Environmental Conservation, Environmental Ethics, and Ecopsychology

President of Viridis Graduate Institute: International School of Ecopsychology

• Ph.D., Pacifica Graduate Institute

Dr. Pye is a Founder and President of Viridis Graduate Institute:International School of Ecopsychology. Dr. Pye’s background consists of environmental & marine conservation, undergraduate and graduate academic instruction. As an environmentalist, Dr. Pye worked with international NGOs to co-develop the Eastern Tropical Pacific Biological Seascape Corridor with the Ministers of the Environment from Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador.  She has led international conferences on diverse issues: Nature and Human Nature, The Mythology of Violence, The Aesthetic Nature of Change, and These Women: Honoring Women in Archetypal and Depth Psychology. She has directed international NGO’s (Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Ocean Futures educational program) and founded several of her own organizations. One of the main goals she had in founding Terra Azul in Costa Rica was to collaborate in the effort to stop shark finning. Working with hundreds of NGO’s, they co-develop the Eastern Tropical Pacific Biological Seascape Corridor with the Ministers of the Environment from Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador. It took several years, but shark fining was eventually banned.

This is what Dr. Pye had to say about teaching Environmental Studies at UCSB:

"[It] is like being at home. It allows me to not only share with like-minded individuals, but utilize experiences from my background in the sciences, mythology, and environmental conservation. I received my B.S. at Texas A&M and my M.S. and Ph.D. in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. It was a natural mix of passions and academics for me to bridge the sciences and humanities with my vocation in marine conservation."

Professional Associations:
Editorial Board: Ecopsychology (peer-reviewed online journal, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)
European Ecopsychology Society (EES)
International Association for Jungian Studies (IAJS)

Her research interests really revolve around how humans can become more conscious.

Review: Anthill by E.O. Wilson. Reviewed in Ecopsychology, Spring 2010

Review: Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented

World by Bill Plotkin. Reviewed in Ecopsychology, Spring 2010

Article: Winter 2008, “Bridging Ecology and Psychology.” Amaranda, The Journal of The European Ecopsychology Society.

ES 129: Ecopsychology
ES 188: Environmental Ethics