About the Directors

The directors of COM's Center for Regenerative Design are visionary architect Sim Van der Ryn and educator and author Andres Edwards.

Sim Van der Ryn

Sim Van der Ryn is the Co-Director of The Center for Regenerative Design and the president of Van der Ryn Architects, a renowned leader in sustainable architecture. For over thirty-five years, his design, planning, teaching and public leadership has advanced the viability, acceptance and knowledge base of ecological principles and practices in architecture and planning. His vision, passion and keen insight into the opportunities and challenges of every project, in concert with his collaborative skills, have made ecological design a real solution for our times. A NY Times profile headlined “Eco-Design, a surging field,,. catches up with a founding father) (Nov 17, 2005) begins,, “Long before the Prius hit the road and sustainability became the buzzword du jour, there was Sim Van der Ryn, the intrepid pioneer on the eco-frontier.”

Trained as an architect with a degree from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; licenses from California and New Mexico; and certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration, the theme of Sim's career in design, teaching and research has been applying principles of physical and social ecology to architecture and environmental design. For 35 years he was Professor of Architecture and Ecological Design at the University of California, Berkeley.

Sim also founded the Farallones Institute which helped to create national awareness of "ecologically integrated living design." The work started by the Farallones Institute continues today at the Ecological Design Institute (EDI), Van der Ryn Architects' non-profit partner. EDI offers training, education, and research services in ecological design to businesses, government agencies, professional organizations and educational institutions.

Sim has also written seven cutting edge books about sustainable planning and design including Sustainable Communities (1986) with Peter Calthorpe and Ecological Design (1996) with Stuart Cowan and Design for Life (2006). He was been honored by numerous awards by civic, environmental, and professional groups.

Andrés Edwards

Andres Edwards is an educator, sustainability consultant, entrepreneur, and author. He has devoted his professional career to creating innovative ways to illustrate the relationship between the built environment and living systems. His work includes writing, teaching and consulting with businesses, municipalities, educational institutions and non-profit organizations to identify and create effective communication strategies that promote their sustainability mission and goals.

Andres is the Co-Director of the Center for Regenerative Design and founder and president of EduTracks a firm specializing in developing education programs and consulting services on sustainable practices for businesses, municipalities, educational institutions and non-profit organizations. He has served as producer, exhibit developer, and consultant for projects in natural history, biodiversity and sustainable community in Northern California, Florida, Missouri, Alaska, Illinois, Washington D.C., Taejon, South Korea and Kerala, India.

Andres is author of The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift, which describes the past, present and future of the movement towards sustainability through the comparative analysis of sustainability principles; and co-author of Tibet: Enduring Spirit, Exploited Land which examines the relationship of Tibetan nomads and farmers to the environment. Andres has specialized in sustainability topics for the last 15 years. He has given radio and television interviews and lectured and presented seminars about his work at conferences, colleges and universities, and for businesses and community organizations.

Andres holds a BA degree in Geography from the University of Colorado; an MPS in Media Studies from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program and an MA in Humanities and Leadership/Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community from New College of California, Santa Rosa. He is a LEED® Accredited Professional, Permaculture certified, graduate of Angeles Arrien’s Four Fold Way leadership program, and a member of the US Partnership, United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development program. Affiliations include: co-chair, Redwood Empire Chapter of US Green Building Council; Advisory Board, New College of California, San Francisco, CA.; member of Environmental Education Council of Marin (EECOM).