is it vital to our daily activity?

For us, the significance of Laudato si’ lies in the concept of Integral Ecology. We understand that there are not two separate crises—one environmental and one social—but rather a single, complex socio-environmental crisis.

This vision guides every one of our projects, reminding us that a true ecological approach must always be a social approach, integrating justice for the most vulnerable with the protection of nature.

How we apply this philosophy at Green Cross UK?

We, at Green Cross UK, integrate the principles of the encyclical through:

• The Interconnection of All Existence: We act under the conviction that everything in the world is connected. Our governance strategies consider environmental, economic, and social impacts as a unified whole.

• Combating the "Throwaway Culture": We work to reverse production and consumption models that generate unnecessary waste and marginalise the poorest members of society.

• Intergenerational Responsibility: We operate with the awareness that the world is a loan that each generation receives and must pass on to the next, making sustainability a matter of fundamental justice.

• Global Solidarity: We recognise that the climate is a common good, and we face challenges that require global consensus and a new universal solidarity.

We recognise in Laudato si’ a profound resonance with the Earth Charter, as both challenge us to move beyond a period of self-destruction and seek a new beginning based on a reverence for life and the struggle for justice and peace.

The Earth Charter

An Overview

Conceived in 1994 through the joint vision of Mikhail Gorbachev, then President of Green Cross International, and Maurice Strong, Secretary-General of the UN Earth Summit, the Earth Charter was initiated as a global civil society endeavour. It directly answered a call from the UN for a new guiding framework for sustainable development.

The Charter is an international declaration of fundamental ethical principles aimed at building a more just, sustainable, and peaceful 21st-century society. Its unique authority stems from its creation process: it was drafted through what remains one of the most open and participatory consultations ever for an international document, involving thousands of individuals and organisations over six years (1994-2000).

Officially launched in 2000 at The Peace Palace in The Hague, its framework is built upon four interdependent pillars: Respect and Care for the Community of Life, Ecological Integrity, Social and Economic Justice, and Democracy, Non-Violence, and Peace. These are elaborated through sixteen main principles.

More than a declaration, the Earth Charter is a practical guide for action. It posits that environmental protection, human rights, equitable development, and peace are inseparable.

For Green Cross International, the Charter’s principles are integral to its organisational DNA, providing the ethical foundation that informs and inspires its mission and on-the-ground projects—exemplifying how a shared global vision translates into tangible, localised action for people and the planet.