Inclusion Policy

What we track

We include actors and projects that are working at the intersection of planetary-scale challenges and systemic governance responses. This includes:

• Organisations working on ecological stewardship, Earth system science, or regenerative practice (The Garden)
• Initiatives focused on technology governance, digital infrastructure, or techno-social systems (Spaceship Earth)
• Networks exploring new forms of sense-making, meaning, ritual, or epistemic culture (The Mysteries)
• Projects building new models of collective decision-making, democratic innovation, or participatory governance (The Assemblies)

We also include actors that span several of these dimensions, or that serve as connective tissue between communities working on different parts of the puzzle.

What we do not track

We are not a general directory of NGOs, think tanks, or sustainability initiatives. We do not include actors whose work is primarily:

• Incremental reform within existing institutional frameworks without a systemic dimension
• Single-issue advocacy without broader governance relevance
• Commercial ventures, unless they have a specific and central governance or commons orientation
• Explicitly anti-democratic, extractive, or ecologically harmful

Orientation tags

Each actor is tagged with one or more orientations: The Garden, Spaceship Earth, The Mysteries, or The Assemblies. These are not rigid categories — they are lenses that help readers navigate the landscape. An actor can carry multiple orientations if their work genuinely spans them. We assign the primary orientation based on where the bulk of their work sits.

Curation and editorial judgement

The Orbital is editorially curated. Inclusion is not automatic and does not imply endorsement of every aspect of an actor's work. We try to represent the field honestly, including actors we have reservations about where their presence is significant to the movement. We note concerns in descriptions where relevant.

If you believe an actor should be added, corrected, or removed, please get in touch.

News and events

The daily feed aggregates news and events from across the movement. Articles are selected and summarised algorithmically and reviewed editorially. We aim to surface developments that are genuinely significant to the field, not just high-volume or well-resourced actors. Events are included if they bring together people working on planetary governance challenges in a substantive way.

A note on representation

The Orbital is built from a particular vantage point, and early indexing reflects that — the majority of currently listed actors are based in Europe and the Americas. This is a gap, not a position. We're expanding sources from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Indigenous networks that cross national borders. The project aims for a genuinely planetary index, and getting there is ongoing work.

Errors and updates

We maintain this directory on a best-effort basis. Actor profiles are updated when we become aware of significant changes. If you spot an error — factual, descriptive, or in how an actor is categorised — please let us know.