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.

Peter Calthorpe has been instrumental in redefining the models of urban and suburban growth in America over the past three decades. His long and honored career in urban design, planning, and architecture began in 1976, combining his experience in each discipline to develop new approaches to urban revitalization, suburban growth, and regional planning.