I’m bartering because I can’t afford to pay, so why do I still have to pay the Annual Registration Fee (ARF)?

The simplest answer to this question is that your ARF goes directly to the Mapping Project, which is a separate program, altogether. It is essential to the growth of the overall Earth Masters program and your learning experience. Although we can offer some seats in classes to volunteer/barter interns, we will not be able to subsidize the hard costs of initial research into suitable school options that you may wish to consider, during and following your classes/programs. As the sustainability learning community grows, we hope to be able to offer a limited number of scholarships to cover barter student Annual Registration Fees, but that option is not possible at this time. Also, we want to make sure that all students, including barter students, are committed to the program. Being able to raise funds is an important skill, and we are happy to provide you with support and ideas about how to raise enough to cover your ARF. Think of it this way: what you are getting in return for this fee is a real, hands-on, down-to-earth education in your sustainability options and scads of information to help you consider different ways you might want to look at your future; a small price to pay in the long run! And seriously, coming up with the cash may turn out to be more fun and easier than you think and will help increase local awareness around community priorities for sustainability!

We can provide you with an Earth Master Sponsor THANK YOU certificate, should you choose to raise your funds by encouraging wider community support, in your town or neighborhood. Please ask your personal sponsors for the number of flyers or EM Calendar Bookmarks they can display in support of you and your Program and may distribute on their counters or on coffee tables.