The current campaigner team, photo taken at our team meeting in Waltershausen, Germany June 2024. From left to right, upper row: Sara, Michaela, Mira, Anne, Jay, Hannah. Lower row: Lena, Lounes, Daniela, Inês, Sean. 

Stay Grounded Team and Structure

 

The members of the Stay Grounded Network are organisations, groups and many volunteers worldwide. Their struggles to counter aviation and work for a just transport system is what the network stands for!

To coordinate this network, there are the team of campaigners, the coordination group “Turtles”, regional groups and campaigners as well as working groups. See an overview in the graph below.

Team of Campaigners

 Our campaigners, working part-time, are at the heart of our day-to-day operations, providing continuity and organisational knowledge, coordinating the network and supporting our members to support each other.

Anne Kretzschmar

Anne Kretzschmar

(she/her)


Tasks:
Greenwashing & Team Coordination

Focus topics: Greenwashing/false green solutions, just transition

Anne studied Critical Economics and Social Design and Middle Eastern Studies. She has been active in the climate justice movement for many years.

Email

Daniela Subtil

Daniela Subtil

(she/her)


Tasks:
Support of Member Organisations in the Global South & Network Coordination

Daniela studied international development and sustainable resource management, has worked for NGOs and in academic research in the areas of renewable energy, water, sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation, and she is active in the climate justice movement.

Email

Hannah Lawrence

Hannah Lawrence

(She/her)


Tasks:
Press & Communications

Hannah spent a number of years working in the UK media while campaigning on a number of social justice issues, including within the climate justice movement. She’s now based in Berlin where she’s involved in the climate community.

Email

Inês Teles

Inês Teles

(she/her)


Tasks:
Press & Communications

Inês studied Communication Sciences, Aesthetics and Artistic Studies and Documentary Filmmaking. She lives in Portugal where she’s active in the climate justice movement.

Email

Jayden Kollegger

Jayden Kollegger

(they/them)

 

Tasks: Administration & Bookkeeping

Jayden currently studies environment and bio-resources management and was previously the area coordinator for an NGO with a focus on marine conservation. They are interested in environmental and social justice, intersectionality, diversity, queer theory, and roller derby.

Email

Lounes Dupeux

Lounes Dupeux

(he/him)

 

Tasks: Network Coordination & Education

Lounes studied Energy and environmental policies and then worked in the public sector and in NGOs for several years. He has been active in the climate justice movement as an activist since 2018.

Email

Magdalena Heuwieser

Magdalena Heuwieser

(she/her)

 

Tasks: Press & Communications

Focus topics: Just transition of aviation, policies, CORSIA, offsetting, financialization of nature

Magdalena studied international development, is co-founder of the network, author of several publications and active in the climate justice movement.

Email | Email

Michaela Leitner

Michaela Leitner

(she/her)

 

Tasks: Educational work, website

Focus topic: Travel policies of organisations

Michaela has an academic background in sociology and transdisciplinary sustainability research, has done educational work on the Ecological Footprint and is active in the climate justice movement in Austria.

Email

Mira Kapfinger

Mira Kapfinger

(she/her)

 

Tasks: Coordination of the Network & Support of Member Organisations, Regional Groups and Working Groups

Focus topics: airport conflicts, biofuels

Mira studied environmental and bio-resource management, is co-founder of the network, is involved in the climate justice movement for many years and has previously worked in environmental education and communication.

Email

Sara Fromm

Sara Fromm

(she/they)

 

Tasks: Action Coordination

Sara studied environmental studies and sustainability science as well as applied leisure studies. She has previously worked as a manager, facilitator and trainer for an NGO on nonviolent action. She is active in the climate justice movement in Germany, works as a freelance facilitator and trainer and is passionate about feminism and degrowth.

Email

Open PGP-Key for secured communication

Sean Currie

Sean Currie

(he/him)

 

Tasks: Press & Communications

Sean is a Brussels-based climate justice organiser from Scotland. When not working for a just mobility system at Stay Grounded, he is a freelance campaigner, trainer and writer, obsessed with how our movements can build collective power through growing our knowledge together.

Email

Regional Campaigners

Together with local members Stay Grounded has supported to create regional coordination positions at local member offices.

Angel Sulub

Angel Sulub

(HE/HIM)

 

Tasks: Regional network coordination Latin America and Caribbean

Angel is a Mayan activist defending the rights of indigenous peoples. He studied educational intervention and has collaborated with indigenous organizations in the areas of training, human rights, territorial defense and communication. He was coordinator of the Centro Comunitario Maya U Kúuchil K Ch’i’ibalo’on, an exchange space for community knowledge. His main interests are social justice, climate justice and the recovery of memory.

Email

Charlène Fleury

Charlène Fleury

(SHE/THEY)

 

Tasks: Regional Network Coordination Rester sur Terre (France)

Charlène studied engineering and has been active with various NGOs on climate justice and air traffic reduction for the past 6 years. She is involved in local struggles against airport expansions in Marseille (Stop extension Marseille Provence) and Lille (NADA Lille), and is also active in several national associations for climate and social justice.

Email

Regional groups

In some countries, several Stay Grounded members got connected as Stay Grounded Regional Groups and undertake joint activities.

ATERRA – Stay Grounded Portugal

The government and corporations planned a massive airport expansion in Portugal. ATERRA is gathering groups and people to defend our ecosystems, promote sustainable travelling and a livable future. Less aviation, more imagination!

Website: aterra.info

Contact: aterra@riseup.net

Stay Grounded Spain

Aviation has grown steadily in Spain during the last years, enjoying a privileged treatment from the national and regional governments. Aviation’s carbon emissions registered a 45% increase in Spain during the period from 2013 to 2019 and massive public money has been transferred to the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic to bail-out a high number of polluting companies. As well, different projects to expand a number of airports threaten to exponentially increase Spain’s carbon emissions in the future.

The Spanish member organisations of Stay Grounded work permanently to stop these policies and to promote a sustainable and resilient mobility system.

Contact: aviacion@ecologistasenaccion.org
Email list (send a request by emailI)

RESTER SUR TERRE – Stay Grounded France

Aviation is on average 7% of the carbon footprint of a French, and green flying is an illusion. Carbon neutrality cannot therefore be reached without stopping airport extensions and reducing air traffic. There are many airport extension projects in France, for example at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport. Measures to reduce air traffic need to be developed: introduction of a kerosene tax, increase of the ecotax on tickets, shutdown of airlines to cities that can be reached by train in less than 4h30, etc.

Join us to counterbalance the power of the aeronautics and aviation industry (Airbus, Safran, Air France, ADP) and promote new ways of travelling.

Website: rester-sur-terre.org

Contact:  rester-sur-terre@stay-grounded.org

Email list and Telegram group (send a request by email)

Stay Grounded UK & Friends

With all the attention on airline bailouts recently, a new awareness from politicians and the public that airlines can’t be trusted to be good corporate citizens, a climate breakdown last gasp avalanche of UK airport planning applications and Master Plans; there’s a lot happening on campaigning around aviation in the UK.

So with this amplified need to fight airport expansion, we’ve decided to go ahead and set up a SGUK Chapter and a SG-UK email list so that we can all communicate and work together effectively.

If your UK group is interested in joining us please contact: uk@stay-grounded.org

“Turtles” coordination group

The Turtles function as an advisory board for the Campaigners, maintain oversight over network processes and guarantee that the process continues, that decisions are implemented and have an overview of what needs to be done. They consist of at least 4 spokespeople from our members or individual Stay Grounded members. They are agreed upon at the annual network meeting. 
Calum Harvey-Scholes

Calum Harvey-Scholes

Reclaim the Power, UK

 

Calum lives in Cornwall, UK working to empower local communities taking control of their own clean energy and organising for climate and social justice. Elsewhere he generally spends his time eating to fuel his cycling and kayaking habits.

 Gabriela Vega-Téllez

Gabriela Vega-Téllez

CPOOEM, MX

 

Gabriela is a native of Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico and co-founder with Heriberto Salas Amac (1958-2020) of the organizational efforts “Original Inhabitants” as well as the “Eastern State of Mexico Coordination in Defense of Land, Water and Culture” (CPOOEM), which is a member of the “National Indigenous Congress” (CNI).

 

Larry Edwards

Larry Edwards

individual, US

 

Larry lives in Sitka, Alaska and has degrees in aeronautical and mechanical engineering. He has closely followed published climate science and related issues for about 20 years.

Nono Vermoesen

Nono Vermoesen

(SHE/THEY) Individual, FR/BE/GE

 

Nono is an academic researcher, writer and musician. Under the moniker « Nono Gigsta » she tours grounded to her DJ gigs in Europe and beyond. Nono has publicly reflected on this commitment and advocates for a just, fair and collective transition within art and culture industries. Nono is also part of the Stay Grounded multipliers.

Shruti Parth

Shruti Parth

(She/her) cBalance, IN

 

Shruti graduated in Life-Sciences, has been exploring environmental educational engagements in several alternative schools & learning centers.  She also committed a year to an International peace building campaign called Jai-Jagat-2020 Footmarch from India to Geneva. She is keenly tinkering ways to learn & understand roots of the conflicts around climate-crisis and social discrimination, lack of empathy and apathy, by exploring observations with nature, indigenous knowledge & spiritual insights.

A proud and happy member of the cBalance family, she is currently committed to engage as an associate in its climate justice initiatives. She works mainly for the Fair Travel program and also supports the Fair Conditioning project.

Steve Risingtide

Steve Risingtide

(He/Him) Rising Tide UK

 

Steve studied Occupational Health, Safety & Environment. Held various Trade union posts and is active in many Social justice Networks working on Climate Breakdown. An original member of The Camp for Climate Action organising group for the first ever Climate Camp at Drax Power Station and subsequent incarnations.

Working Groups

Airport Conflicts

  • Researching and visualizing environmental justice conflicts around airport projects in collaboration with the Environmental Justice Atlas
  • Coordination and co-founders of research project: Rose Bridger, Sara Mingorría. Contact: mapping@stay-grounded.org.
  • Contact campaigner: Mira (mira[at]stay-grounded.org)

Caps & Limits

  • Exchange about campaigns to limit airport capacity with a mostly European focus.

  • Coordination: Lounes (lounes[at]stay-grounded.org)

Greenwashing

  • Detailing and publicising the dangerous, unrealistic and exploitative nature of many false solutions and greenwashing narratives pushed by the aviation industry
  • Contact campaigner: Anne (anne[at]stay-grounded.org)

Tourism & Aviation

  • Working group to encourage deeper reflections about the connection between tourism and aviation and what focus areas that we should work on. This group shouldn’t aim at producing more reports or papers, but have a different kind of activity.
  • Coordination: Daniela (daniela[at]stay-grounded.org)

Currently inactive working groups:

  • Noise/Health Impacts of Aviation
  • Agrofuels
  • Frequent Flyer Programmes
  • Total Climate Impact of Aviation
  • Just Transition of Aviation

How we are financed

The Stay Grounded Network is legally hosted by the Austrian collective Periskop. Periskop is a non-profit association and works on a non-profit basis.

Our work is mainly financed by donations and foundation funding. We are aware that money generated within the capitalist system is almost always associated with antisocial, unecological and undemocratic economic practices, or at least historically associated with values and practices that are contrary to our work. With this in mind,  we want to use money received to advance our social, ecological and democratic goals. It is therefore crucial for us that donors have as little influence as possible on our projects, our content and our activities. We do not take money from companies whose main purpose is contrary to our goals (e.g. fossil fuel companies or those associated with anti-democratic and racist practices).

Check out our transparency reports to learn more about our funders.

Download our Transparency Reports:

Transparency Report 2021 ↘︎

Transparency Report 2022↘︎

Transparency Report 2023↘︎

You can support our work with your donation and help us become even more independent.

Currently we are funded by the following foundations: