Global Advisory Board

​Zach Wolf grew up in Salisbury, Connecticut, farming at Whippoorwill Farm and learning the ins and outs of pasture management.  After a degree in Biology from Columbia University and research engagements at Aton Forest Ecological Research Station and The Earth Institute, he went on to manage the Field Operations and Direct the Growing Farmers Initiative at Stone Barns Center.  He has facilitated the Farm Beginnings Program at Hawthorne Valley Farm, is a Research Fellow at The Nature Institute and most recently served as the Director of Farm Operations at Glynwood. Over the past eight years he has engaged as a farm consultant on over 10,000 acres of active farmland throughout the United States.  He currently serves as a board member of Demeter USA.

​Sarah Drew​ is the visionary author of the eco-feminist novel GAIA CODEX. Her work catalyzes powerful blueprints for the future deeply rooted in the gnosis of the past. With a global social media following of over 150,000, Sarah is a mentor and teacher for women world-wide and has been a featured speaker at the graduate level and organizations such as Google and ABC Deepak Homebase. Sarah lives with her husband in Manhattan and on a lush forested farm in the Hudson Valley.

Lauren Tucker is Executive Director of Kiss the Ground, an education and advocacy nonprofit advancing initiatives across four distinct programs: Advocacy, Farmland, Education, and Media. A community organizer with extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, Lauren he holds a B.A. in international studies and psychology from American University, is a Master Gardener, and studies permaculture design and regenerative agriculture. Her passion for community building has led her to projects in Washington D.C., New Orleans, West Africa and California.

Sahar Alsahlani is an interfaith peace activist with a background in broadcast media and entertainment, including projects with USA Broadcasting, Warner Bros. Entertainment, FOX, Paramount, the American Forces Network, and Discovery ID. A member of The Community of Living Traditions at the Stony Point Center in New York (an interfaith community dedicated to social justice, nonviolence, and radical hospitality), Sahar is on the Executive Council of Religions for Peace, on the Boards of the North American Interfaith Network and the Council on American Islamic Relations, and is a Fellow of Green Faith – through which she works with all faiths (“from A to Z – Agnostics to Zoroastrians”) to help cultivate greater love, understanding, compassion, stewardship and sustainability in our world.

Marite Ball is a French-American pioneer with Fortune 500 experience and a passion for accelerating purpose-driven solutions. She has launched new products in Europe, the United States, India, Latin-America and China. In 2016, she decided to dedicate her career to addressing the Environmental crisis and founded Blue & Green Planet, Ltd (B&GP). As president of B&GP she has helped commercialize and scale-up eco-beneficial technologies in the Blue (water) and Green space (solar Water Pumping & Purification, Solar-Thermal, Waste-to-Energy, chemical-free Building Heating & Cooling). She belongs to the “Business for Good” global movement, advocates for the Circular Economy and champions the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). B&GP’s Sustainability Desk (SustainabilityDesk.com) develops and provides customized, tangible Climate Action Plans for companies of every size.

Xiye Bastida is 17 year old climate activist living in New York City. In 2018, she became the leader of her school’s Environmental Club, where she mobilized 600 students in the first Global Climate Strike. Since then she has taken a city-wide leadership role in organizing Climate Strikes and speaking out about Climate Justice issues. Bastida was born and raised in Mexico as part of the Otomi-Toltec indigenous peoples. She is one of the lead organizers of Fridays For Future, and sits on the Administration Committee of Peoples Climate Movement. Xiye recently launched a Youth Activism Training Program, and is a member of the Sunrise Movement, Extinction Rebellion, and was invited in 2018 to the 8th UN World Urban Forum to speak about Indigenous Cosmology. She received the “Spirit of the UN” award in 2018.

​Kehkashan Basu is the Founder of Green Hope Foundation, a global network platform for youth – especially girls – focused on action-oriented environmental workshops and grass-roots projects that promote gender equality, climate justice, land restoration and biodiversity conservation. She is the recipient of the 2016 Children’s Peace Prize, and, at the age of 12, was elected for a 2 year term as Global Coordinate for Children & Youth for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). She is an Honorary Advisor to the Committee on Sustainable Development (New York), a member of KidsRights Youngsters, Global Advisory Council Member of Young Men 4 Gender Equality – USA, and is a member of the World Oceans Day Global Youth Advisory Council. She has received several international awards, including from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the 2015 Non-Resident Indian of the Year Award.

Michael Bowman is a fifth-generation agriculturalist whose passion for regenerative agriculture and rural communities has driven his advocacy at state and federal levels for over two decades. He is a co-founder of First Crop, Inc. and author of the 2014 federal farm bill language that (re)legalized industrial hemp for the first time since The Great Depression. Michael is a Working Committee Member of the University of California – Los Angeles’ (UCLA’s) Sustainable Technologies & Public Policy Initiative, a Founding Board Member of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance, the Founding Board Chair of the National Hemp Association, and serves on the State of Colorado’s Hemp Advancement Management Plan.

Jack Dawson practiced law for many years representing international environmental and technology based organizations operating in the United States, and is admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court. He served as Science and Technology advisor to the Governor of Colorado, and has mediated large scale public and private sector environmental disputes. He has taught negotiated conflict resolution in graduate level programs at Harvard and Regis Universities. He has been extensively engaged in applied research on the energetic nature of water and its potential uses in health, agriculture, and nuclear energy. He is an organic gardener, a Biodynamic practitioner, a long time beekeeper, an avid mountaineer, and certified in permaculture design.

Geraldine Patrick Encina is an Ethnoecologist and Cultural Astronomer, working at the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary (NYC) in the Original Caretakers Program, where she contributes to the development of curriculum in diverse subjects such as sacred sites, good living and indigenous ways of knowing. She is co-founder of Earth Timekeepers, where she is developing collaborative and intercultural methodologies to recover original calendars together with local people, teachers and researchers. Geraldine is author in many books, including Indigeneity and the Sacred: Indigenous Revival and the Conservation of Sacred Natural Sites in the Americas, Berhahn Books of New York. is an Ethnoecologist and Cultural Astronomer, working at the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary (NYC) in the Original Caretakers Program, where she contributes to the development of curriculum in diverse subjects such as sacred sites, good living and indigenous ways of knowing. She is co-founder of Earth Timekeepers, where she is developing collaborative and intercultural methodologies to recover original calendars together with local people, teachers and researchers. Geraldine is author in many books, including Indigeneity and the Sacred: Indigenous Revival and the Conservation of Sacred Natural Sites in the Americas, Berhahn Books of New York.

Patricia Frazier, NP is has been a Biodynamic farmer for over 20 years. She and her family have a small biodynamic homestead, diversified farm, and family dairy in Western Colorado where all of the preparation herbs are grown and utilized in making the indigenous Biodynamic preparations for her farm organism and Western Colorado Regional Biodynamic Group. Permaculture design is another of her passions and its marriage with Biodynamics is included in her two-week residential permaculture certification in the summers. Pat is a passionate cultivator of the Biodynamic Agriculture movement, speaking nationally and regionally at major Biodynamic conferences and advising on three national organizations. She is the president of the board of directors of Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Inc. the largest non-profit distributor of Biodynamic Preparations in North America.

Katie Garces is a Director of the Y on Earth Community and the Founder and owner of KatieGarces.com, through which she provides consulting, coaching, and content services for health, nutrition, and the cultivation of spiritually meaningful lifestyles. Katie received her BS in Nursing from Creighton University before studying at the University of Pennsylvania where she earned an MS and became an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Later, Katie attended the Nutritional Therapy Institute in Denver, Colorado and became a Certified Nutritional Practitioner with a focus in Holistic Nutrition. She has completed advanced training and mentorships in Eating Psychology, Spirituality and Personal Development. Katie founded the Denver-based “Beyond Book Club” and serves as a coach and mentor, empowering women from diverse demographics to cultivate health, well-being, and improved qualities of life through better self-care.

Safi Kaskas is co-founder of the East West University in Chicago, Illinois, where he served as President of the Board of Directors 1979-2005, and continues to serve as an ex officio. With expertise in the managerial sciences, Safi is the Founder and President of Strategic Edge Management Consultants. He is also an Abrahamic religions scholar and lecturer, with a focus on reconciliation between Evangelic Christians and American Muslims. Senior Researcher in Islam and Multifaith Reconciliation at George Mason University, Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, Safi translated and published The Qur’an with References to the Bible, the Italian translation of which was presented to Pope Francis in 2016.

Joanie Klar is a visionary social architect, media producer, speaker and Ombudsman who has lived on four continents and in many tribal cultures. She is a Partner in the Poem Foundation, Poem Media and Poem Resorts, which builds full-spectrum wellness centers in various international arenas. She supports Young Voices for the Planet, Dr. Zach Bush’s Farmers Footprint, and Earth Call. Previously, Joanie served the City of Aspen’s Planning & Zoning mission to create its Grown Management Plan, and served on the Board of Trustees for John Denver’s Windstar Foundation. She is a Founding Board Member of the International Bamboo Foundation, through which she has worked with David Bowie and Richard Branson. Joanie also works with LaylaLovesArt.com and Rise of the Butterfly with Gloria Steinem to eradicate human trafficking, and supports Jonathan Granoff’s Global Security Institute on its nuclear disarmament work.

Brad Lidge & Lindsay Lidge are investors, philanthropists, and engaged in a variety of local, national, and international organizations. Lindsay Lidge is a certified nutritionist, and the Founder of Reverie Fields, a boutique organic cut-flower enterprise. Brad (“Lights Out”) Lidge threw the winning pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 MLB World Series. Prior to being drafted into Major League Baseball, Brad studied Religious Studies at Notre Dame University. After retiring from baseball, Brad returned to college, finishing his undergraduate degree at Regis University, Denver, and then received a Master’s Degree in Archeology and Ancient History from the University of Leicester in England. The Lidges serve on several Boards of Directors, and Brad is a Director of the Y on Earth Community.​​​​

Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and nutritional consultant of Natural Health with almost fifty years of experience. She teaches Herbal Medicine at Naropa University and The School of Health Mastery in Iceland, and has taught at Omega Institute, Esalen, Kripalu, Sivananda Yoga Ashram, Arise, Envision and Unify Festivals, and The Mayo Clinic. She is a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild, and is the author of 17+ books and DVDs, including The Natural First Aid Handbook, The Home Reference to Holistic Health and Healing, The Country Almanac of Home Remedies, The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, Beauty by Nature, and Addiction-Free Naturally.

Paul Miller (aka DJ Spooky) is Chief of Strategy for Global Brain, and is a composer, multimedia artist, editor and author. Paul is the first Artist in Residence at Google and the first Artist in Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. His DJ MIXER iPad app has seen more than 12 million downloads in the last year. He has produced and composed work for Yoko Ono, Thurston Moore, and score of artists and award-winning films. Miller’s work as a media artist has appeared in the Whitney Biennial; The Venice Biennial for Architecture; the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany; Kunsthalle, Vienna, Austria; The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and many other museums and galleries. His book, Sound Unbound (MIT Press) is a best-selling anthology of writings on electronic music and digital media.​​

Artem Nikulkov is Founder and CEO of Earth Coast Productions, a multimedia, video production, and audio visual management company focused on strategic digital story-telling to catalyze change in global sustainability, ecological stewardship, and community engagement. On the Board of Directors of the Y on Earth Community, Artem leads the organization’s technology, digital, and media strategy and campaigns, and is instrumental in creating Y on Earth’s digital platform. He is a native of the former Soviet Republic, Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia), and moved to the United States at the age of 12 quickly adapting to and adopting the grit and ethos of the American Dream. Artem resides in Colorado where you’re just as likely to find him storytelling around a remote wilderness campfire as in a digital recording studio or consulting with clients.​​​​

Sally Ranney is Co-Founder and President of the American Renewable Energy Institute (AREI) and AREDAY Summit, President and Co-Founder of Global Choices, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Wildlife Federation, the Aspen Brain Institute, and the Climate Accountability Institute. She is CEO of Stillwater Preservation LLC, a wetlands mitigation banking company and Senior Advisor to the One Humanity Institute and the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). Sally has worked with three U.S. Presidents, including an appointment by President Reagan to his Commission on American Outdoors. She is the recipient of the Horace Albright Award, the International Conservation Award, Earth Guardians’ Earth Stewardship Award, and the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF) Lifetime Achievement Award.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Dr. Anita Sanchez is a board member of both the Pachamama Alliance and Bioneers. Azteca and Mexican-American, Anita inspires people to discover and trust their gifts so that they become life-giving connections to people and to the earth. She has trained thousands of leaders in global corporations and non-profits. Using indigenous wisdom and modern science, Anita guides leaders in creating caring and inclusive workplaces and communities. TedX presenter of Humanity’s Hope, Anita is an author of four books including the #1 international best-selling Success University for Women in Business, and The Four Sacred Gifts, published by Simon & Schuster.​​​​​​

Reverend Kalani Souza is the Founder and Director of the Olohana Foundation, which focuses on building community capacity, cohesiveness, resilience, and emergency preparedness around food, energy, water, and knowledge systems on the Big Island of Hawaii. He served as the Chairman of the Indigenous Knowledge & Education (IKE) Hui of the Pacific Risk Management Ohana (PRiMO), and has consulted to the President’s Ocean Policy Task Force. A storyteller, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, philosopher, priest, and peace-maker, Kalani is a Native Hawaiian whose workshops and lectures in social justice, conflict resolution, and environmental stewardship challenge and inspire audiences to achieve greater potential. He also curates an Indigenous Youth digital media program, empowering rising leaders throughout the world.​​​​​​​​​

Kevin Townley entered the Carmelite Seminary in his early teens to study for the Catholic priesthood. After leaving the seminary he began a lifelong study, and has been a student and teacher of the Western Mysteries and Ageless Wisdom for nearly 40 years. Kevin worked several years in a full time laboratory dedicated to the practical study of spagery and alchemy, and co-founded the Philosophers of Nature, a Hermetic school. He is the author of The Cube of Space and Meditations on the Cube of Space. As Resident Scholar of the Highland City Club in Boulder, CO, Kevin has a standing monthly lecture on Western Mysticism, which has been running for more than a decade. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Maija West is the owner of the Law Office of Maija West, a boutique legal and corporate advising services firm, and is founder of Moxie Lab, a leadership company for emerging visionaries. She is also the founder of the Healing and Reconciliation Institute, a non-profit consulting firm specializing in healing and reconciliation processes in complex matters of social justice, often involving indigenous peoples and tribal nations. Maija has served on the boards of the Ventana Wildlife Society, the Wahine Project, and the Taos Community Foundation. She currently serves as the Chair of the Women’s Leadership Council for the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, and serves on the Board of the Community Foundation for Monterey County and the Monterey Rape Crisis Center.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​