Terra Foundation has been an integral part of the San Luis Obispo sustainability community since its inception in 1990. The founder of Terra, Ed Ward, passed away in 1994, leaving his visionary legacy to the board of directors. Terra has sponsored courses in composting, vermiculture, urban gardening, and has encouraged "study of the laws of sprit and nature …to heal the mind and body of humanity and thus enable each person to live a happier, healthier and more abundant life."

Artwork courtesy of artist, Meganne Forbes

In 2000, Terra changed its course by adding permaculture design to its offerings. Through board member and permaculture expert Larry Santoyo (www.earthflow.com) Terra has supported ten full permaculture design certificate courses. Larry has been specializing in urban permaculture, teaching courses in the Los Angeles area and on the East Coast.

Linda Seeley, president of the board of directors, began offering workshops in "The Work that Reconnects," experiential deep ecology training developed by Joanna Macy, PhD (www.joannamacy.net) in 2003. Linda has worked closely with Joanna for nine years, and she sees the need in the community for expression of feelings related to the current state of the world and all its inhabitants. Linda is a certified nurse-midwife who has attended over a thousand births in SLO County.

Richard F. Smith, PhD, joined the board of the Terra foundation in 2009.  His academic background is in animal behavior and ecology.  He is a student of natural law and a permaculture practitioner.  Richard lives at the Sandgarden, where he built a home from local materials and junk that provides passive heating and cooling, processes its own waste, and provides much of his food.

Mary Fullwood, PhD, joined Terra in 2006. Mary's background is in imaginal psychology, that place where the "real" world meets the numinous world, and she works closely with people to strengthern their Earth-Human-Soul-Spirit connections. Mary is also an artist, having earned her MFA at Pratt Institute in New York. She constructs art pieces from found natural sources, and she enjoys sharing and teaching Earth-centered art to young people.