We have the best job on earth. The Earth.org team can work from anywhere - on earth.

Nov. 18, 2009 - PRLog -- Let's start with a short story first: Steve and Otto from the Earth.org team are passionate surfers and watching out for the best waves all over the world. At the same time they are passionate about what they are working for - namely Earth.org, the open travel guide. Otto is one of the founders and Steve is responsible for product development. As both were recently looking for a new place to stay and to work for a longer period they started thinking about the perfect place to go.

Watching out for waves while working for Earth.org

So they wanted to make a difference - in their work life - avoiding dark office rooms, loud metropolitan places and instant coffee from the office’s espresso machine. What did they have in mind? An old house stuffed with new facilities, well connected to the Internet, and a beach that can be reached by foot in a few minutes. That's it. And they did it. And it worked out. Otto stayed for 2 months in Bali, Indonesia. Now he is back in Berlin, preparing for his next trip to India. Steve is still in Bali, enjoying the waves and working for Earth.org. For both it means to have the best job in the world.

But it's not only about Otto and Steve. All Earth.org team members are placed all over the globe. From New Zealand, China, Indonesia, India and Africa, to Europe and the Americas. We work from the beach or in the mountains, in cities or at the countryside, at home with kids or whilst traveling.

Earth.org is built from a 100% remote team. Remote working is new and independent irrespective of the workers location. It enables people to work together from remote locations through the Internet. Be it in a bedroom in San Francisco or from a beach in Bali. It’s for people who are interested in being part of the future of a new working culture. At the moment the Earth.org team is spread on 4 continents in more than 20 different countries.
Steve: “I simply love surfing in Bali - and I love working for Earth.org. Doing both at the same time is new and exciting. I avoid telling my story at the beach as other surfers can not believe it. How a typical day in Bali looks like? Surfing in the morning, catching up with mails from Earth.org, surfing in the afternoon, online meeting with team members in the evening."

It’s about the best online tools - and a positive attitude

Most of the 30 team members have never seen each other, which is somewhat strange. Whilst some of the team have met all their colleagues, others have met only a few – and others may have not met anyone that they work with at all! We are 100% remote, meaning no one sits next to anyone and there is no physical office. And it works! That also means that we have to cope with different time zones and even different seasons. Ute is working in South Africa, Otto is based in Bali and Anne is settled in France. We simply love our cross-continent meetings…

Our big challenge: How can we communicate in such a remote team?
We decided – just open!

Meet the team - on http://blog.earth.org you can see us while we work at Earth.org, the open travel guide. We use the P2 Wordpress Theme - which allows us real time updates on relevant issues, of which we are immediately able to respond to. We invite you to look around and join the discussion.

As we have grown, we have relied upon communication tools that allow us to work more efficiently. With communications tools like Skype, the communications gap has really shrunk over the past few years and with the explosion of co-working facilities, you can still get the office gossip if you really get the itch. In addition we structure all our documents with Google Docs&Spreadsheets, we also use Google Calendar and Trac for tech tasks. Steve from Bali: “I use a laptop with 3G modem, Google Docs, Skype, online bookmarks and Firefox with add-ons.”

Our team is made up of professional people whom are both reliable and can offer with a range of good skills and expertise. People who are open and who do not mind having unusual working times. Anne, HR Manager from Earth.org: "We are pleased to work with some of the best talent in business, social media and technology but also writers, PR and marketers across the globe. Whoever works for Earth.org can work from anywhere, and in any way they wish. The only thing required: A positive attitude."

Why we love it
On a personal side: It's about freedom - This is the big advantage, working from wherever you want and moving whenever you feel the need. For settled people this is a great way to save on living costs. For globally nomadic people, it means a steady income without a permanent address.
On the project's side: It simply works for Earth.org - We have support from the best people all over the world in our super smart team. And everyone can get involved. Even everyone reading this can get involved in the team, maybe as volunteer, maybe as a travel guide writer or an Earth.org Ambassador.
Find out more about remote work at: http://www.earth.org/remote-work

The idea behind Earth.org (Earth dot org)

"Earth.org is a collaboratively written travel guide with a non-profit approach. Think of us like Wikipedia, but focused specifically on travel." – Rob, Marketing Manager of Earth.org. Earth.org is independent from business interests - and because of this it is a social experiment dependent on your engagement. Our only interest is the traveller, the explorer, the local in the know. We commit to putting our nonprofit approach into action: At least 50% of our net earnings (after taxes) will go into environmental, social or cultural projects.

Additional sources:
Get the logo, images, FAQs and latest news at: http://www.earth.org/press-room
General information about Earth.org: http://www.earth.org/about-us

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Earth.org is a collaboratively written travel guide with a non-profit approach. Think of us like Wikipedia, but focused specifically on travel.