Advisory Board
Common Grove’s advisory board is comprised of seasoned professionals from the fields of law, government, manufacturing, technology, and public affairs. Board members are:
Dr. Stephen Simms, EWI President/CEO, Board Chair for Clean Climate Research Group
Dr. Sims was recently made Chairman of the Board of CleanClimate Research Group, a Canadian company whose core technologies include:
• Collaboration and development of new solar and wind energy and power technologies
• Advanced materials used for high energy transmission and plasma usage
• Battery process technology and energy transfer
• Education, marketing and sales of CleanClimate solar, battery and wind technologies
• Assembly of solar and wind systems
Dr. Simms has spent much of his career in environmental waste management. Currently, he is the President and CEO of Environmental Waste International Inc. (EWI), a technology company that designs solutions for dealing with various organic waste streams. Dr. Simms has been a member of the Board of Directors of EWI since 1993. In late 1999, he took on the role of Executive Vice President of Finance, and in April of 2002 the Board appointed him to the role of President and CEO with a mandate to commercialize EWI’s products. He has spearheaded the development and industrialization of EWI’s patented Reverse Polymerization (RP) Process that uses microwaves to break down long chain hydrocarbons (polymers) into shorter chain molecules. The RP Process works equally well breaking down medical, food and human wastes, diseased livestock (such as BSE infected cattle), hydro carbon based waste water pollutants and any rubber products such as scrap tires, and even plastics. Since assuming the role of CEO, the company has received orders and delivered RP Process products to the US Department of Agriculture, the UK Royal Navy and Abbott Laboratories.
Dr. Simms has served on the Board of Directors, as well as held various executive positions, for several public companies over the past 17 years, including: Park Meditech, Pinetree Capital, Envirotreat Systems, Consolidated Care Point Medical Centers, and Enpar Technologies. He also sits on the Board of Canadian Golden Dragon Resources and has worked as a consultant for World Wise Technologies, Rampart Mercantile, Millennium Communications, and Williams Multi-Tech. Dr. Simms holds a BSc in Physiology and a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) degree from University of Toronto. He has also worked on several design projects for new products and has amassed an extensive background in electronics and computer science.
Mark Joyous, Director, Earthseeds
Mark is a true “Crewmember of Spaceship Earth”, having spent much of his early life living in dozens of locations outside the United States in areas of Europe and the Pacific Rim. He owns Joyous Real Estate and founded http://www.team-dreams.com and http://www.teamfunz.net – which specialize in assisting people in fulfilling their dreams. Primarily focused on shared ownership of a global network of vacation homes, these companies have also helped support Earthseeds’ educational projects in the US.
Mark attended 14 schools, graduated as Class President in a Hawaiian High School, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated with honors from the University of California. His early environmental work included working in Washington D.C. on Potomac River clean up teams in 1970 at the first Earth Day. As a writer/photographer, he helped raise funds for environmental organizations with multi-media presentations on Nature. His was instrumental in helping the Nature Conservancy obtain Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Santa Barbara, California in the 1970s, which later became the foundation for Channel Islands National Park. Mark has also served as a U.S. National Park Ranger.
Moving to Colorado in the 1980s, Mark’s real estate career also allowed him to travel, explore and create global networks with Earthseeds. His real estate work focused on helping people find and steward raw land in the mountains; and on using solar technology and green building options. He developed NatureNest – a rental network of Cabins and Vacation Homes, where people enjoy the peace and tranquility of nature and learn more about solar technology, recycling and sustainability.
Mark wrote “A Crewmember’s Guide to Spaceship Earth” which also includes curriculum activities and projects for Earthseeds teams to use in schools. He helped create the Award Winning “Astronaut’s Globe” whose 2000+ NASA photos make it more than a teaching tool or inflatable beach ball – but the most authentic replica of our Earth available to the crew of this marvelous living spaceship.
His recent focus has been upon the creation of a SUS-BUS NETWORK which aims to have Community Sustainability Buses in each city to inform, inspire, integrate & involve the public towards living the New Dream of a Greener Healthier Life for our Spaceship and its crew.
Ina G. Zeemering, Founder, The Zeemering Foundation
Ina is an attorney of 34 years, a certified financial planner, and former judge in Detroit and Wayne County, MI. The first half of her career was devoted to the law, the second half to the earth, animals and founding the Zeemering Foundation. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Wayne State University (Detroit) and the Michigan State University College of Law.
Ina also owns the 110-acre Happy Hollows Farm – north of Howell MI – where she breeds, raises and trains Arabian horses. Happy Hollow is part of a network of small farms that allow for dozens of miles of riding paths. Ina works with lawyer groups that sponsor urban youth to come out for a day on the farm, where they can learn to ride, fish and learn about rural life. The Farm also has a 5-acre training centre, including a modern 40,000 SF building with facilities for storing and training horses on Floor 1 and a conference center on Floor 2 that can also accommodate a dozen overnight guests. The facility also houses an Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) program, a new field that partners horses with autistic children. The children and horses have a proven ability to “communicate” and the program has a proven ability to build “learning networks” and give positive experiences to autistic children. An additional EAP program has also been developed for abused women.
The Zeemering Family Pet and Human Therapy Foundation also specializes in Land Conservation, educating Farmers about Conservation Easements, Carbon Credits and other land preservation tools, as well as assisting in a new endeavor to educate farmers about the benefits and opportunities – as well as the drawbacks – in Energy Agriculture.