ECA has been founded by two individuals with deep commitments to the sustainability movement. With the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, Maurice Strong originally established the Earth Council to mobilize and support a network of citizen groups, NGOs and other organizations committed to achieving the goals of sustainability. Now the Earth Council Alliance carries that commitment forward. Mr. Strong, ECA’s co-founder, serves as Chairman Emeritus. In addition, Tommy E. Short has been named his successor as ECA Chairman, bringing new perspectives, resources, and creativity to the already-wide range of talented sustainability experts who have been assembled. Dr. Marcelo Carvalho de Andrade, a leader in sustainable community development globally, serves as ECA President.

 

Maurice Strong
Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus
Maurice Strong has been dedicated to environmental and humanitarian concerns for more than four decades. Mr. Strong founded the Earth Council with the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. He is now extending that effort with a new mandate to unite Earth Councils and like-minded organizations on a collaborative platform under the Earth Council Alliance. Mr. Strong was Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the Stockholm conference on sustainability in 1972; the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme; and Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development – the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

 

Tommy E. Short
Co-founder and Chairman
Tommy E. Short is an international business man and philanthropist who has long supported sustainability projects around the world. In the past two decades, he has traveled extensively in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, working with local communities and organizations to identify and fund projects that support the environment, youth, and the arts. As co-founder and chairman of ECA. Mr. Short has taken further strides in identifying opportunities and communicating sustainability to numerous organizations with co-founder, Maurice Strong.

 

Marcelo Carvalho de Andrade
President
Dr. Marcelo Carvalho de Andrade, a leader in sustainable community development, has dedicated his career to conserving biodiversity and improving the quality of life of local communities throughout the world. As founder and Chairman of Pro-Natura International (PNI), he created the first international, nongovernmental organization based in the Southern Hemisphere to specialize in sustainable development over 20 years ago. Active in 36 countries across all continents, PNI is instrumental in developing innovative solutions to local economic problems while preserving the environment. A testament to his dedication and vision, Dr. de Andrade was the 1997 recipient of the George and Cynthia Mitchell International Prize for Sustainable Development, often referred to as the Nobel Prize for sustainable development.