Earth Systems Science, Inc.

ESSI Co-Founder Moves On

Mar 20, 2006

The leadership of ESSI has changed hands. The next generation steps forward to lead the innovative community-based environmental education group. Greg Lee co-founded ESSI in Jan 2002 with Patrick McCullough. Erika Rodriguez and Alex Arboleda stepped forward to lead ESSI into the future.

Greg Lee served as CEO, and was later joined by Saifon Lee who served as Director of Programs---and later also assumed temporary duties of Treasurer. Together, they initiated the Rural Training Center-Thailand (RTC-TH) and the Rural Environmental Education Enhancement Pilot Program (REEEPP ?— the Thailand volunteer project). This innovative community-based education pilot was introduced as an experimental model to improve rural public schools in Thailand. The initial success of REEEPP bolstered the momentum of the RTC-TH effort, and the Lees decided to shift their focus to Thailand.

Erika and Alex have been long time ESSI volunteer team leaders. Erika took all of the Geography classes Greg taught at PCC (GEOG 1 ?– Physical Geography; GEOG 10 ?– Human Impact; GEOG 30 ?– Field Methods). Both Erika and Alex served on most of the local ESSI community service efforts, got certified as National Wildlife Federation Habitat Stewards, took the ESSI / NPS Trimble Certified GPS training workshop, as well as assist in ESSI volunteer projects at various US National Parks. Erika also volunteered for the Summer 2005 Thailand project.

A top priority for the new leaders will be to complete filing for the Federal IRS non-profit tax exempt status. This effort was delayed due to changes in volunteers during the ESSI start-up. However, Erika and Alex set this as their first administrative goal. Patrick McCullough, ESSI co-founder expressed a desire to remain on the Board, which will be reconstituted with the change over. Patrick?’s attentions were diverted away from ESSI for much of the last year or so due to his business responsibilities.

Initially, Greg and Saifon launched the initial RTC-TH efforts under ESSI. At that time the RTC-TH was envisioned to be an international ESSI program. However, recent developments point to the RTC-TH being spun off as a separate entity as it has grown exponentially since its beginnings a little more than a year ago. ?“Initially we began the RTC-TH as a means to support REEEPP at Ban Na Fa Elementary School. The long range plan was to establish an actual training facility,?” stated Greg. ?“But during this past summer, we began to process of actually setting plans for a demonstration farm in motion, and it has snow-balled ever since.?”

Greg developed and refined much of the core ESSI program (e.g. Community-based education combined with Teach Backs, the Geographic Systems Model, Y.E.S., P.A.L., environmental awareness, ?“Networking rather than Not Working?” and job skills training ?“Putting the earn into learn?”). He drew upon his personal educational experiences, 12-years work experience in consulting engineering, and more than 25 years teaching to create the innovative educational program implemented at ESSI. REEEPP was the culmination of all of that plus the ESSI experiences adapted to Thailand. The RTC-TH will continue the adaptation of these past experiences but now sharply focused on the vital issue of self-sufficiency and sustainability of small rural family farms.

Since the economic crisis of 1997 in Thailand, the plight of the small rural farms has been even more difficult. Many of these families have members living away from home trying to find work to support the family farm. In many cases, the family farm has become a bottomless pit into which they throw money. As in many parts of the world, rural farmers are living on an ever-narrowing edge. The Lees see environmental education combined with pragmatic self-sufficient food production can be a way to keep these families together.

?“Our efforts in training rural Thai farmers shows they become empowered by the practical training we provide. We are ?‘small potatoes?’ in terms of money, but we are very big on cost-effective training results. We find simple and practical ways to adapt proven, off-the-shelf technology and methods to meet local needs. Adaptation and improvisation are keys to our success. Of course, money helps, and you never seem to have enough of it. But, our thinking is that if people believe the money will solve the problem, then we are dealing with the wrong people. People solve problems by putting their minds and hearts to facing issues, working together, and finding ways to deal with issues with the resources at hand. The solutions may not be perfect, elegant, or ideal. But there is so much untapped synergistic power in people working together that there is a lot of potential for improvement before money rears its ugly head,?” maintain the Lees.

?“I don?’t think our effort will save the world, or that it might possibly make a dent in the sum total of all the world?’s environmental problems. I do know that our efforts make a difference in the lives of the folks in the program. We have our hands full dealing with a small village in northern Thailand. So we focus our hearts and minds there to make a difference where we can. This began largely as Saifon?’s commitment to pay back to her community, and I don?’t have a problem supporting her efforts. After all, she fully supported all of my ESSI endeavors here in southern California where she was a total stranger,?” says Greg.

Erika and Alex will carry on the ESSI efforts. They continue the National Park Service Public Land Corps grant with Manzanar National Historic Site by support the Los Angeles Conservation Corps EcoAcademy at Pico-Union. They remain committed to assisting TreePeople with the annual Free Fruit Tree Distribution as well as to the National Wildlife Federation Habitat Steward program.

Past ESSI volunteer team leaders Jaime and Katie Aguilera, and volunteers Tuyen La and Robert Rodriguez expressed interest in continuing with ESSI. Prof. Mark Hayden, former ESSI Board member, agreed to remain available as a technical consultant to ESSI. The Lees will maintain contact with ESSI and collaborate via the RTC-TH with ESSI on international projects in Thailand. Greg Lee may remain as a Board member, though that largely depends to a large extent on the demands of the RTC-TH effort.

?“Passing the ESSI baton on to Erika and Alex is wholly consistent with my personal belief that no one person should constitute an organization. It is gratifying to pass the baton to a former student who believes so much in ESSI and what it stands for, so Saifon and I move on comforted that ESSI and its spirit lives on,?” said Greg Lee.