Big Sur Environmental Institute

Contact Information

Website: http://www.bsei.org/

Phone: 831-625-3564
Email:

Overview

Big Sur Environmental Institute is a non-profit environmental education organization located at Brazil Ranch. Brazil Ranch is a historic 1,200 acre ranch located along spectacular coastal bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur, yet only 15 minutes from Carmel and Monterey. Threatened with development, Brazil Ranch was purchased by the conservation community and public funding in 2002, transferring management responsibility to Los Padres National Forest.

Mission

Brazil Ranch offers:

• A place to strengthen relationships between natural environments, human cultures and communities.
• A place to convene educational programming, seminars, and policy forums advocating conservation, stewardship, sustainability, and social responsibility.
• A place of artistic practice and reflection that invites painters, writers, musicians, photographers, philosophers, and others to collaborate and communicate the values of natural resources.

Audience/Clientele

The Big Sur Environmental Institute (BSEI) offers conservation forums on environmental conservation, stewardship and sustainability at the spectacular Brazil Ranch in Big Sur. Forums guide individuals, communities, business, and public agencies onto an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable path.

Product or Project Highlights

Bringing together like mindedness of various groups and programs to include:

• Convenes educational programming, seminars, and policy forums that advocate conservation, stewardship, sustainability and social responsibility.
• Encourages business, government, NGO’s and communities to work together to ensure the sustainability of the earth.
• Focuses on understanding unsustainable behavior to help restructure systems and shift mindsets that will help move human society toward sustainability.
• Invites artistic practice and reflection for painters, writers, musicians, photographers, philosophers and others to collaborate and communicate the values of natural resources.
• Brings together sustainability experts, scientists, universities, and businesses to create solutions, innovative models and tools that will lead the transition to a sustainable future.
• Provides a place for communities, business, organizations, and government to hold their own Conservation Forums within the internationally recognized Big Sur coast.

Collaborations

In partnership with Los Padres National Forest.

Events and Activities

Now open by appointment for schools and other conservation education programming. Guided hikes will be available beginning Spring 2006.

Public Involvement/Volunteer Opportunities

• Volunteer to lead a hike
• Help school children discover their “big backyard” and learn about the early days of ranching in Big Sur
• Assist presenters at conservation forums
• Paint a fence, repair a hiking trail or help remove noxious weeds.
• Maintain a garden of plants native to Big Sur
• Contribute to the important conservation work of the Institute through your generous tax-deductible donations. Our capital campaign to renovate the barn for school groups and conservation forums especially needs your help.

---