John Todd
John Todd, Ph.D., is the Founder and
Senior Partner of John Todd Ecological Design. He is the president of Ocean Arks International, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. He founded New Alchemy Institute. Currently he is a Research Professor & Distinguished Lecturer at The Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources at The University of Vermont, Burlington. He holds degrees in agriculture, parasitology, and tropical medicine, and a doctorate in fisheries. He is the inventor of The Eco Machine - an ecological engine for the treatment of wastes, production of foods, generation of fuels, and the restoration of damaged aquatic environments. He is the holder of four U.S. patents for his designs including Solar Aquatic Waste Apparatus, A Method for Treating Waste, Ecological Fluidized Bed (EFB), and The EFB System. He has been awarded two honorary doctorates. Dr. Todd has published over two hundred articles in scientific, technical and lay publications and is the co-author of several books. His interests and passions include his family, natural history, writing, gardening, good wines, and messing around in boats.
Magazine Articles highlighting his accomplishments include:
In 2000, Dr. Todd was named a "Heroes for the Planet" by
Time Magazine.
Dr. Todd was profiled in the "Genius" issue of Esquire Magazine (December 2004)
Dr. Todd's Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Todd's Awards
Dr. Todd's Projects
 Jonathan Todd
Jonathan Todd is the
President of John Todd Research and Design, Inc. a leading firm in the development of ecological technologies for food production, waste purification and conversion, environmental restoration and systems integration for architecture and eco-industrial parks.
Jonathan as a child and teenager was educated at the applied ecology think-do tank, the New Alchemy Institute. His mentors included Dr. McLarney (aquaculture), Dr. Todd, his father,(ecosystem design and integration), Jay Baldwin (architecture and tool use), and Dr. Cashman and Messrs. Sherman and Barnhart in renewable energy technologies.
Jonathan developed an early love of the sea. In 1981 he assisted in the development of a prototype Ocean Ark, an advanced design sailing vessel tested in Southern New England. In 1982 he joined Ocean Arks Internationalxs Ocean Pickup project in Guyana, South America, where he worked in coastal fishery development. The project included the development of a new class of sail-assisted working craft and was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. 1n 1984, at age eighteen, he was appointed captain of OAIxs Ocean Pickup which was engaged in fishery development work on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. In 1985 he began working on tugboats in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. In 1989 he attended the College of the Atlantic in Maine and received his
captains papers from the US Coast Guard. He rejoined Ocean Arks International as captain of Aquaria One a hybrid wind/diesel fishing vessel that operated in both New England and Caribbean waters. Jonathan continued to work on tugboats until 1995.
In 1995 he joined John Todd Research and Design, Inc., first in pond management and then into the design, fabrication and operation of a wide variety of living machines and floating water restorer technologies for clients in Canada, Hawaii, Georgia, New Mexico, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Vermont. He continues to assist the design team at Ocean Arks International in the development of new water purification technologies for Asia and the South Pacific. He has also worked for architectural and engineering firms in the design of ecological exhibits, eco-industrial parks, and ecologically based theme parks. He has a keen interest in developing sustainable solutions for refugee populations throughout the world. Jonathan, with his wife Meg, cultivate a six acre urban market farm in Falmouth on Cape Cod Massachusetts USA.
David Benjamin
David Benjamin, Ph.D., is a senior advisor at JTED. Dr. Benjamin is the owner and principal of the building, urban design, and heritage management firm of Environmental Design Partners, Inc., based in Ohio, and has experience with the design and construction of various building types, as well as designing and running community design participation workshops and charrettes. He is certified by the National Charrette Institute as a Public Meeting Facilitator, the United States Green Building Council as a LEED Accredited Professional, and has published in scholarly journals, encyclopedias, and conference proceedings on the subject of the home, both as a concept and an element of the built environment, and was a judge on the jury of the first Bahamian government Eco-Lodge Design Competition in 2001, sanctioned by the UN and the Inter-American Development Bank. He received his Master of Architecture degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1982, and went on for his apprenticeship to work with architects in New York, Ohio, and Norway, up to 1988. That year he began the PhD (Doktor Ingenieur degree in Norway) program at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, where he received the degree in late 1993 for his work on how domestic architecture relates the meaning of home to local ecologies in pre-historic Scandinavia.
Michael Carr
Michael comes to JTED with extensive
knowl edge of natural treatment systems
having
been involved in virtually every one of John
Todd’s ecological systems. Michael began
working with Dr. Todd on his first system
installed at Sugarbush Ski Resort in VT
almost twenty years ago. Since then Michael
has traveled throughout the US and abroad
with Living Technologies, Ocean Arks
International and now John Todd Ecological
Design.
As the Operations Manager for JTED, Michael
knows how to keep the staffs energies
focused on the benefits of their creative
work while also insuring that the business
operates in a smooth and professional
manner.
Kim Sousa
**Profile and picture
coming soon**
Olin Christy
Olin Christy is Projects
Director for John Todd Ecological Design. He
is from the San Juan Mountains of Southern
Colorado. Growing up on a rural mountain
homestead instilled the importance of
self-sufficiency and creativity when
resources are limited. This background
provided a foundation for his strong
commitment to conservation and leading a
sustainable lifestyle.
Olin has 10+ years
experience with off the grid PV solar system
installation and general construction:
including projects as varied as building log
and frame homes, stone masonry and custom
furniture. He received his B.A. in
Philosophy from Berea College, and as a part
of their work-study program was responsible
for operation and maintenance of Berea’s Eco
Machine. In his spare time, Olin enjoys
dancing, mountain biking and other outdoor
activities.
Andrew
 Posner
Andrew Posner grew up in the East Bay of
California and attended college at Humboldt
State University. There he earned a B.S. in
Environmental Science with a minor in
Appropriate Technology. As a student, Andrew
had the opportunity to be a co-director of
the Campus Center for Appropriate
Technology; a live-in demonstration house
and educational center on the HSU campus
dedicated to sustainability. During his
co-directorship at CCAT, he maintained the
home’s grey water treatment system and became
fascinated with the use of natural systems
for water purification. The Arcata Marsh and
Wildlife Sanctuary, located only a few miles
away, furthered Andrew’s interests in the
field due to its role in wastewater
treatment for the City of Arcata.
Andrew was also the Summer Intern
Coordinator and Assistant of Site Operations
for the Solar Living Center in Hopland, CA.
He co-authored an article for Home-Power
magazine and has worked installing Solar
Electric and Solar Hot Water systems.
In 2003 Andrew went to work in the natural
wastewater treatment field, where he
completed the design-build for a 27,500
gallon per day natural aquatic treatment
facility in Ipswich, MA. He went on to
receive his license as a Grade 4-Municipal
Operator in 2004 and has been the Chief
Operator of the facility since its
completion. Andrew has also been
instrumental in the design, construction,
operation and maintenance of several other
natural treatment facilities, as well as
developing OSHA compliance procedures and
manuals for worker safety.
Although he loves his job, he does enjoy
getting out of the office to go Salsa
dancing, ice climbing, mountain biking,
telemark skiing and just about anything else
that keeps him active.
Principal Associates
Ian Ambler of Ambler Designs is a landscape architect
in Moretown, Vermont.
Michael Ogden, P.E. is an engineer with Natural Systems International in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Paul Stametsof
Fungi Perfecti is an expert mycologist and author in Olympia, Washington. |
