“Go Green!” You see the slogan everywhere nowadays—printed on canvas tote bags, bumper stickers, and water bottles, and it seems that blogs, magazines, and columns are offering a list of “10 New Ways to Go Green” daily. By no means am I against this trend, but I wonder: do we really know what the phrase means, and if the well-intentioned things we’re doing are really making the kind of global impact we hope for? And why is this global impact so important to begin with? It was to answer these questions that Evan Marks founded The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano; the goal of The Ecology Center is to educate the public about today’s environmental issues, and how (and why) one person can make a difference.
After growing up in Newport Beach, where he became involved in the Surfrider Foundation as a teen, Marks was inspired to educate the public. After working in California and Hawaii, and other countries including Peru and Nigeria, Marks could have settled camp virtually anywhere in the world, but Orange County remained on his mind. Says Marks, “While working in Nigeria, I had a profound experience which gave me a glimpse into the power of community. I realized that my community is Orange County and that my greatest impact was only possible in my community.”
Marks returned to Orange County, and began efforts to see his vision become a reality. The Ecology Center was founded in November 2008, after nearly a year of hard work. The Center now engages in numerous educational programs. These programs consist of changing exhibits within the Congdon House, the Gardens For Life program (in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley and Mission Hospital), the Youth Design Ecological program (for teens), the Backyard Skills program (for adults), and ongoing public events, such as speaker series, and community gathering events. One such event was the Green Feast in September, when 200 people gathered to enjoy a gourmet meal of locally grown and produced cuisine, prepared by local chefs including Rich Mead and John Rivera, among others. The entire meal was curated within a 200 mile radius, with the help of local farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and winemakers. “The intention was to celebrate The Ecology Center, community, and local food.” Marks told us, “To bring [so many] people together, in celebration of local and organic food [was] amazing! It was a perfect evening.” The Gazette was in attendance, and I can tell you first hand, it was a splendid site to behold.
The Ecology Center is located at the historic South Coast Farms in the suburb of San Juan Capistrano in the 130-year old Congdon House. The Congdon House was built out of California redwood in 1878 (making it the oldest wooden structure in San Juan Capistrano), is held together by San Francisco square iron nails, and sits on a foundation made from the stone rubble of the Great Stone Church at the SJC Mission. The Ecology Center can be easy to miss when driving by, but South Coast Farms stands out as the only remaining organic farm in Orange County.
Back to the original issue: how does one “Go Green” in the most impactful ways? And why?
“Going Green” means making a conscious effort to minimize your everyday impact on the environment. “Being green” isn’t about buying things. “It’s not about driving a Prius or putting solar panels on your house,” Marks explains, “Those are great things, but it’s more about everyday decisions. Our daily behaviors directly impact our environment, for good or bad. By changing our behaviors; buying organic food, shopping at local stores, using re-usable containers/bottles, riding a bike, composting—these are ways we can each work towards a healthy community and environment. We must focus on the solutions that are both fun and lasting.”
Really, everything we do impacts the environment. Why care? Because our future depends on it. Our children and our children’s children will only have a healthy environment by making significant changes today. The Ecology Center’s mission is to make the businesses and households that comprise Southern California ecologically literate, by creating a posture toward the environment that ensures abundant ecological benefits including: clean air, pure water, fertile soil, and low-impact power for current and future generations. Visit www.TheEcologyCenter.org for more info.
