Earth Island Journal is the media arm of the Earth Island Institute, a non-profit organization that assists environmental activists and leaders in their efforts to preserve the biological and cultural variety that sustains our ecosystem. The journal's focus is on ecological issues with global implications. The journal was founded in 1990 by Trevor Houser and Robert F. Oswald who wanted an outlet for the researchers and activists at Earth Island to get their ideas out into the public sphere. They also wanted to use journalism as a tool for change. Until then, the only way to spread these ideas was through talks given at conferences or articles in academic journals but there were no other organizations doing similar work so they decided to start one themselves. Houser is still the editor-in-chief of the journal while Oswald is its managing director. There are about 20 staff members at the Earth Island Journal headquarters in San Francisco who work on publishing the journal and running related projects such as Earth Island's website and social media accounts. The journal has four sections: news coverage of environmental issues; opinion pieces by academics and activists; interviews with influential people; and poetry, art, and photography. Each section is lead by a different editor who decides what content should be published in the journal based on their preferences and interests.