You can support positive change for people most impacted by extractive industries
Who is Terragraphics International Foundation?
TerraGraphics International Foundation (TIFO) prevents pollution from poisoning people. We do this by building lasting partnerships and applying science-based solutions to bring about positive change to people impacted by extractive industries (those involved in the removal of raw natural resources from the earth, such as metals and minerals).
We all rely on extractive industries. But we are not all directly affected by the dangers of those industries. Every time we use a phone or computer, drive a car, or charge a device, we are using resources extracted from the earth. The extraction of these resources disproportionately affects the most vulnerable people in the world’s most vulnerable communities.
By combining rigorous science with local knowledge, TIFO equips people with the education, training, and workforce development necessary to improve environmental health without sacrificing their livelihoods.
Why TIFO? Why Now?
Real lives. Real solutions.
Most hazardous industries left high-income countries like the United States, seeking pollution havens in low-income countries with absent or poorly enforced environmental regulations. This results in environmental and health disparities for some of the world’s most economically vulnerable people while high-income countries benefit.
TIFO is not anti-mining; we are pro-community. We help communities supportive of extractive industries to implement programs to make it safer. We support communities opposed to extractive industries to determine what happens on their lands.
We are steadfast in our commitment to pursue equitable solutions that prioritize community self-determination, supporting communities to define their role in mining development and to safeguard their environment and health for future generations.
impact
Our work adapts proven, science-based interventions to local socio-economic realities, centering community self-determination. We build partnerships with responsible government and industry collaborators to take sustainable actions that address the underlying factors that facilitated the original polluting activities.
IMPACTS OF A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT
A clean, safe environment is a critical issue worldwide. It isn’t just about beautiful landscapes – it’s essential for healthy lives. The environment impacts everything from healthcare to education to raising a family. TIFO’s mission is to change that.
OUR WORK
TIFO HAS WORKED AT HAZARDOUS SITES ON FOUR CONTINENTS
JOURNEY OF A TIFO PROJECT
- African Proverb
TIFO projects are as unique as the communities we work with. We carry out each step in close consultation with our partners. Projects often take several years before we implement a response, and the time required to complete each phase varies.
JOURNEY OF A TIFO PROJECT
- African Proverb
TIFO projects are as unique as the communities we work with. We carry out each step in close consultation with our partners. Projects often take several years before we implement a response, and the time required to complete each phase varies.
WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY
environmental health
We mean every person’s right to a safe, clean environment—to a good quality of life. To thrive, not just survive. Physical, chemical, biological, and social factors of one’s environment impact human health. We believe all people have a right to live in a healthy environment. Reducing exposure to harmful pollutants through applied science and community partnership is at the heart of our mission.
Join the TIFO family
We acknowledge that our sustenance and prosperity come from lands from which Native peoples, who have been caretakers of these lands for hundreds of generations, were forcibly removed.