Faculty
Alex Hinds, M.A.
Alex Hinds, Director, has directed California planning, building and environmental health departments for over 24 years in Marin, San Luis Obispo, and Lake Counties. Alex was the driving force in the completion of Marin County's highly regarded general plan and sustainability programs, which have received numerous professional awards, including the highest American Planning Association awards for comprehensive planning in California. These programs also received the coveted APA national award for plan implementation. He is one of the founding members of Green Cities of California and past president of the California Planning Foundation. He is also a former Fulbright scholar in Ecuador.
John Shurtz
John Shurtz, President of Green Builders of Marin, has been a building professional for over 30 years, and serves as a green building consultant to developers, architects, businesses, and homeowners. He helped develop Build It Green's "Home Remodeling Green Building Guidelines" and the "Certified Green Building Professional" class. He is a founding Board Member of the USGBC-Redwood Empire Chapter, and of the Environmental Education Council of Marin. John taught for the Solar Living Institute, is multilingual, and has spoken and taught at Build It Green trainings, BIONEERS, and at many other organizations. He is on the Board of Directors for Next Generation and on the Advisory Boards of the Dominican University Sustainability Program and the North Bay Green Builders' Guild. John has received awards for sustainable business practices and community involvement from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Carole Migden, Assemblyman Jared Huffman, and Congressman Mike Thompson.