Stephanie Mills

Stephanie Mills gave a galvanic valedictorian commencement address at Mills College in 1969, announcing that in response to the population explosion her contribution to society would be to abstain from bringing children into the world, a promise she adhered to. Ever since, she has been speaking, editing, writing, and organizing for ecology and social change. She has produced seven books, including Epicurean Simplicity, Tough Little Beauties, and On Gandhi’s Path: Bob Swann’s Work for Peace and Community Economics. A longtime bioregionalist and veteran of the Whole Earth publications, her scores of essays and articles have appeared in publications from Glamour to The Britannica Book of the Year as well as in numerous anthologies. She was featured prominently in the PBS documentary Earth Days. Stephanie has been living in northwest Lower Michigan since 1984 and is active in her community, where she helped launch Bay Bucks, a local currency. Stephanie is an adjunct professor at Grand Valley State University and at Northwestern Michigan College.  She holds an honorary doctorate from Mills College and is a Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute.