About Sustina Earth
Sustina Earth publishes news, editorial journalism, and insights and impact research from the Philippines. Our mission is to democratize sustainability intelligence and fight greenwashing and impact-washing.
We are a newsroom of impact journalists and strategists working in tandem, who believe there is no story worth telling without real impact behind it. Our work is grounded in the Filipino experience: a culture of sustainability that predates the word itself.
What we cover
- Climate — the climate crisis, climate justice, and how climate cases are litigated
- Conservation — protected-area management, frontline communities, environmental defenders
- Capital — green finance, circular economy, carbon markets, the renewable-energy transition
- Culture — sustainability at the intersection of culture, creativity, and design
- Science — ecology, biodiversity, and new research
- Other — policy, regulation, and governance in the Philippines
None of the stories on Sustina Earth have been purchased. We do not produce advertorial content, or content that promotes companies whose operations conflict with our mission — fossil-fuel extraction, weapons, tobacco, or demonstrably unethical labor or environmental practices.
Our audience
Sustina Earth is read by sustainability professionals, champions, practitioners, and civically engaged Filipinos who want insightful, honest reporting.
On our anti-impact-washing mission
We combat impact-washing and greenwashing. We do not produce stories that amplify unverified sustainability claims by their subjects. A sustainability report or disclosure is not a source that goes unexamined.
Editorial Independence
Final editorial discretion rests with Sustina’s editorial team, regardless of any grants, funding, or partnerships engaged by the strategy arm.
Commercial relationships
Sustina operates Sustina Lab, a consulting and strategy arm that works with clients. All clients are vetted by the strategy team’s Code of Ethics. Any strategy services are structurally separated from our editorial function. No contract allows a client or partner the right to suppress or alter editorial coverage.
Funding disclosures
Funding relationships and partners are disclosed on our About Us page through a public directory for stakeholder review. Any story that received funding or support from an external organization is clearly labeled.
Code of Ethics
While we believe for-profit companies must join the fight for sustainability, our strategy team is prohibited from engaging with companies whose operations do not align with our mission. Categorically excluded:
- Weapons & firearms
- Tobacco & vaping
- Fossil-fuel extraction
- Private prisons / detention
- Unsustainable palm oil
- GMO seeds
We also screen qualitatively. We do not service organizations — even those scoring highly on ESG — that present ethical compromises such as:
- Human-rights violations
- Environmental degradation
- Animal testing or cruelty
- Aggressive tax avoidance
- Union-busting
- Surveillance / algorithmic harm
- Unethical political influence
On external pressures
Sustina Earth does not respond to legal threats, advertiser complaints, or political pressure by altering or suppressing editorial content. Any attempt to pressure staff or contributors must be reported to the Editorial Director. We are loyal to our values and the public good — above the opinion of partners, clients, or political groups.
Accuracy & Verification
Fact-checking
Factual claims must be verifiable before publication. Writers are responsible for providing sources to editors upon request.
Linking & attribution
We link to original sources wherever possible: primary data, original reports, the institutions and people we cite. We credit other news organizations when their reporting informs ours.
Sustainability claims — carbon neutrality, net-zero pledges, ESG certifications — must be examined against available evidence and contextualized. Ambiguous claims require consultation with Sustina’s strategy team or external experts. We do not publish such claims unexamined or unchallenged.
Corrections
Factual errors are corrected promptly and transparently. Corrections are appended to the published piece with a clear notation of what was changed, why, and when.
Source Standards
On-record sourcing
All sources are on the record by default. Sustina Earth is committed to named, accountable sourcing. We avoid the use of anonymous or unattributed quotes for convenience.
Granting anonymity
Anonymity is granted only when a source faces credible risk — of retaliation, physical harm, or significant professional or legal consequence — and when the information they provide cannot reasonably be obtained through named sources. The decision must be approved by an editor, and the reason described in the published piece without compromising the source.
Bylines
Real names by default
Sustina Earth publishes work under the writer’s real name. Bylines are always provided. Writers and photographers are given an opportunity to provide a bio-note at the end of the piece.
When a pseudonym is allowed
A pseudonym may be used only when publishing a writer’s real name would put them at credible risk of retaliation, physical harm, or serious professional or legal consequence. The decision must be approved by the Editorial Director.
Sustina Earth knows the writer’s real identity internally at all times.
Contributors & Freelancers
How to pitch
Sustina Earth accepts pitches for reported narratives, features, profiles, op-eds, and multimedia at editor@sustina.earth. A pitch should include: the story idea in three to five sentences, why it matters to our audience, the sources you plan to speak to, and your relevant experience or expertise. Assignments are confirmed in writing.
Exclusivity
We do not require exclusivity, but we do require disclosure. If a pitch has been published elsewhere or is under simultaneous consideration, tell us upfront. Decisions are made case-by-case.
Rights & ownership
Sustina Earth acquires first digital publication rights in English for all commissioned work.
AI use by contributors
Contributors are bound by the same AI standards as staff. The submission of AI-generated writing or visual content as original work is grounds for rejection.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Sustina Earth acknowledges that AI tools are part of the current media landscape. They may support our work, but not replace its core functions: critical thinking and judgement, reporting, and responsibility.
- Research assistance & brainstorming
- Transcriptions
- Proofreading & grammar checking
- Headline options for editor review
- Social-media captions
- AI-generated text as original reporting
- Using AI to fabricate quotes
- Unverified AI facts, stats, or citations
- AI imagery as documentary photography
Disclosure
Contributors who use AI tools in their process must disclose this to their editor at the time of submission. The editor will determine whether a disclosure note is warranted in the published piece.
Accountability
Reader complaints
Readers may raise concerns about factual errors, editorial fairness, or ethical conduct at editor@sustina.earth. The nature of the complaint and its resolution will be communicated to the person who raised it.
Internal review
Substantive complaints trigger an internal review of the piece in question: the reporting, sourcing, editorial decisions, and any relevant communications. Where a complaint is upheld, the appropriate response — correction, clarification, retraction, or follow-up — is determined by the Editorial Director.
Public corrections & retractions
Corrections are published openly. Retractions are rare but will be issued when a story’s core premise or primary facts are found to be wrong.
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