Sister Kerry, a Sister of St. Joseph for nearly four decades, was instrumental in creating the opportunity to establish the Good Ground Heritage Garden & beehives at the St. Joseph Villa campus in Hampton Bays. She has long held ecology at the heart of her ministries, in the spirit of the CSJ Land Ethic: “To preserve, protect, restore, & cherish the integrity, biodiversity, balance, & beauty of the land & all the species with whom we share it.” Whether as a teacher, principal, development director, or administrator of St. Joseph Villa, Sister Kerry has worked diligently to focus attention on issues of concern for Earth, seeking solutions to Long Island’s sustainability issues.  She obtained her master's degree in curriculum studies & certification in administration & supervision from Fordham University.

Tony is a native Long Islander & a resident of East Quogue, where he has lived with his wife and two children since 1998. His inspiration to work with ECI stems from several from several childhood health conditions and his recovery through holistic, naturopathic changes and the benefits of an organic garden.  He became engaged with ECI's mission after taking its first organic gardening course and jumped at the opportunity to bring similar benefits to others. Serving as resource director and treasurer, Tony enjoys building on each of ECI's different initiatives and expanding his community involvement in countless ways.

A longtime Heritage Garden volunteer, works to help ECI live up to its mission through outreach, supporting and partnering with like-minded organizations and growing ECI's volunteer ranks. "There are many worthwhile ways to improve what we're capable of and ECI is a great conduit for those who want to build on the positive aspects of the Hampton Bays community."

Maribeth has a deep attachment to the natural wonders of the East End, where she has lived most of her life.  She spent her summers surfing along the South Shore and working at the Good Ground Poultry Farm in Hampton Bays and began her life-long love affair with gardening.  

Maribeth joined ECI as a garden volunteer in 2020.  Before long, the garden was producing more bountifully.  Maribeth became the manager of Heritage Garden in 2021.  Since then, plants and volunteers have equally flourished under her guidance, and she has led us to a series of record-breaking harvests.  

Born & raised on the East End of Long Island, with family roots in potato farming, Devan grew up strongly connected to our local environment.  She witnessed firsthand how development was reshaping our community and joined ECI as a volunteer in 2017 hoping to help preserve the environmental and agricultural heritage that makes the East End uniquely special.  Devan has played several pivotal roles within ECI's initiatives, helping to create our seed sorting program and seed library, becoming a beekeeper, and launching our Kinder Garden program in partnership with the Hampton Bays Public Library.  Now Devan is ECI's Beehive Co-Manager and Social Media Manager. 

I believe it’s important to show my children how to care for others, grow their own food, support nature, & live sustainably. Volunteering with ECI became more than community service — it became a way to model these values in our daily lives.  This experience has made me more aware, more intentional, & deeply committed to ensuring that future generations understand both the responsibility & the beauty of caring for our environment.

A former lawyer and entrepreneur, Joe found his true calling in 2021 when he began volunteering with ECI’s composting program. He proved adept with a shovel and soon found himself tending to the pile, knee deep in food scraps and sawdust.    Under Joe’s leadership, ECI’s composting program has grown substantially as we began collecting scraps from local restaurants and he has also spearheaded efforts to promote community composting more broadly in the Town of Southampton.

Tricia has had farming in her blood since she was a little girl. Her family has a long history of farming in Canarsie Brooklyn, and she was raised on the last remaining piece of it. Her family grew produce and flowers and sold at the Brooklyn Market. She has always gardened and has a passion for no pesticides and caring for nature.

Tricia’s family fed many neighborhood families during the Depression. The mission of growing organic produce for the food insecure at ECI was a progression of her early family.

Tricia also became very interested in the apiary. She was first a beehive sponsor — then began taking beekeeping classes and now has her own hives.

ECI is a perfect fit. Growing organic food to donate, caring about the earth & pollinators, & meeting new people!

“The natural world is simply miraculous. You just need to slow down & take it all in.”