Ellen Moyer is a writer, speaker, engineer, and environmental advocate whose mission is to help restore the environment and promote a healthier way for us to inhabit the Earth. Even as an eight-year-old picking up litter by the side of her road for five cents a bagful, she was intensely aware of the beauty of the natural world and how our way of life threatens it. A generalist with a big-picture view, Moyer has studied people in other times and places who have lived sustainably (or not), researching their food production, ecology, and social and cultural practices.
As an environmental engineer with 30 years of experience, Moyer works on projects for federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies to clean up hazardous waste sites contaminated by a wide array of harmful chemicals. Her area of special expertise is the controversial gasoline additive and groundwater contaminant MTBE, which the United States banned from use a decade ago. Her clients have included the largest MTBE manufacturer, oil companies that added MTBE to their gasoline, state regulatory agencies grappling with MTBE–contaminated water supplies, owners of contaminated sites undertaking cleanups, and residents whose water supplies have become contaminated. Moyer’s ability to work for clients who have opposing objectives is predicated on her unwavering fidelity to science and her excellent writing and speaking skills.
Moyer also practices in other areas of environmental engineering, including engineering economics, pollution prevention, sustainability, and environmental impact analysis. With a B.A. in anthropology, an M.S. in environmental engineering, and a Ph.D. in civil engineering, she is a registered professional engineer and a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional. After working for several consulting firms, Moyer established her own practice, Greenvironment, LLC, in 2004.
Moyer has dozens of articles and three books to her credit. Her latest award-winning book, Our Earth, Our Species, Our Selves: How to Thrive While Creating a Sustainable World, shows how our current environmental, health, and economic crises provide a grand opportunity for humans to evolve to the next level. The author proposes that, if we seize this chance, humans, the environment, and the economy will all thrive, and we can even enjoy the process of creating a sustainable world.
Photo by Sandra Costello Photography