Ecologos - Who we are

Who we are

Centered in Toronto, Ontario (Canada), Ecologos is a research and action network of volunteers, registered by the government of Canada. We use fun, entertaining and interactive websites, exhibits and breathtaking wrap-around theatre experiences that resonate with our deepest emotions about environmental issues. Those powerful feelings are transformed into hope, creating a fire in the belly to really do something about it. But what can you do? We’ll connect you with projects where you live that need your help. Make no mistake, there are thousands out there that care as much as you do, and we are working to introduce as many of you to each other as possible. Together we will become an immensely powerful global community that can move mountains!

*OUR FOCUS* Transformative experiences for a sustainable future	*OUR PURPOSE* To educate, motivate and inspire the "people power" needed to shift to a society that is sustainable,economically vital and far more just.
*OUR STRATEGY* Ecologos is working to inspire this shift through interactive exhibits and immersion media productions that do three things: - They attract crowds because they are entertaining and fun - They offer a transformative inner journey that inspires change from the inside out - They incite a commitment to action, and provide on-the-spot opportunities for volunteers to sign up for action projects in their own communities
*OUR EDGE* A five-step transformative educational model called Image Shifting. Image Shifting was developed by Ecologos based on seven years of study and literally hundreds of interviews with visionaries from many fields. These studies have shown us that people can really be inspired through media and exhibits to make the leap from concern to committed action. This can be helped along when particular stages in a process of understanding are taken. This is what Image Shifting does as a learning model. For more on Image Shifting, see "Our Unique Approach" section on the discovery centre page.

thomasberry.org	Founding Advisor
thomasberry.org	Thomas Berry was one of the most influential thinkers of our time, eminent both as a cultural historian and as a profoundly insightful advocate and inspiring guide of the ecological movement. His writings include The Religions of India, The Dream of the Earth, The Universe Story (with Brian Swimme), and The Great Work.

d	Co-Founders
d	Mariam and Stan Gibson worked for many years in socio-economic-human development projects at the village level in the developing world including India. They founded the International Exposition of Rural Development in 1983 with village leaders attending from 32 countries. They founded Ecologos in 2000. Stan serves as executive director of Ecologos while Mariam operates a successful aromatherapy practice. They have three adult children of whom they are intensely proud.

Photo by Stephan Bucher	International Advisors
Photo by Stephan Bucher	Don Edward Beck has been designing and implementing transformational practices and programs in corporations, governments and communities worldwide for thirty years. Founder of the Institute of Values and Change and CEO of the Spiral Dynamics Group, he employs the Spiral Dynamics model to effect large-scale change. His writings include The Crucible Forging South Africa’s Future and Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership and Change (with Christopher Cowan).
	Guy Dauncey is one of Canada’s most respected sustainable development educators, consultants and activists. He is president of the British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association, editor of Vancouver Island’s EcoNews, and author of EarthFuture, After the Crash, and Stormy Weather (with Patrick Mazza).
	Jean Houston is a scholar and teacher renowned for plumbing the depths of the human spirit and for releasing latent human capacities. She is founder of the Foundation of Mind Research and The Mystery School. Her 20 published books include The Possible Human, A Mythic Life, A Passion for the Possible, and Jump Time.
	Miriam Therese MacGillis is an exemplar to people of good will worldwide who seek more authentic ways to live in harmony with the natural world and each other. A Dominican sister, she founded and leads Genesis Farm, a living demonstration of sustainable agriculture, ecological education, and meaningful community life. She lectures and conducts workshops throughout the world.
	Walter Pitman’s unflagging commitment to a decent and just society has been a beacon to caring Canadians for 45 years. This was acknowledged by his induction as an Officer of the Order of Canada. He served as a Member of Ontario’s Legislature, and of the Federal Parliament, the first ever elected under the banner of the New Democratic Party. He has served as Dean of Ryerson University, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and of the Faculty of Arts and Science of Trent University. His writings include Learning the Arts in an Age of Uncertainty and A Passion for Culture.
	Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris is an evolution biologist, futurist, author, and consultant to organizations. In her unique approach, called "Living Systems Design," she applies the principles of biology and evolution to organizational development so that organizations may become more functional, healthy "living systems," with increased resilience, stability, and cooperation. She is one of a select group of scientists rethinking the classic, mechanistic view of the universe. Her particular goal is to create sustainable health and well-being for humanity within the larger living systems of Earth.
	John Seed is a pioneer in articulating and spreading the concepts of ‘deep ecology’, and is considered the leading activist for rainforest protection worldwide. His commitment and effectiveness were honoured in 1985 when he was inducted into the Order of Australia. Dubbed “the town crier of the global village” by the Christian Science Monitor, he founded the Australian Rainforest Information Centre and the US Rainforest Action Network. He co-authored the ecological classic, Thinking Like A Mountain, and leads the very moving Council of All Beings program throughout the world.
	Brian Swimme is a mathematical cosmologist on the graduate faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies. His research and teaching focuses on the nature of the evolutionary dynamics of the universe and of the earth. He is founder of the Center for the Story of the Universe, and author of The Universe is a Green Dragon, The Universe Story (with Thomas Berry), and The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos. He is producer of educational video series including The Earth’s Imagination and the very beautiful Canticle to the Cosmos, and a much-sought-after speaker and lecturer worldwide.
	Mary Evelyn Tucker is arguably the leading authority on the relationship of the major world religions and the ecological crisis of our time. She coordinated and edited the outcome of a twelve-conference series on World Religions and Ecology under the auspices of the Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions. She is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union, University of California at Berkeley, director of the Forum on Religion and Ecology, and author of many books and articles including Worldly Wonder: Religions Enter Their Ecological Phase, Worldviews and Ecology (with John Grim), and Buddhism and Ecology (with Duncan Williams).