*We at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center WATER Institute have tremendous news! On May 13th, Governor Gavin Newsom announced… Read More >
OAEC supports diverse communities to design their own regenerative systems at the regional and local scale.
Our cookbook is a collection of inventive recipes inspired by seasonal eating from our biodiverse Mother Garden, orchards and Wildlands Preserve.
Experience the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center through beautiful slideshows of our Guest Houses, Meeting Hall, Kitchen, Garden, Wildlands and more.
OAEC serves as a retreat center for networks, public agencies, foundations and other groups working towards social and environmental change.
Our 100% Certified Organic plant nursery specializes in open-pollinated perennials including edible landscaping plants, rare and endangered food crops, drought tolerant ornamentals and habitat plants - all tested in our onsite gardens and appropriate for our bioregion.
OAEC offers the longest consistently running two-week Permaculture Design Certification course in the West. Immerse yourself in information, ideas and inspiration on how to design sustainable, regenerative systems in balance with your home ecosystem.
*We at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center WATER Institute have tremendous news! On May 13th, Governor Gavin Newsom announced… Read More >
We’ve heard about Defensible Space, the 100ft perimeter around buildings that should be free from burnable materials to prevent damage… Read More >
People Over Plastic, a fiscally sponsored project of OAEC, is a BIPOC storytelling collective working towards an anti-racist, plastic-free future.… Read More >
Español abajo. Navigating the threat of wildfire is an ongoing reality of life in Sonoma County. From 2017 to 2020,… Read More >
The Foundation for Intentional Communities has launched a new podcast called “Inside Community” and invited OAEC Executive Director and Sowing… Read More >
After a long Covid hiatus, on-site tours of the gardens led by real live humans will resume this April! Join us 1st and… Read More >
Wildfire preparedness at the county and state level often focus on defensible space and home hardening… and for good reason!… Read More >
OAEC’s fiscally sponsored project Peak Plastic creates integrated storytelling campaigns to fight plastic production and pollution and to empower global collaborative action. Last month, Peak Plastic… Read More >
In these times, OAEC continues to embody David Orr’s assertion that “hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up,”… Read More >
October 2021 Though the air has been clean at OAEC the past few weeks, we haven’t forgotten that California is… Read More >
The old saying “Don’t miss the water ‘till the well runs dry” couldn’t be more apt in this year’s unprecedented… Read More >
Come live, learn, work and play with us! Each year, OAEC hires 6 enthusiastic interns to live and learn at… Read More >
OAEC’s WATER Institute was featured this month in SF Estuary Magazine (including Brock Dolman’s cover shot!) for beaver restoration work… Read More >
Pictured above: Doug Gosling, Mother Garden Biodiversity Program Director, in the OAEC seed vault with the new Kent Whealy dedication… Read More >
In September, OAEC, along with the Center for Biological Diversity and The Rewilding Institute, convened a virtual Rewilding California meeting… Read More >
Fall Nursery Sale November 7-8 & 14-15 Everything 20% Off! Wow, what a season! From Covid to wildfires, the Mother… Read More >
OAEC has brought on the Peak Plastic Foundation (PPF) as a new fiscally-sponsored project, continuing OAEC’s involvement in the movement… Read More >
OAEC is excited to announce a new partnership with Celebrating Women’s Leadership in Food led by local farmer, author and activist… Read More >
We are thrilled to announce that OAEC partner Lottie Cunningham Wren, Miskito women and human rights lawyer for indigenous Nicaraguans,… Read More >
OAEC’s Response to Covid-19 updated August 2020 We at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center are working to make a… Read More >
Now that the Occidental Farmers Market is up and running for the season, we invite you to come check out… Read More >
OAEC aligns with the following demands and principles that come directly from the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) around the… Read More >
Pre-Covid-19, we had planned to hold a screening of this new film at OAEC, but we hope you’ll join us… Read More >
Dears, We are so sad to report that our beloved and historic barn at OAEC burned to the ground last… Read More >
YES, we are selling plants – take out style! The Mother Garden Nursery is open for pick up of… Read More >
OAEC’s Response to COVID-19 updated March 16, 2020 We at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center are working to make… Read More >
Did you know that OAEC hosts three of the biggest seed exchanges in California every year? Learn more about our… Read More >
January 14, 2020 This week we celebrated a huge milestone in the progression of OAEC’s Compost Toilet Research Project.… Read More >
Dear Friends and Supporters, We are proud of the work we have done this year, advancing bold and successful… Read More >
OAEC is proud to partner with the Women’s Earth Alliance US Grassroots Accelerator for Women Environmental Leaders in helping to develop the… Read More >