Welcome ...

As an ecologist, I look at the world and see a finite planet being overwhelmed by humans. Our activities have already degraded many of Earth's life support systems: Soils are thinner, ground water increasingly polluted and scarce, the atmosphere tainted, climate destabilized, and many plant and animal species endangered. This is not alarmism; it is a matter-of-fact summary of what ecological research has been revealing over the past fifty years.

Early in my career, I had an interest in both medicine and ecology, and as my life's work has unfolded, I have been able to join these interests under the rubric of "ecological healing." During the 1980s, I studied the ways in which Amazon ecosystems heal after human assaults. Then, in the 1990s I focused on the role that universities might play in healing—e.g., by assuming roles of leadership in the so-called, Sustainability Revolution.

A commitment to ecological healing has also permeated my experiments and practices in the realm of teaching. For example, my book, Developing Ecological Consciousness: Path to a Sustainable World (Roman and Littlefield, 2004) aims to cultivate a sense of respect and reverence for the natural world, while at the same time offering tools and practices for discerning one's ecological identity. My second book, Teaching as if Life Matters (in draft form) grows out of my personal struggles as a teacher and my deep yearning to create learning environments that expand awareness and engender compassion.

This web site extends and builds on my previous work. Here you will find: 1) information on an innovative course of study for professional teachers Teacher as Whole Person that I am co-facilitating at Penn State; 2) ecology courses that I teach; 3) examples of labs and field studies Stepping Stones to Wholeness that aim to expand consciousness and cultivate ecological identity; 4) a sampling of my newspaper essays Connecting the Dots; 5) a history of my sustainability initiatives Greening Penn State; 6) an overview of workshops and retreats that I offer; 7) a listing of my scientific publications; and 8) reviews and excerpts from my two books.

We live in remarkable times—fraught with both opportunity and danger. There is much to celebrate and much to mourn. May we all be worthy of the gift of life.