EarthNest Institute's mission is to awaken and nurture ecological intelligence and wisdom  through explorations in nature, science, spirit, and systems thinking and to enable our transition toward a humane, diverse, and sustainable society.

Official Link: http://www.earthnest.org

Nonprofit Umbrella Organization for ECEC

We are proud to have been selected by the Environmental and Conservation Education Council to serve as its nonprofit fiscal "umbrella," which means that donations earmarked "ECEC" will support ECEC's two major initiatives -- its Wheels to the Field fund and the Mini-grant program for teachers. Please consider making a generous donation to make sure our children and their teachers spend plenty of learning time -- outside!

Education Programs and Graduate Internships

EarthNest Institute brings a bilingual and multicultural approach to preserving the native wisdom of the people of the San Luis Valley. We  encourage the use of Spanish in many contexts, promote an appreciation for the earth-based traditions of the Latino/Latina culture, and provide opportunities to restore that "sense of place" which for many of us seems to have been lost in today's fast-paced techno world. We offer seasonal residential internships at our off-the-grid cottage for writers, artists, and social entrepreneurs who need a quiet place to rest and re-charge.  We invite graduate students who are pursuing careers in the earth sciences to contact us, especially if they bring new perspectives on issues relating to the land, water, plants, wetlands, and wildlife of the upper Rio Grande basin.  In these very difficult times, EarthNest Institute welcomes those who work, write, teach, organize and help to create meaningful and sustainable social change as we transition toward the post-petroleum era.

Cultural Explorations

The rich and complex environment of this high desert valley, with its surrounding mountain peaks and its spectacular  natural beauty, has fascinated different human inhabitants over many thousands of years. Each overlaying culture has expressed this fascination in language, music, and sociocultural artifacts which we find today in the San Luis Valley.  We have explored some of these cultural footprints and we look forward to discovering many more. 

Inspired by many contemplative influences but not religious in any formal sense, the work of EarthNest Institute comes from a philosophical core which tends to be fairly centered and quiet. This may seem strange in our noisy competitive world, but perhaps that is the point -- to provide environments which nurture and incubate the best in us so that we can be well prepared for our work out in the world.

We intend to stay small, providing a steady quiet strength and stability for ECEC for many years to come.

EarthNest Institute offers tax exempt privileges for all friends of ECEC