The Ecology Center believes in a culture that gives more than it takes.
Our non-profit organization models creative solutions for thriving on planet earth. We believe everyone should have access to the tools, knowledge, and skills that promote healthy communities in the 21st century. We design spaces that inspire interaction with our ecosystem and transform our relationship with each other.
We highlight cutting-edge environmental perspectives through our four core initiatives.
Creating gardens, resources, and community to make vibrant spaces out of vacant places.
Gathering chefs, farmers, and community together to eat with intention.
Creating pathways for more conscious consumption by building a vibrant local economy.
The Ecology Center’s headquarters is located in the historic Congdon Farmhouse in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
From an empty dirt lot, we have created an ecological oasis. Our home is a model for how every home can be reimagined and every space revived.
Having witnessed more than 130 years of social, agricultural, and environmental change, the Congdon House is the perfect venue for an exploration of the links between past, present, and future. At the same time, as one of the oldest standing embodiments of the past, it serves to remind us that we must act today to rejuvenate the environment for the generations to follow.
Executive Director
With his background in permaculture and agroecology, and, having worked extensively in California, Hawaii, and internationally in Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, Ghana and Nigeria, Evan Marks knows that people have the ability to directly impact the environment through individual change.
Director of Replication, Development & Impact
Director of Operations
Farm Director
Director of Community Engagement
Facilites Manager
Bookkeeper
Senior Development Manager
Art Director
Design
Volunteer & Experiences Coordinator
Farm Share Coordinator
Farm Stand Staff
Architecture
Garden Coordinator
Facilities
Lead Educator
Lead Educator
Board Chairman
CEO, Rumiano Cheese
Secretary
Operations, Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café
Treasurer
Managing Director, Pimco
Board Member
Entrepreneur & Philanthropist, COOPERative Foundation
Board Member
Marisla Foundation
Board Member
General Manager & Co-Chef, Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café
Board Member
Venture Capitalist and Philanthropist
Philanthropist & Sustainable Agriculture Advocate
Board Member
Founder & Executive Director, The Ecology Center
Chez Panisse
Sustainability Consultant
Creative
Principal, Community Development Partners
Anson Mills
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
Ironside Fish & Oyster
Zago
Natural Foods Pioneer
Culinary Liberation Front
Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens
Brand & Business Strategist
Green Feast Chair
