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California Institute Rebuilds by Nature's Design By Keith Thompson BIG SUR, California, June 21, 2002 (ENS) - Esalen Institute, the California educational organization that gave birth to the human-potential movement, is taking steps toward becoming a worldwide model of ecological sustainability, in the wake of an environmental crisis that almost forced the organization to close its doors only a few years ago. Esalen was founded in 1962 as a nonprofit center dedicated to exploring what its articles of incorporation simply called "new developments in human nature."
Located on 27 acres of the magnificent Big Sur coast south of Monterey, Esalen became famous for attracting philosophers, scientists, psychologists, artists, and religious thinkers to lead experimental workshops emphasizing the education of the whole person. The institute's early workshops, recognizing the importance of emotional intelligence and mind-body learning, were grounded in an open ended vision of human possibilities, joining many practices, many intellectual disciplines, and many points of view. By the early 1980s, Esalen had expanded its curriculum to include innovative approaches to race relations, citizen diplomacy, and efforts to bring together conventional and alternative methods of healing. But Esalen's most formidable challenge came in 1998. When fierce El Nino storms severely damaged buildings, downed trees, totaled the site's legendary hot baths, and closed the only access road for three months, Esalen was forced to look within, as never before. "The scale of the devastation was sobering," recalls Esalen president George Leonard, author of several books and formerly west coast editor of "Look" magazine. "Some in the Esalen community felt the costs of renovation would be prohibitive, and perhaps the time had come to close down," says Leonard. "But a consensus emerged that the crisis was a trial worthy of the most creative response we could muster. To use a martial arts metaphor, a decision was made to take the hit as a gift."
Esalen's leaders committed the organization to a redevelopment program guided by sustainable principles - applying the tenets of harmony, community, and connection to nature not only to its infrastructure, buildings, grounds and maintenance, but to its programs and operations as well. After nearly four decades of cultivating individual human resources - mind, body, heart and soul - Esalen rededicated itself to creating a model of humans "resting lightly and lovingly on the sacred soil that has come under our guardianship," says Leonard. Esalen's redevelopment plan gives high priority to energy conservation and preservation of the land. Electric and power consumption will be drastically reduced by the use of solar panels, energy conserving materials, and placement of new buildings on slopes that best capture the heat of the sun. Surplus water from the hot springs will provide geothermal heat for key buildings. An above ground wastewater treatment system will use biological organisms rather than harsh chemicals to purify water that can then be used to irrigate lawns and gardens. A new parking system will isolate automobiles away from sleeping and meeting facilities. Presently paved areas will be converted to footpaths, gardens, and lawns. Contributors to the plan include some of the world's foremost sustainable design and energy conservation experts, including Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute and Don Aitken, cofounder of Friends of the Earth.
"Our goal is nothing less than the creation of a world class model of energy conservation and sustainability," says Andy Nusbaum, Esalen's executive director. "Utilization of nature's teachings to mimic life's underlying proportions will be crucial to shaping our environments," Nusbaum adds. He cites breakthroughs involving uncovering and copying nature's hidden marvels - fuel cells as efficient as plants, fibers as tough as abalone shell, and computers as sophisticated as the brain. Nusbaum hopes Esalen will eventually be able to use less electricity than it produces, returning its surplus electricity to the grid. The evolution of the physical Esalen will be accompanied by new programs and initiatives that will further the positive evolution of human nature, says Esalen cofounder Michael Murphy, author of "Golf in the Kingdom," a bestselling novel about the mystical side of golf. "We're committed to new research to explore extraordinary human capacities, expanded consciousness, and what Abraham Maslow called 'the further reaches of human nature,'" Murphy says. "At the same time, we mean to create a unique model of ecological sustainability, wildlife preservation, and esthetics that blend with the natural terrain at our Big Sur facilities," says Murphy. "A truly sustainable society will be one that fosters a wise ecology of inner and outer resources, based on the premise that personal and social development are inextricably wedded." Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2002. All rights reserved. |
Aerial view of Esalen Institute on the Big Sur coast (Photos courtesy 
A group on the lawn at Esalen
The inspirational Big Sur coast