DR. TODD & HIS CAREER

Tell us about yourself. How long have you been involved in ecological design and where did your interest in the field begin?

In 1971, I was a oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, when I read a small book by the ecologist Howard Odum, titled "Energy, Power and Society," in which he laid out a whole new view of how we might create the infrastructures for a sustainable human society. I had just co-founded The New Alchemy Institute a year earlier with two friends, one of whom is my wife, and its goal was to create a new science and practice of earth stewardship. Our objective was to bring together many disciplines under an ecological framework to address the issues of energy, architecture, food production, waste transformation, and environmental stewardship. Throughout the 1970s, at The New Alchemy Institute, we were able to demonstrate in each of these fields that an ecological design, science and practice does work.

Howard Odum's ecological models showed that our current fossil fuel-based society was not sustainable. He argued that only sustainable models could be modeled on the 3.5 billion year old experiment of life itself, and we had to design our modern world as if we had an understanding of the evolution of life over this vast reach of time. He suggested that we needed to somehow decode the language of nature - how does the coral reef work, how does it sustain life, same with the forest, the prairie, etc. I would characterize my life as one of the first people to attempt to decode the language of nature and use it as a blueprint to design the infrastructure for human society.

What is Ocean Arks International? Why did you start the organization and what has it accomplished?

A number of books came out of our experience with The New Alchemy Institute, including "The Book of the New Alchemist" and "Tomorrow is Our Permanent Address". The latter described two wonderful buildings, one on Cape Cod and another on Prince Edward Island, which we called the Arks. They were buildings, or bioshelters, powered by the sun and wind; they allowed human habitation, plus the production of food and biological organisms year-round without the need for fossil fuels. The Arks were completed in 1976, and in 2001, the US Department of Energy named the Prince Edward Island Ark one of the most visionary buildings of the 20th century. It pointed to a future in which buildings will be designed as "organisms."

In the late 1970'S, near the end of her life, we worked with Margaret Mead, and she urged us to honor her by taking some of our work at The New Alchemy Institute into the world. So, my wife and I created Ocean Arks International. We envisioned an ecological "Hope Ship," as a symbol for the work. The "Hope Ship" would be a new kind of earth-friendly ocean transport, powered by the wind, primarily - the dream turned out to be bigger than the reality, as we built a one-fifth scale model of our original plans and a series of supporting sailing crafts bound for the Third World to support the activities of fishermen in a sustainable manner. We worked on the seas in South and Central America on ecological development in coastal communities, and William McLarmey (the third founder of The New Alchemy Institute) and his associates worked in parallel on ecological agriculture along the Atlantic Coast of Costa Rica. His work was recognized at the World Summit last August in Johannesburg as a leading example of sustainable development.

You have won a long list of prestigious awards and recognitions over the course of your career, including Time Magazine's "Hero of the Planet Award" and you were recently named one of the 20th Century's top thirty-five inventors. Tell us about your "Living Machines," which have been widely regarded as one of your greatest contributions.

In the mid 1980s, I lost several friends to cancer at a young age, and I was convinced that they died from environmental causes. Although I had no scientific proof, I believed that the problem was water and our abuse of water: We put so many chemicals into the water we drink and use, and it's coming back to haunt us through cancer in our bodies. With this in mind, I looked at most of the contemporary wastewater treatment practices and was horrified by their use of chemicals in the treatment process.

From 1986 to 2000, I invented a series of "living" technologies and patented them for the purification of water, sewage, lakes, rivers, etc. They came out in a wave with different names: "Solar Aquatics"- all sunlight based, all ecologically diverse, using the power of plants, flowers, fish, microorganisms to work in a designed environment to take polluted water and purify it. Next, we developed "Living Machines" that incorporated into their design Ecological Fluidized Beds, that helped transform and purify water. Then came, "Restorers", which are floating technologies to be placed in placed in contaminated water bodies through which water flows through and is purified. We are now working in China using Restorers on a 5km stretch of sewage-contaminated canals, so far with success. We hope to be given the chance to purify the remaining 75km of canals.

All of these technologies are, mechanically, relatively simple, but ecologically complex. They substitute to a high degree, the intelligence in living systems, in lieu of chemically and mechanically intensive processes.

How have you worked to get the word out about what you are doing?

It's hard to get ecological ideas across to most people because they are so complex. Ecological problems don't lend themselves to simple solutions and explanations. To spread these technologies around the world, we have created three companies, and made alliances with firms in Europe, the South Pacific, China, Canada, etc. Currently, there are living technologies at work in 17 states and eight or nine countries.

You're also teaching Ecological Design at the University of Vermont. Why is this important to you, and what are some of the things that you've learned from your students?

I left my last professorship in San Diego State University in 1970. I hadn't really had any teaching experience, other than lecturing, and I hadn't had any extended contact with students at all. The people at the University of Vermont contacted me. They wanted to create one of the leading centers for environmental studies and applied ecology; I did a couple of lectures there, liked their vision for the concept of an environmental university, and I liked the people. So, about five years ago, I moved the Ocean Arks Institute to Vermont and became a visiting professor for a year to see if I could adapt to a university environment, which I did. My current title is Research Professor and Distinguished Lecturer in the School of Natural Resources.

I had been led to believe that the students were complacent, but I found them to be anything but that. They had been taught what was wrong with the world, and they were desperately hungry for a discipline that could help make things right. They wanted to learn technologies and systems that heal the world rather than destroy it. We've worked on eco-parks, student housing, and other projects relevant to the community and university, and we have had a great influence on the administration's approach to landscape design and architecture. My graduate students tend to be those who have had good careers in other fields but felt a calling to ecological design.

THE ACTUAL WORK

What is ecological design, and what exactly do ecological designers do?

It doesn't matter whether you're talking about architecture or agriculture, or landscape repair, ecological design is about designing systems that work the way an actual ecosystem would work. That means it consists of non-linear, dynamic systems, driven by natural sources of energy to carry out a design objective - such as taking organic waste and transforming it into valuable biological products. For example, we design fish farms that use the same techniques and processes as coastal eel grass communities to raise fish in an energy-efficient way. Similarly, the use of a constructed wetland to clean up runoff from parking lots and the street. Here we are using the genius of the marsh to purify the water before it reaches the water table.

Is it difficult to keep up with advancing technology in the field? How do you do it?

I do it three ways: First, I'm very faithful about reading the leading science journals (I prefer The New Scientist) because this allows me to scan the full spectrum of science and technology. Second, "Keep inventing," and third, graduate students, who are, by definition, quite interested in the latest technologies and scientific breakthroughs.

EDUCATION INFORMATION & ADVICE

On a basic level, what training does the profession demand?

There are two distinct branches of the profession: ecological engineering (which is distinct from environmental engineering) and ecological design. Professionals must be trained in both environmental studies and ecology. I like to see students who are well-trained in limnology or oceanography. The study of lakes is a good way to see things as a whole - it prepares your head for "whole system" thinking. Another important thing is "dynamic modeling," which means taking ecological and energy inputs into a system, learning their traits and learning what its limits are.

I'd also recommend really good training in natural history. By learning the narratives of plants, animals and other organisms, you can come to understand their story and their place in the world; then, the place of diverse forms of life can be honored in your design. For example, if you know how A moss species works, its natural history and its potential to filter water, then you know something important that you, in turn, can use in your designs.

One of the problems with higher education is that it can be highly abstracted, or removed from reality. I think that in the computer-dominated age, there is less of a tendency to go out into the natural world and use it for the basis of discovery - in ecological design, we need to buck that trend and come to a more holistic understanding of living organisms in the totality of their environment.

Your formal education is not in ecological design. For those interested in a career today, would you recommend that they pursue a degree in the field?

The most important thing for students wishing to pursue this field is to get a good education in biology and ecology. My first degree was in agriculture, which is an applied ecological field if there ever was one; my second degree was in parasitology and tropical medicine. My doctorate was in fisheries and animal behavior. After I got out, I studied fields that I thought were important, including ancient systems of food production and landscape management. I became interested in the evolution of science. One thing led me to another. It wasn't really until the late 1990s that the first textbooks came out in ecological engineering. Ecological design pokes its nose into everything - it'll be another decade, when my students become professors, before there will be many more academic programs focused on the field.

What factors should prospective students consider when choosing a program? Are there different considerations for those who know that they want to major in ecological design?

Ecological design is just one of the legs on the stool of an undergraduate education. I wouldn't focus on it as an educational base until the masters level - although if you know that you are interested in the field, as an undergraduate, you should at least look for a school that has a course or two or three that introduces the field of study. It might be called "Applied Ecology."

Based on what you hear in the industry, what do you think are the most respected programs for ecological design that really make a difference to students who graduate from these schools?

For Ecological Design: University of Vermont, University of Michigan, Yale University's School of Forestry, and Oberlin College.

For Ecological Engineering: The University of Vermont, Ohio State University, University of Georgia, University of Florida, and University of Maryland. This is not a complete list at all.

JOB INFORMATION & ADVICE

What are some of the top companies and agencies to work for in the field of ecological design?

Part of the educational experience is to learn about what the best companies are, where they are, and what they're doing. Usually, a student will say to me, I want to live in the Northwest or the Bay Area or in Kansas - and, in each case, as a teacher I try to point them to a network that they can go to, one that has been built over many years by me and the other faculty at the school. It's not a concrete guarantee of a job, but it does connect students to the players. Getting to know the professional community is part of the educational program.

It's really a personal choice of the students of the students where they want to work, and for what company, and the field is wide open because an education in ecological design will translate in almost any environmental discipline. For example, let's say a student wants to join the state Department of Environmental Management; an education in ecological design gives them the intellectual tools to deal dynamically with pollution issues.

What kinds of jobs are available for those just starting out in the field of ecological design?

There are a number of different paths which depend on your own talents and interests:

• Architecture, where ecological designers are on the cutting edge with their knowledge of integrating environmental concepts.
• Conventional civil engineering, where professionals who carry two disciplines (ecological design and civil/environmental engineering) have become hot properties.
• Urban and integrated food production
• Landscape conservation and management, a subset of which is restoration ecology, which has been a growing field in recent years, and was framed by ecological design.

What's the pay scale for someone just starting a career? How about for those at the senior level?

It's competitive with many other natural resource-based careers. I can't speak for other areas of the country, but here in the northeast, for the right person starting out with a graduate education, a good starting salary is probably around $40,000. There is no high end - but maybe $100,000. In other words, you might not make as much as some fields, but that's not what's people in this field are generally concerned about anyway.

How is the job market right now? How do you think it will be in the next five years? 10 years?

Really, the field of ecological design is emerging so quickly that by the time the new students of today graduate, the opportunities will have multiplied exponentially. The shift to clean energy, ecological infrastructure is essential.

INDUSTRY TRENDS

What do you consider to be the greatest challenges facing ecological design professionals today?

First and foremost, ecological design is about earth stewardship - that means taking care of or healing ecosystems that have been harmed by human beings. The biggest challenge will be the waking up of the larger public to the fact that we need to shift from an extractive society to one that is restorative. Wendell Berry argues that there is a place-based knowledge and way of dong things that is different from the homogenized, globalized, one size fits all, capitalist perspective.

There needs to be an increased local awareness to create viable communities - that's a very different model than what we've seen in the 20th century. A background in ecological design is a tool for thinking about this culture based on earth stewardship. I don't know what it will take to wake us up; we're kind of numb to species extinction and other environmental crises. It would be nice if we could change course without a major ecological disaster.

Technology and nature have been on a collision course. As ecological designers, we're not anti-technology, but simply against technology with destructive long-term effects. We have to spend time making sure that economics and ecology are on the same page.

What are the most important innovations and trends that you see on the horizon in the next five to 10 years in the field?

There are several, and I will mention two, beyond my own work. Alan Savory is the founder of the concept of holistic management, and he has found ways that plants and animals, working together, can restore the most god-forsaken landscapes. It focuses on a localized knowledge of ecological systems. That field of holistic management, which is all about ecological design, is powerful. It is potentially a huge new direction where one tries to derive from nature itself genuine alternatives to extractive, expensive methods. If it ever reaches its potential, then most of the people of the world, including the poor, will have a chance to create their own infrastructure for living.

Wes Jackson is leading a movement toward Natural Systems Agriculture - not genetically modifying plants to deal with pests, but finding ways to create an agricultural landscape based on perennials rather than annuals. He argues that 10,000 years ago, we took a wrong turn in agriculture by basing our food supply on annual rather than perennial grains. The work of Dr. Jackson and The Land Institute constitutes a powerful trend that is based on a deep understanding of the prairie.

CLOSING REMARKS

Is there anything else you can tell us about yourself, your career, or the profession that would be interesting or helpful to others aspiring to enter the field of ecological design?

I think that what I have tried to bring to my career and my work is a combination of forces which are both scientific and artistic. Science has increasingly become a quest to learn a lot more about less and less - in other words, we've become very specialized. I often look at science and technology as the pigments for the canvas upon which I am working. I have wandered between disciplines and found it very satisfying.

I think I would conclude by saying that the 21st century need to become the century for environmental restoration and for healing the rift between humanity and the rest of nature. Ecological Design is one of the tools to make this happen.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about the educational and career outlook for Ecological Design majors, click here.

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