Joanna Macy PhD, teacher and author, is a scholar of Buddhism, systems thinking and deep ecology. As the root teacher of the Work That Reconnects, Macy has created a ground-breaking framework for personal and social change that brings a new way of seeing the world as our larger body. To learn more, visit www.joannamacy.net.

Shawn Van Valkenburgh, Ph.D.: I am a sociologist and amateur activist who has participated in various climate justice movements and direct actions. I currently study popular media at USC. For me, Buddhist heart practices and meditations are contemplative insofar as they help create connections among beings.

Monique Myers’ work includes applied research and outreach education focused on climate change and coastal ecosystems. She led a team of UC researchers in collaboration with local government planners to complete the Santa Barbara Area Coastal Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment (SBA CEVA), which informs climate change planning in southern SB County. She was an author on California’s 4th Climate Assessment. She initiated/led CoAST SB, a local citizen science beach profile monitoring program that involves community members in addressing climate change through research that informs climate change modeling.