Jean Gardner, MA, has led an accomplished and multifaceted career spanning more than 45 years. Beginning her higher education in 1962, she graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature, after which she matriculated at Columbia University and earned a Master of Arts in architectural history. In the 1970s, Ms. Gardner launched the Earth Group Global, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to promoting human health and well-being by directing the development of societal structures and systems in a productive way compatible with the planet’s natural functioning.
Early in Earth Group Global’s lifespan, Ms. Gardener focused on spreading knowledge about the natural environment in New York City and the Hudson River Valley, producing and distributing pamphlets, posters, and other publications containing important information. Funded by grants, Earth Group Global spread its materials to community organizations, schools, and youth groups. At the time, Ms. Gardner notes that many inhabitants of New York City believed they needed to leave the city to experience nature, and she worked with her team to change this narrative. Alongside their work on the East Coast, Earth Group Global also conducted lectures and collaborated with similar organizations on the West Coast, including in San Francisco, California. Overall, Ms. Gardner’s work has been centered on helping the public understand that they inhabit a living planet. In a career full of numerous professional highlights, she considers growing the organization to be her most notable achievement.
Alongside her work as the founder of Earth Group Global, Ms. Gardner has led an esteemed career as an educator. She started working as an associate professor at the Graduate Pratt Institute School of Architecture in 1976 and later became an associate professor in Columbia University’s Department of Art History in 1983. From 1985 to 2012, Ms. Gardner was a senior faculty member at the Parsons School of Design at The New School, serving in the university’s School of Constructed Environments for over 25 years. From 2009 to 2022, she was an associate professor of social-ecological history and design at The New School, and from 2011 to 2022, she additionally contributed to the institution as a workshop leader. After decades with The New School and The Parsons School of Design, Ms. Gardner accepted the title of professor emerita in 2022.
In addition to her tenure as an educator, Ms. Gardner has been a speaker in her field throughout her career. She spoke as part of the UNESCO Artists for Peace Program in Prague on ecological approaches to lighting and has contributed to programs and seminars across the globe. She has participated in multiple professional programs, including with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Athens Symposium, and the Cranbrook Seminar for Teachers. For her professional achievements, Ms. Gardner was honored with a special recognition from the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment.
Now enjoying her well-deserved retirement from academia, Ms. Gardner maintains a deep involvement with Earth Group Global, through which she is connected with individuals across the globe. She is particularly passionate about the repatriation of indigenous peoples to their ancestral lands and is heartened to see this movement taking root in the Delaware Valley. Ms. Gardner believes strongly that her insights are valuable in helping people understand the true meaning of connecting with the Earth, something she believes is sorely lacking in the modern world. As the head of an international nongovernmental organization, she has been proud to see her vision and reach grow over the decades. Ms. Gardner is dedicated to spreading the unavoidable truth that we, as humans, are sustained by our relationship with the natural world.
