Meg Hiesinger Handler, Ph.D. is an ecological designer, educator, and artist. She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from U.C. Berkeley, and a doctorate from the program in the History and Anthropology of Science and Technology (HASTS) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With over 20 years creating unique hands-on ecological experiences for all ages, her work and interests center on the healing power of handicraft and regenerative design for landscapes and communities.
Meg worked as Director of Education at The Ecology Center in Orange County, where she co-created the Grow Your Own! program and led a network of over 100 school and community gardens. Handler has served as a faculty member at Cal State Fullerton and Saddleback Community College. She has also created holistic hands-on ecology and garden experiences for schools and organizations.
Inspirations include: The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, CA, proving good design is a great vehicle for ecology; Martín Prechtel, who helped her articulate the power of gardening and making to regenerate the human soul; Corita Kent, artist and visionary educator; Architect Mark Lakeman of Cityscape, whose pioneering work shows we can bring back the human element to public spaces and transform them into community centers; Jodi Levine of Earthroots Field School, Jon Young and Joseph Cornell who have all unlocked key patterns in helping people of all ages re-connect to nature.
