ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

Earth Help is one of the largest environmental organizations today. They try to prevent greedy corporations and uncaring states from destroying the environment by showing the public what they are doing, preferably in as spectacular or disturbing a fashion as possible. They film how seal hunters club the cute pups. They reveal how landowners in South America are supporting death squads to remove Indians from their land. They organize peaceful protests against nuclear dumping or deployment of nuclear weapons. They are one of the Syndicate's most dangerous weapons.

Actually, the Syndicate supports many environmental organizations. They are simply doing the dirty work for the Syndicate in attacking its enemies, controlling public opinion and changing the Market in useful ways. By making the public demand more eco-friendly products, the Syndicate can raise the prices and often use lower quality materials to get that "eco look". The Technocracy can even decide what products are good or bad for the environment to suit their plans. The Progenitors (or their pawns) simply publish research showing that something is (or isn't) damaging the environment. Corporations and groups the Syndicate doesn't like are attacked by the environmentalists, and often forced to pay huge fines after their activities are revealed. Since the Syndicate has its tentacles everywhere, it can provide the environmentalists with dirty insider information about their targets, such as rumors about dumping sites or secret pollution.

By focusing on spectacular and newsworthy matters like cute animals, dramatic actions or atrocities committed by ruthless people Earth Help makes the environment fit the media. It also causes public consciousness to focus on issues the Syndicate wants, not what really matters. After all, krill can't compete with seal pups in the news. The other environmental groups have to follow the trend or else be left behind with no sponsors or public support.

But the most important use of Earth Help is to make lots of profits. Donating money to the environment is popular. Everyone is doing it so it's "in". Children at school organize door-to-door campaigns. Many corporations want to show that they are committed to a better world. Humanitarian organizations like to help. Everyday people sometimes send in some money, partially because they have a bit of bad conscience knowing they aren't living very eco-friendly. Donating some money stills the conscience quite well.

Earth Help is really organized like a big international corporation, although it doesn't look like it. Most members are just support members, paying their dues and receiving the Earth Help Newsletter. More devoted members handle the local organizations, mostly matters of administration, lobbying and research. Then there are groups of active members, which take part in the direct actions against polluters. They climb chimneys wielding banners, they film pollution, they hinder dumping of toxic waste and do other spectacular and newsworthy things. While their actions are illegal, Earth Help has many good lawyers and the protection of public support. Besides, Earth Help has never condoned any illegal actions, and the members who do such things are always doing it without the knowledge of the organization.

Over the local chapters, which are carefully designed to be tax-exempt as philanthropic or charitable associations, is a central international organization, Earth Help International. EHI runs the large scale planning, has contacts with the United Nations and most of the largest environmental groups. It is Earth Help's face on a global scale, and is very good at appearing well in media. Its spokespersons are all sincere, knowledgeable and convincing. It also distributes the income from the local organizations, investing much into Earth Help Foundation. Actually, the Foundation is EHI and controls the organization completely, although it's not apparent on paper or even to most members.

The Board of Directors of the Foundation decide in which direction Earth Help should move, what projects should be encouraged and which local organizations should be helped. They decide which local leaders to promote into the international organization or demote by sending them to far off corners of the globe or into unimportant positions. The Foundation also invests the money of Earth Help, apparently only in eco-friendly places. But there is great difference between the apparent ecological responsibility and the real world. In practice the Foundation invests in things it will profit from, and then try to make the investments look ethical. It uses several cleverly hidden holding companies and daughter foundations to control several corporations.

It's on this level where the Syndicate really controls Earth Help. At least one board member is a Syndicate Acolyte, and most members have exactly the right mindset. Besides, the Syndicate controls a lot of the owned corporations too, and own much of the capital invested in the Foundation. The founder, who currently has retired to the Caribbean, has become very rich in using the resources of Earth Help for his own profit. And by designing everything carefully, it's even legal.

It's impossible to attack Earth Help. Anyone who criticizes the organization indirectly criticizes all environmental organizations. He will have massive public opinion against him, and most people tend to assume that he is secretly paid off by the polluters. There is practically nothing illegal going on in the organization, and the actual illegal actions are dubbed "Active Civil Disobedience", which makes most people see them in a much more positive light. Finding the dirt on the EHI would require the researcher to evade the subtle traps of the Syndicate. Even if he can find any dirt, most accusations will simply not stick due to the good reputation of Earth Help.

Theme

Hypocrisy and sincerity. Earth Help doesn't really help the environment very much. All their actions are directed towards showing the public what is going on, but very little is actually done to help nature. Instead the generally sincere and reasonable members help further the cynical manipulations of the Syndicate.

Mood

Political Correctness driven to an extreme. Spokespersons carefully selected from minorities, except when the impact wouldn't be good. Non-sexist language. Friendly fanaticism for the environment. Idealism as armor and weapon.

Story Ideas

Earth Help is used to attack the local Verbena. An Earth Help team films the remains after a ritual, adds a bit of footage of other dead animals and clips it together with some standard neopagans (including an interview where one member explains that they sometimes use a little blood in their rituals). This biased but actually formally correct footage is then dispatched to the media, causing a public outcry against neopaganism, which people start to think encourages animal sacrifices (and God knows what else...). Any objections and protests can be easily dismissed either by "No, we're not claiming all neopagans perform animal sacrifices. There are obviously just some who do." or "Do you really defend people who do this?" (show picture of horribly mutilated animal). How do you defend yourself when everyone feels disgusted?

The Syndicate sends Earth Help against Pentex. By documenting certain of the activities of the subsidiaries they cause massive public outcry. Will the Traditions help Earth Help attack Pentex in their area, when they know this will strengthen the grip of the Syndicate over the economy?

If the players are involved in environmentalism they might meet Earth Help close up. After they have discovered a local waste dump, Earth Help appears and quickly starts to make the media notice it. At first the players will undoubtedly like cooperating with Earth Help, which is very good at making the public aware of the problem. But sooner or later they will start to realize that the organization is merely interested in this, not in helping cleaning it up. And Earth Help has a tendency to simply take over all situations and use them to further their own goals.

An ex-member of Earth Help runs for local office. She has an intense green profile, and has massive support by the organization. She is charismatic, intelligent and seemingly unpolitical. "I only want one thing. An end to the rape of nature around here." If she wins she will start to act to protect the environment, which will require some rather repressive means. But everyone gladly agrees since its for the good of every living being... and the Technocracy. Old and inefficient industries are forced to leave and are replaced by modern ones better fitting Technocratic standards. Public control and environmental surveillance are increased to "nail the polluters". Restoration projects efficiently remove or tame nodes and ley-lines. How to stop her? She is, after all, doing something for the environment...