Karen Riley is the founder and director of the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery. Karen has been working with students in all grades to address complex environmental issues by demonstrating the need and practice of recycling of the Student Creative Recycle Art Program (S.C.R.A.P. Gallery). Karen’s unique approach to help solve environmental problems teaches children to be creative in their personal recycling habits and take care of the planet. As the Executive Director of the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, Riley addresses two of today’s most urgent issues – the environment and the education of our youth. Riley works with youth from all over Southern California to promote conservation and reuse by teaching them to creatively practice the Four R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Responsibility. Students are encouraged to create art from scraps by participating in waste prevention field trips, which are held in a 22,000 square foot Quonset Hut on the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio and at its satellite S.C.R.A.P. Annex in Cathedral City. At the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, it is Karen’s goal to not only teach children, but involve them as active participants and citizens of the world in taking care of the environment.

As founder and director of the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, Riley has been working with students in all grades to address complex environmental issues by demonstrating the need and practice of recycling. In addition to field trips, she is responsible for the direction and implementation of special projects, new exhibitions and outreach services that achieve student involvement in recycling/art issues and communicates with the general public the need for ongoing environmental awareness and practices. In 2003, she received the Award of Achievement in Education from the Natural Resources Council of America. In 2009, The S.C.R.A.P. Gallery was chosen as a recipient of special funding from the city of Rancho Mirage, CA for the timely and educationally pertinent programs provided to the schools in the Coachella Valley.

Karen Taussig has been teaching for over 20 years. She has taught almost every science class offered including Sustainable Practices, Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy/Physio, Marine Bio, Integrated Science, Family Life, Life Science, Physical Science and Earth Science. However, her passion lies in Environmental Science. She was one of the first teachers in northern CA to integrate ES into the high school curriculum. She also started the youth programs at The Marine Mammal Center, and was the director of education at Aquarium of the Bay.

Karen is a person who practices what she preaches–sustainable living skills. She has a farm in which she has dairy goat,s which she milks and makes cheese and yogurt. She has fruit trees, a garden, and solar panels, as well. She strives to live off the land. She is passionate about getting the young people today to get out and experience nature and make connections with the environment so they can then care about the planet.

Kari Spencer is a popular local gardening and homesteading speaker. Both a Master Gardener and a Master Farmer, Kari enjoys sharing her passion for growing and raising food with others. In addition to teaching classes all over the city of Phoenix, she is a talented instructor and curriculum writer in the Urban Farming department at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. Her family operates The Micro Farm Project, a small farm in North Phoenix, where gardens and livestock animals provide her family with fun and food. She loves to experiment with new ways to create a healthier, more self-reliant and sustainable lifestyle, and invites others to join her on the journey.

Kari is also apart of Grow Phx, which is a collaboration between Greg Peterson and Kari to provide opportunities to the urban farm community with opportunities to learn, connect with others, and to grow their dreams.  Events include bi-annual Grow Phx Summits and Great American Seed Ups, as well as Permaculture Design Courses and online webinars.

Kari Witthuhn  is the founding force behind the Appleton Seed Library, a community seed lending library featuring heirloom non-GMO seeds. She is an active time banker, seed/local food enthusiast, volunteer Master Gardener and homeschooling mother to three. A BA in Studio Art is the backdrop to her creative endeavors. Kari also serves on the steering committees for the Friends of the Memorial Park Gardens and Bubolz Nature Preserve. Blending the arts, sustainability, intentionality and community collaboration are what fuels her creative endeavors.

KAT STEELE is a permaculture activist, designer, educator and founder of the UrbanPermacultureGuild in Oakland, CA. Trained in Ecovillage Design with the Findhorn Foundation of Scotland, Natural Building with Kleiwerks International, and Permaculture Design with the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, she holds an MA in Creative Arts: Interdisciplinary Arts from San Francisco State University. She previously served on the boards of a Bay Area nonprofit organizations devoted to peace, justice and sustainability, the NorCal Chapter of Architects, Designers, Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) and Bay Localize. In 2006 she became one of a 1,000 ClimateProject trainees empowered to present a version of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth slide presentation. In 2008 she trained as one of the 23 US Transition Trainers. Kat now lives in Big Sur, CA and leads the sustainability initiatives at the Esalen Institute. She teaches Ecoliteracy in Action and is devoted to localization and community resiliency, believing it to be a key strategy towards sustainability and “thrive ability”.

Katelyn Mann leads the Foodicons Challenge as project manager with the Lexicon of Sustainability. Katelyn brings over seven years of experience in sustainable food systems and a background in community-driven development in the US and LATAM to her work in building multi-sector collaborations for food systems change and climate action.

Katelyn understands and appreciates the diversity of place and the necessity of visual languages, having grown up in nine different U.S. states and three countries across three continents. Coupled with her professional aspirations, Katelyn is an ultrarunner and pedestrian scholar, exploring places on foot.

Kathy Lynn is the lead ​flower ​cutter and assistant floral designer at a family owned flower farm in the Agricultural Reserve in Laytonsville, Maryland​, where they ​cut and design flowers for seven farmers markets weekly. She has a love for all things local and is involved with and supports local farms and farmers markets. Kathy volunteers her time helping her community with farm to table dinners and photographing events for the Sandy Spring Museum. Kathy and her husband are beekeepers and are involved in helping save the honeybees. Kathy is also an accomplished photographer of flowers and her photography is on exhibit at the Sandy Spring Museum. Kathy’s exhibits include the Club House at Gibson Island and St. Michael’s, both in Maryland. Her photography is mostly of flowers from farms in Maryland and she tries to shoot only photos of flowers that are locally grown. Kathy also photographs farmer’s markets in Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, DC.

Katie Culpepper is the Farm Educator at North Country School (NCS) and Camp Treetops, a junior boarding school and summer camp nestled in the Adirondacks Mountains. Set on 250 acres, NCS includes a working farm and has a long history of helping children build connections to the land. As a founding program of the Edible Schoolyard Project, we continue to make these connections a more intentional part of the school curriculum through Edible Schoolyard classes. Within this context, Katie has created a curriculum aimed at providing students the opportunity to connect to the seasons and other natural cycles. Students learn where their food comes from, as well as what it takes to live gently and intentionally on the land and with each other. The experiences provided by this curriculum are deeply place-specific, but also engage with global issues, including food security and other far-reaching concerns around sustainability. Katie recently completed a Master of Education degree with a concentration on Educating for Sustainability through Antioch University. This coursework reinforced Katie’s long-held belief that sustainability must be the foundation of all education. As a curator, Katie is thrilled to be able to strengthen her school’s commitment of engaging students and staff, and her surrounding community, in meaningful conversations about sustainability.

Kayla Carter is a freelance journalist who is diving straight into raising awareness about local food initiatives in Northeast Tennessee. She currently serves as an Appalachia CARES/AmeriCorps member providing communication coordinator services to Rural Resources, a Greeneville, TN, non-profit organization that aims to connect farms, food and families. She has also been volunteering to write press releases for the Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council and has been published in Plough to Pantry magazine. In partnership with local food organizations like these, she hopes the Lexicon of Sustainability’s Pop Up Art Show can help better educate her region about its local food shed as well as provide a relevant aesthetic appeal to all local food events in upper East Tennessee.

KELSEY DEPORTE is a rising senior majoring Sociology and minoring in Environmental Studies. She works with children in an after-school program at Meeting Street Academy. Kelsey was born in Reston, Virginia and spent her childhood in the Netherlands until starting high school in Fort Mill, SC. Having attended public school in Holland, she speaks both English and Dutch. Living abroad and her older sister (who founded the NGO Human Impacts Institute) has greatly influenced her increased involvement with sustainability practices, particularly the intersections between social justice and environmental work in shaping sustainable communities. Additionally, Kelsey is interested in the power that art and creativity plays in building social movement. She will be focusing on Student Outreach through Residence Life and New Student Orientation. In her free time Kelsey enjoys gardening, cooking, reading, playing music, going to concerts, art, repurposing things, cycling, and living a mindful lifestyle.

KERI KNAPP is the Director of the Anacortes Farmers Market in Anacortes, WA. A former business owner and vendor of the market, she has helped to guide the market into becoming a community gem for locals and visitors. Her aim is always to inspire others to love and appreciate the farming community and cottage businesses, reminding folks of how blessed we are to live in an agricultural area. Keri’s background is in teaching but her passion is in farming and backyard gardening. She hopes these incredible images will continue to educate visitors and community alike of the value of food and the importance of supporting our local food system.

Kim Aman, a former public school teacher, is the Slow Food USA Governor for Texas, SFUSA Garden Network Co-Chair, Slow Food DFW Board Member, and Program Director at Moss Haven Farm, where she holds the title of Farmer Kim, integrating curriculum on a k-6 campus. Additionally, she works with the Farmers Market Friends, Grow North Texas and the Dallas Food Policy Council, to support the local food system. Kim works as a consultant for schools in North Texas and across the country in creating sustainable school garden programs and authored the American Heart Association Teaching Gardens/Whole Kids Foundation garden curriculum. Her farming roots run deep from her Grandfather who grew crops in the rich soil of central Ohio. He taught her about the earth, soil, plants, animals and the beauty of a bite from a vine ripe tomato. Her garden programs have formed partnerships with the American Heart Association Teaching Garden Program, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, The Cooper Institute, Healthy Zone Schools, Texas Master Gardener Association and Whole Kids Foundation. On any given day, you can find Kim in the garden working side by side with her student farmers, teaching them about the land and the food they eat. She knows that she is fortunate to be doing what she loves and looks forward to every day that she can spend digging in the dirt.

KIM ANGELI-SELIN is a creative professional specializing in the field of communication. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Utah and is currently working towards a Masters of Professional Communication from Westminster College. Kim joined the team at the Downtown Alliance of Salt Lake City in 2006 as Director of Special Events where she leads multiple public events with the mission of building dynamic and diverse communities in the capital city. One of these events is the successful Downtown Farmers Market, a summer tradition in downtown Salt Lake City and the largest open-air Market in the Intermountain West. Under Kim’s guidance the Market has expanded to include the mid-week Harvest Market and Winter Market at Rio Grande Depot, contributed to the revitalization of the once-blighted Pioneer Park neighborhood, and has become a nationally-recognized foodie’s haven. In 2008, Kim was named a “Utah Tastemaker” for helping to put Utah’s food culture on the map. Previous work experience includes restaurant management at locally-owned establishments and customer service and instruction positions at Utah ski resorts. Kim has a passion for delicious, nutritious food from seed to mouth and enjoys gardening, cooking, dining out, and writing about food-related topics. She also loves to explore the world starting with the numerous recreation opportunities in her home state of Utah and venturing out to experience diverse cultures throughout the world.

Kim Bayer is a strategist, communicator and project manager, as well as a veteran community organizer and coalition-builder with deep knowledge of local food systems. Her background includes a Master’s degree from the University of Michigan in Information and Library Science and 15 years of experience at U-M where she and her staff guided strategic direction in technology for teaching and learning. Kim has led the creation and implementation of numerous collaborative food system projects, including conferences (Local Food Summit 2009-2016), and festivals (HomeGrown Festival 2008-2012), along with many workshops and lectures on food system issues. In addition, Kim is a published author and restaurant critic, and she writes on food-related subjects for regional publications. She has written several guides to local food in the Ann Arbor area, and is currently working as a local food marketing consultant. She is the founder and President of the Great Lakes CSA Coalition, a 501c3 created to promote CSA farms and establish wellness rebates from insurance companies. Kim is the former Chair of Slow Food Huron Valley in southeast Michigan, and the current Slow Food Governor for Michigan.

KRISTIN “”KIRI”” TORGLER is an HR manager with a green Eco minded new media firm, art curator and designer, permaculture novice, sustainable living space creator, burner geek, canning & preserving, local seasonal diet pro, aromatherapist and herbalist. She loves all things art and works in repurposing as much material as possible on each project. The Lexicon is a dream project come true!

KRISTINE BAILEY: In addition to serving as the Greenhouse garden leader, Krista is an accomplished community organizer. Founder of the Michiana Community Gardens, Krista harnessed community volunteerism to initiate the Greenhouse garden with land donated by the Parks Department. She initially was involved in a city wide initiative to create community gardens in Elkhart in the 1990s. More recently, Krista has organized volunteers and donors to make the Greenhouse garden prolific and beautiful. She has appeared in the media as an advocate for healthy, locally grown food. She has contributed to the Urban Garden Market, and is a founding member of The Purple Porch Coop. Krista is an established writer, having been published in multiple area news magazines.

Kurt Ravenwood – As a founding member of the Manchester Area Sustainability Cooperative (MASC), whose motto is “bringing practical skills to a modern world”, Kurt works with others on several initiatives which include: off grid solar power, water catchment and containment, school gardens, composting, and time banking (a form of the sharing economy).  He and his wife own Ravenwood Holistic Wellness Center, where they host member meetings of the Alliance for Holistic Living which they co-founded. As a member of its Wisdom Circle, his focus is on how the AFHL can best serve its mission of “building community through service and education”.  The Alliance sponsors free monthly seminars featuring various modalities of natural health and wellness.  Kurt also serves on the steering committees of the Manchester Community College Community Garden and the Spruce Street Resource Center community garden.  He is a strong believer in the importance of a “shared economy” and serves on the Kitchen Cabinet of the Windham Area Hour Exchange. Creating a better world takes effort; with that desire in our hearts, let’s make a difference together.

LARRY & ROSEMARY ABELL are just two crazy kids who decided to buy the Historic Pythian Castle in Baker City, Oregon in 2002. They currently reside and work in the building as they renovate it. An architect and an educator, who have both worked nationally, they have known each other for over 30 years. They married in 2001 and combined their passion and expertise to move toward a combined mission of sustainability and commitment to a small rural community, in respect of their rural midwestern roots. They have recently accepted the roles as president and secretary of Historic Baker City. In that capacity, they hope to honor the rich heritage of their Eastern Oregon home, not just its architectural history, but also its rich agricultural history.

LAURIE LEPAIN KOPACK was born and raised in Detroit. She received her B.A. in English in 2005 and her M.A. in English in 2010 from Marygrove College. She is currently the administrative assistant for the English and Modern Languages Department, as well as the dean of professional studies and the departments of business, computer information systems, and human resource management. She is also adjunct instructor of English, teaching composition courses. She serves on the Marygrove Alumni Board of Directors, and on the Staff Advisory Committee. Her research interests include Native American literature and Environmental literature.

LAURIE WAYNE is an organic farmer and educator in the high desert of northeastern California. She has started and managed community gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Portland, Oregon. In Portland, she worked with immigrant and refugee communities to combine gardening and English as a Second Language teaching, which turned into her Master’s project, “”You Can Teach ESL in the Garden!””. She believes that we learn everything better when we are in a natural environment and eat healthy food. She worked with Oregon State University Extension’s GROW Healthy Kids and Communities project before moving full-time to her farm in Surprise Valley, California, where she runs a U-pick veggie farm and co-manages the farmer’s market. Laurie got her Permaculture Design Certificate in 2004 from Earth Activist Training and since then has been working for social and environmental justice, education, and the development of secure, healthy regional food systems.

LESLEY WISE not only keeps her own garden growing, but she manages the HIllsboro TuesdayMarketplace. Its part Farmers Market part Street Party. They bring the community together for twelve Tuesdayevenings of fun, education, shopping and hanging out with friends and neighbors in Historic downtown Hillsboro, Oregon. Lesley also has a hand in many other downtown events throughout the season, including a wedding specialist. She consults, plans and officiates ceremonies, and has been managing weddings and all types of events for over 30 years. A long time proponent of healthy and sustainable living she has always believed in eating healthy, local and in season. She says, “”I try to share the importance of that but find it hard to go up against the ‘food corporations’ and their marketing strategies. The Lexicon is a great find. I am excited to share this project with my community and hope it spreads far and wide. Education is so important. We need to teach our young and impressionable early and these visual events are a wonderful way to start them thinking and talking!””

LISA FREY is the proud principal of Departure Bay Elementary Eco-School, located in Nanaimo, British Columbia. She says, “”I’m thrilled to be leading the school into its pilot year. My vision is a school that produces students who are environmentally literate by using a hands-on, interdisciplinary, place-based approach. I strive to provide students with meaningful and imaginative learning opportunities where they are constantly engaged in the natural world around our facility. My goal is to inspire local families (and the greater community) to develop an interest in science and sustainability. This year we’ve created an Eco-Club, school vegetable garden and a school sustainability plan. We participated in many community events including hosting a Science Saturday. I’ve been an educator for 21 years. I have a Masters in curriculum development and enjoy working and learning with parents and colleagues to find new ways to engage students and help them fulfill their passions. I live in a beautiful place which I utilize regularly with my family… gardening, photography, kayaking, biking, hiking, camping and trail running””.

Lisa Helm grew up gardening with her world renowned plant geneticist father in Alberta, Canada. Trained as a professional orchestral musician, she came to Ohio on full scholarship for her Masters’ degree at UC Conservatory of Music and taught at several universities and produced many students who went on to prestigious schools and music careers.
In 2004 her family was stationed at Sembach, Germany, a home base she used to travel extensively throughout Europe through hospitality and work exchange programs like wwoof.net, working on farms in Italy and Spain. This experience caused her to search for a more sustainably focused community upon her return to the US.

In 2008 she founded Garden Station art park and community garden, which reflects her interest in permaculture, green construction and outsider art. www.facebook.com/gardenstation. Since then Lisa has volunteered to form a Dayton Urban Farmer’s group, organize local Parking Day events, local mural projects, a Sustainable Living Workshop series, EarthFest, and has been a speaker for Gardening and Planning Conferences and sustainable living events. She is GAP certified, a Master Organic Gardener, recently completed her Permaculture Design Certification and has taken classes at Blue Rock Station in Natural Building and with Will Allen from Growing Power on hoophouse and aquaponic system construction and hopes to build one in Dayton soon! In 2013 Lisa and her partner, George, opened “Dayton Urban Green”, a sustainable living shop at the public market to provide supplies for the workshop series and eco-friendly options for everyday items. When she has extra time and money she likes to travel the world with www.couchsurfing.com and served as a USA Couchsurfing Ambassador.

Garden Station is a community garden and art park in downtown Dayton, Ohio, created since 2008 by over 2000 volunteers and donations from the community. Over 100 community businesses and organizations have donated materials and volunteers. Our focus is on sustainable living, local art and building community. We teach over 60 free classes each year on a variety of topics including organic gardening, permaculture, canning, fermentation, beekeeping, home brewing, backyard chickens, solar panels and more. Our urban farmer’s coop, Dayton Urban Grown, supports urban farmers through sharing of materials and equipment, interns and marketing. We sell sustainably produced local vegetables at the Sunday Market at Garden Station. EarthFest is our largest event; an Earth Day Festival featuring local music, local food and local beer with over 35 free classes, heirloom plant sale and 40+ eco-friendly organization booths. Over 500 people come to take guided tours of the garden, and many more for community events each year.

LISA MONROSE is the Program Manager and Producer of Lectures & Special Programs at the Museum of Science, Boston, where she develops and produces cutting edge programs and exhibits targeted to adult audiences. She created and launched the Museum of Science’s When Science Meets Art initiative to explore the intersection of science, art, and technology through multidimensional and interdisciplinary experiences. Highlights include Music & The Invasion of Technology (premiere of music composed for robot instruments, Balinese gamelan orchestra, and western instruments) and SEAMLESS: Computational Couture (wearable technology fashion shows featuring interactive designs from emerging international designers). Lisa co-directs the Museum’s Food for Thought initiative, exploring what we eat and why it matters—the science, nutrition, politics and art of food. Highlights include Citizen Chefs Meet Boston’s Best (local culinary stars taught regular folks how to prepare a healthy and planet-friendly meal that’s easy to make at home); What I Eat: Around the World in 25 Diets (an art/science exhibit based on Peter Menzel and Faith d’Aluisio’s book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets); the Let’s Talk About Food Festival (a free outdoor celebration of food and science); and The Honeybee: Revealed (an art/science exhibit based on photographer Rose-Lynn Fisher’s scanning electron microscope images of bees).