Sim Van der Ryn is a visionary, author, educator, architect and public leader, and has been described by the New York Times as an "intrepid pioneer on the eco-frontier". For more than 40 years, Sim has been at the forefront of integrating ecological principles into the built environment. He served as California's first energy-conscious State Architect, authored seven influential books, and won numerous honors and awards for his leadership and innovation in architecture & planning. Sim's collaborative approach and meta-disciplinary accomplishments help show the way to an evolving planetary era that values both the integrity of ecological systems and the quality of life. He is Professor Emeritus in Architecture at the University of California where he taught from 1961 to 1995, and president of the Eco-Design Collaborative (www.ecodesign.org) based in Inverness, California.

Helga Olkowski was a founding member of the Farallones Institute, a nonprofit organization active in the development of appropriate community technologies, with an emphasis on renewable sources of energy and food systems.

Bill Olkowski was a founding member of the Farallones Institute, a nonprofit organization active in the development of appropriate community technologies, with an emphasis on renewable sources of energy and food systems.

Tom Javits was a founding member of the Farallones Institute, a nonprofit organization active in the development of appropriate community technologies, with an emphasis on renewable sources of energy and food systems.

The Farallones Institute was an independent association of scientists, designers, horticulturists and technicians which served for several decades as a pioneering center for teaching and research in appropriate technology and sustainable design. Integrating architecture, agriculture, waste recycling, water conservation, and renewable energy, the Institute has been widely recognized as a model for ecological design. The Farallones' resource conserving systems, solar dwellings, and organic gardens have been used extensively as a teaching tool.