The Ecology Center: A Model For Growing Food, Community And Culture With Evan Marks

In this episode, Farmer D and Evan Marks honor Earth Day with a conversation about the inspiring story, vision and programs of The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. How a historic home and farm have been reimagined to be a hub for educating and nourishing Citizen Farmers.

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Show Notes:

The Ecology Center

Farm Lab

Seeding Change Film

Additional Resources:

Citizen Farmers Resources 

Citizen Farmers Book

Credits:

Co-Produced and Recorded by Daron Joffe and Ben Bernstein

Audio Editing by Sarah Milligan

Music by Ben Bernstein

About Farmer D:

Farmer D is a nationally recognized biodynamic farmer, designer, speaker, entrepreneur and educator.

He is the author of the acclaimed book "Citizen Farmers: The Biodynamic Way to Grow Healthy Food, Build Thriving Communities and Give Back to the Earth" and has spent the past 25 years designing and building community farms and gardens all over the country.

Farmer D has worked on a wide range of public and private farm development projects ranging from residential “agrihood” communities like Serenbe and Rancho Mission Viejo to non-profit projects such as Coastal Roots Farm and Camp Twin Lakes.

About Evan Marks:

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.

“One day in Nigeria, Evan Marks had a realization that he wanted to go home and change the Orange County community where he grew up.

So Marks, a Newport Beach native and UC Santa Cruz graduate, repatriated himself and came upon a dirt lot in San Juan Capistrano. The property along Alipaz Street contained a very old palm tree, a very old citrus tree and an 1878 farmhouse, the oldest wooden structure in the city. The bare homestead had belonged to Pony Express rider Joel Congdon and was the site of the county’s first walnut grove. Now it belonged to the city. Nothing was happening there.

Marks saw potential. He had a vision to change that corner of the county, which was otherwise full of “cul-de-sacs and consumers,” as he puts it.”
– Los Angeles Times

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