A Creative Approach to Ecological Education
EcoArts Foundation is committed to its mission: to creatively inspire regeneration
About Us
Our history
EcoArts was born to creatively address environmental topics. This concept is the inspiration for events, collaborations, music, and educational content for students of all ages.
EcoArts intially operated under fiscal sponsor Encinitas Arts, Culture, and Ecology Alliance before becoming a sole proprietorship. John Biethan, RIP, trailblazed the way in creating the Let's Talk About the Weather podcast, which instigated conversations the world over with artists addressing environmental concerns.
A special thanks to Laurel Mehl who supported EcoArts until her last days.
About Ashley
Founder Ashley Mazanec's leadership in education began with an undergraduate capstone teaching ethnomusicology, which led to managing Portland Parks and Recreation’s tutoring program and Encinitas Union School District’s after-school ASPIRE program – which she did part-time between touring as a professional singer. She accepted a UCSD Fellowship in 2016 for the US-Israel Center’s garden Rain Barrel program in Pacific Beach, City Heights, and Encinitas and authored a STEAM-integrated curriculum to accompany rooftop rain collection. Formerly a sculptor under internationally-acclaimed ocean artist Mark MacKay, she took this STEAM approach further into the visual arts by co-authoring the EcoArts programs in Poway Unified School District with Parachute Arts (now EcoArts Kids). She taught environmental art to 1200 students at Del Sur Elementary 2019-2020, and further developed EcoArts STEAM curricula for Carlsbad Education Foundation and Solidarity Farm. Since 2021 she has directed PK-8th grade music and performing arts education at the Green Ribbon School Saint James Academy in Solana Beach.
Ashley has been endowed with various awards, including UCSD Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) Fellowship, US-Israel Center for Innovation and Economic Sustainability Lead Fellowship, and Surfing Madonna Oceans Project Scholarship to the Artists and Climate Change Inaugural Incubator in NYC. She holds her Masters in International Environmental Policy from GPS, where she served as Net Impact UCSD Graduate Chapter President.
A Climate Science Alliance (SIO) affiliated artist, Ashley's voice can be heard on Netflix, public radio, in corporate stores across the country, and on recorded works by international talents such as Bassnectar and Champagne Drip – mostly in the electronic music genre. She is Permaculture Design Certified (PDC) and bilingual in Spanish/English.
Our mission
EcoArts Foundation is committed to its mission: to creatively inspire ecological regeneration.
By celebrating imaginative eco-themed content, we engage a diverse community from elementary school students to international eco artists via events, programs and educational media. We envision a world where regenerative practices are the norm worldwide. May arts lead the way!