The Institute for Earth Education was set up in 1974 by Steve Van Matre and others to promote "Earth Education". It is a not-for-profit organization with branches in several countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The organization was founded upon the following beliefs:
""The environmental education movement has been led astray:"
Along with their criticism of mainstream environmental education, the Institute developed an alternative in the form of "concept paths" and activities. Some of these have been developed into full educational programmes, including: