Nancy Lee Wood

Nancy Lee Wood, Ph.D. is Professor of Sociology at Bristol Community College (BCC) in Fall River, MA and Director of the Institute for Sustainability and Post-carbon Education (ISPE), which she established in 2008.  She is a life-long activist, participating in the anti-Vietnam War/Peace Movement, the anti-Nuclear Movement, the anti-Apartheid Movement, the International Women’s Movement and most recently,…

Liz Wiley

Liz Wiley is the Program Manager for Round the Bend Farm, a program of the Marion Institute, where she is developing infrastructure for a Learning Center that will accommodate workshops in food and farming, sustainability, health and wellness. Trained as a biologist, she helped pioneer methods to rescue mass stranded whales and dolphins, investigated the impact of noise on…

Mark Smith

Mark Smith is co-founder and President of Brookwood Community Farm, a non-profit organic farm bordering Boston in the Blue Hills. The farm is committed to growing good food with sustainable practices to improve food security for nearby residents. Formerly, Mark was the communications director for the national family farm organization Farm Aid.

Ridge Shinn

Ridge Shinn advocates raising beef on a 100% grass diet to change the present model of beef production and distribution in North America, resulting in an ecologically based and economically sustainable system.  Large-scale implementation would lead to improved human health, energy savings, and an increase in carbon sequestration, soil fertility, and biodiversity.  He has developed markets and distribution…

Greg Sethares

Greg Sethares is Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bristol Community College (BCC).  Prior to this appointment he served over eighteen years as a BCC mathematics faculty member, as well as in a variety of leadership roles at the College, including Department Chair; founding Director of BCC’s Commonwealth Honors Program; President of the Faculty and Professional Staff…

Seeds of Sustainability

Seeds of Sustainability is student club based in Fall River, Massachusetts at Bristol Community College whose goals are to encourage and promote education, leadership and the practice of sustainable living. SOS aims to provide the availability of fresh, local and organic food on campus, to support local organic agriculture and to foster sustainable practices throughout the surrounding community.…

Paul Schmid

Paul Schmid  is the Massachusetts State Representative for the 8th Bristol district and Vice Chair of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture. He is also the proprietor of River Rock Farm in Westport where he raises 100% grass-fed beef.

Adam Sacks

Adam Sacks is the Executive Director of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate.  He has had careers in education, holistic medicine, computer technology, politics and advocacy.  For five years he directed a non-profit that worked with communities invoking basic democratic and constitutional principles to oppose detrimental local corporate activity.  He has been a climate activist for the past thirteen…

Paula Phipps

Paula Phipps is a multi-culturalist with special interests in supporting culturally and linguistically competent programs and advocating for at-risk children and families. Her passion is developing curriculum that credits children with curiosity, creativity, openness, and a high interest in learning – and provides the knowledge and skill base needed at this time. That knowledge and skill base must…

Jono Neiger

Jono Neiger is a founding partner of Regenerative Design Group with 24 years of professional experience in permaculture, ecological land design, site planning, community development, agroforestry, land management and conservation, and restoration. Mr. Neiger teaches widely around the northeast and southeast at colleges, workshops, and conferences on the topics of permaculture, ecological design, sustainable water use, and productive…

William McCaffrey

William McCaffrey is a small farmer from East Taunton, MA, where his family grows cranberries, strawberries, and hay.  After eight years of studying agriculture in upstate New York and abroad, William has joined his parents to expand the range of production on Spring Rain Farm.  His primary interests are tree fruit and meat livestock, focusing on…

Jim Laurie

Jim Laurie, Restoration Ecologist, is a biologist from Rice University and is a pioneer in biological remediation of waste water. He was the technical manager of the world’s largest “Living Machine” project to clean raw municipal sewage with no toxic chemicals. The facility, through a grant from the EPA, processed 80,000 gallons/day using the “living machine” methodology invented by…

Emily Jodka

Emily Jodka is a life long gardener and New Englander who currently lives in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Emily Co-founded the New Urban Farmers in 2008 with Bleu Grijalva, which started as a grassroots movement in a community garden that grew into a non-profit that provides education and an opportunity to grow and eat fresh food grown without chemicals.…

Sarah Howard

Sarah Howard is the Executive Director of Earthos Institute in Somerville, Massachusetts.  Her work has focused on building community and regional resiliency and vitality as well as ecological and justice issues.  She has taught experiential environmental education and founded community learning centers in urban areas, worked for cultural institutions to develop community partnerships/education, served as an elected Housing Commissioner in Westport…

Zoe Hansen-DiBello

Zoe Hansen-DiBello is a Providence, RI native who now resides in the South Coast of Massachusetts.  Zoe graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2008 and is currently working towards a PhD in Educational Leadership at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Zoe has worked for the Marion Institute since 2009 and co-founded the Grow Education Program…

Rachael Furlong

Rachael Furlong is a full-time student at Bristol Community College. She is a very active member of Seeds of Sustainability; a student club on the Fall River campus. Rachael will be graduating with an Associate’s degree in General Studies with a concentration in Sustainable Agriculture this Spring. In the Fall, she will continue her education at UMass…

Bruce Fulford

Bruce Fulford is President of City Soil & Greenhouse LLC. He has pioneered composting, biothermal energy, four-season crop production and stormwater management practices and projects for more than 30 years. His integrated projects are models of efficient and equitable resource management that reduce greenhouse gas sources and mitigate the effects of climate change. His company operates the City of…

Gillian Davies

Gillian Davies is a senior wetlands and soil scientist who provides scientific and regulatory consulting to public and private sector clients, as well as expert witness testimony. Her consulting expertise encompasses state and federal permitting, wetland delineation, impact analysis, mitigation planning and design, difficult wetland soils evaluations, vernal pool evaluations, construction monitoring, and peer reviews for Conservation…

Jim Corven

Jim Corven is a professor of Sustainable Agriculture, Plant Science, and Biology at Bristol Community College.  He is the faculty advisor for the student club Seeds of Sustainability (SOS), faculty member of the BCC Sustainability Committee, and serves on the Staff & Faculty Senate.  Jim’s current research involves a study of sustainable agriculture educational programs at community colleges…

Engin Atasay

Engin Atasay is an Assistant Professor of Education at Bristol Community College. In 2014, he received his PhD is Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education from the Department of Education, Culture and Society at the University of Utah. His research addresses dialogues for democratic learning and social equity and he uses eco-literacy as a framework for educators to question and challenge mainstream and…