The Ecology Center believes in a world that gives more than it takes.
Our non-profit organization takes pride in curating ecological experiences for everyone. On a mission to provide creative solutions for thriving on planet earth, we believe everyone should have access to the tools, knowledge, and skills that promote healthy communities and an abundant future for all.
We highlight cutting-edge environmental perspectives through our four core initiatives.
Creating gardens, resources, and community to make vibrant spaces out of vacant places.
Empowering students, their families, and their communities to become advocates for water conservation.
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 and 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.
Front of House
Events Manager
Operations Director
Farm Manager
Bookkeeper
Marketing Manager
Development Operations + Grants
Replication Director
Graphic Designer
Marketing Director
Architecture
Tools for Change
Design
Handmade: A Maker's Market
Grants
Art Director
Green Feast Chair
Board Member
Sustainable Agriculture Advocate
Board Member
Sustainability Consultant
Board Member
Angel Investor and Philanthropist
Board Member
Executive Director, Laguna Beach Community Foundation
Board Treasurer
Principal, Community Development Partners
GM, Chef, Chez Panisse
Board Member
CEO, Rumiano
Board Secretary
Marketing Director, The Ecology Center
Board Member
Operations, Chez Panisse
Board Chairman
Brand & Business Strategist
