EcoCivilization Coalition
- Rick Bonetti
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
"The EcoCiv Institute (EcoCiv) first emerged as a vision of the scholar and activist John B. Cobb, Jr. A professor at the Claremont Graduate University and Claremont School of Theology and a leader in ecological thinking. Prof. Cobb wrote the founding work in eco-theology in 1971, Is It Too Late? A Theology of Ecology.
Over the decades that followed, Cobb published over 50 books, inspired two generations of scholars and activists, founded multiple organizations, and organized scores of conferences, most notably through the Claremont Center for Process Studies (CPS). - a nonprofit think-and-action tank, now based in Portland, Oregon, that conducts interdisciplinary research and education to cultivate holistic understanding for human and planetary flourishing."
The non-profit Institute for Ecological Civilization was initially incubated within the Center for Process Studies. Founded by Philip Clayton and Wm. Andrew Schwartz, the Institute for Ecological Civilization, was created to be a catalyst for advancing the vision of ecological civilization worldwide. Its first event, “Ecology and Community,” was held in Fall 2015. Many of the signature features of the organization were seeded and developed during this first event: carrying out preparatory research, convening experts, facilitating visioning and back-casting, and producing a roadmap for action."
Visionary thinker, President Philip Clayton led EcoCiv to expand and deepen its mission at the intersections of environment and humanity. With several decades of experience in university-based research, teaching, and lecturing, Philip conceptualized all EcoCiv’s projects and ensures their mission. In particular, he helped project leaders think about relevant intersectional societal changes for their projects. Clayton holds a PhD from Yale University; has held guest professorships at Harvard, University of Cambridge, and University of Munich; and is the author or editor of several dozen books and some 300 articles on science, ethics, and religion.
In 2025 the non-profit changed its name to the Ecocivilization Coalition with a new website and visionary author Jeremy Lent as new Acting President. "Their new name marks a deeper commitment to global transformation:
Supporting grassroots movements
Amplifying system-wide change
Building a life-affirming future, together
"Jeremy Lent is an author and speaker whose work investigates the underlying causes of our civilization’s existential crisis and explores pathways toward a life-affirming future. His 2922 award-winning book, The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search for Meaning, examines the way humans have made meaning from the cosmos from hunter-gatherer times to the present day. His 2021 award-winning The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe, offers a solid foundation for an integrative worldview that could lead humanity to a sustainable, flourishing future. He has written extensively about the vision and specifics of an ecological civilization, and is the founder of the Deep Transformation Network, a global community exploring pathways toward a life-affirming future on a regenerated Earth. Follow him on his author website."
"Our economies must change with our changing climate to ensure a sustainable future for all. What could it look like to design an economy that simultaneously serves people and planet? This was the question addressed in April 2024 at the inaugural California Just Economy Summit that EcoCiv co-hosted with the California Wellbeing Economies Coalition in Sacramento, California.
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