Evan Marks

The Zest from Orange Coast magazine · Sep 10, 2026 · 31m

This week, we’re joined by someone who has helped redefine what sustainability looks like. After studying agroecology at UC Santa Cruz, he spent years working across California, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, Ghana, and Nigeria designing regenerative farms and learning from Indigenous and traditional agricultural systems. In 2008, he returned to Orange County and founded The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, transforming an old farmhouse and dirt lot into one of the region’s most impactful nonprofit hubs for regenerative agriculture, education, and community connection. Under his…