Get to Know Dana Richards, Associate Director
Most mornings, when the bright New Mexico sunshine pours through the south-facing windows at the EWI office, Dana Richards will be found at his computer with smile, a hug, and a temperament to match the sun’s warmth.
Dana helps a student install a bird box
Dana is full of humorous energy and has a talent for making everyone laugh. When asked to write a short autobiography, he composed this poetic snippet:
“Internationally unrecognized cowboy poet/haiku fusion artist, Dana brings to EWI a joie de vivre, a raison d’etre and a sine qua non. Dana’s desk is messy, his shirt is untucked and his truck is muddy (when it’s not in the shop for repairs).”
As Associate Director of Earth Works Institute, he developed 4C/Climate Change Conservations Corps, EWI’s green collar career training and youth environmental education program for the northern New Mexico community. With a background in education, Dana successfully founded two green schools, taught for 20 years at Berkeley High School and UC Santa Cruz (where, yes, the mascot is a banana slug), and remains dedicated to educating youth about the value of environmental conservation.
Some of the courses Dana taught were Ecoliteracy, Sustainable Economics, East Meets West, AP Environmental Science, AP Economics, Environmental Policy, Educational Philosophy, and the Berkeley-Yurok Educational and Cultural Exchange.
Dana is a dedicated father of two teenaged children, Sophie and Kodi. He is passionate about ecological education, green collar career development, teacher training, and community organizing toward building locally self-reliant, ecologically literate, economically vital sustainable societies.
Dana also coaches baseball and is building an off-grid cabin in the upper Pecos watershed.
Dana is full of humorous energy and has a talent for making everyone laugh. When asked to write a short autobiography, he composed this poetic snippet:
“Internationally unrecognized cowboy poet/haiku fusion artist, Dana brings to EWI a joie de vivre, a raison d’etre and a sine qua non. Dana’s desk is messy, his shirt is untucked and his truck is muddy (when it’s not in the shop for repairs).”
