Introducing the Eco Gerontology Initiative

Eco Gerontology Course Reviews

Beverly Flanagan

5 star rating

“For those who are or are becoming Elders, with an interest in the Science and Spirit of Ecology and Gerontology, who may be seeking greater understanding of both fields, and how they interact, and who may be searching for a means of informed activ...”

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“For those who are or are becoming Elders, with an interest in the Science and Spirit of Ecology and Gerontology, who may be seeking greater understanding of both fields, and how they interact, and who may be searching for a means of informed activism, this course is a wonderful springboard. ”

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Connie Fluegel

5 star rating

“Thank you for developing this course Monica. You gave us so much to learn and to think about. The zoom meetings were also valuable because they gave us the opportunity to share ideas and thoughts about the material we were learning.”

“Thank you for developing this course Monica. You gave us so much to learn and to think about. The zoom meetings were also valuable because they gave us the opportunity to share ideas and thoughts about the material we were learning.”

→Read Less

Is This Certificate for You?

This certificate is designed for people who believe our relationship with Nature belongs at the heart of how we understand, support, and design for aging.

Whether you are a professional, educator, researcher, student, policymaker, community leader, caregiver, or lifelong learner, you'll join a small, interactive cohort exploring the emerging interdisciplinary field of Eco Gerontology through dialogue, research, reflection, and experiential learning.

Program Experience

Winter Cohort November 6th – February 6th

Learning Experience

Eco Gerontology is intentionally designed as a slow-learning, seminar-style certificate that combines live dialogue, independent study, reflective practice, and place-based learning.

Rather than rushing through content, this learning experience unfolds over the seasons, allowing time to deepen your understanding through reflection, dialogue, and direct experience with Nature.

Live Seminar Sessions

Small-group seminars provide opportunities for dialogue, critical reflection, and collaborative learning as we explore the emerging interdisciplinary field of Eco Gerontology together.

Saturdays • 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern

  • November 7
  • November 21
  • December 12
  • January 9
  • January 23
  • February 6

Additional seminar sessions may be offered to support the needs of the cohort.

Place-Based Independent Learning

Between live seminars, participants engage in a thoughtfully paced learning experience that includes:

  • Required readings, including Ecocivilization
  • Curated films and multimedia resources
  • Self-paced learning modules
  • Guided place-based practices
  • Reflective journaling and dialogue


Certificate Completion

Participants who successfully complete all required learning components will receive an Eco Gerontology Certificate.

What You'll Explore

Eco Gerontology invites us to explore aging through an ecological lens, recognizing that our lives are shaped by the relationships between people, place, community, economy, and Nature.

Together, we'll examine what becomes possible when we place our relationship with Nature at the heart of how we understand aging, care, and healthy longevity in an era of climate change, biodiversity loss, population aging, and rapid social transformation.

Through interdisciplinary scholarship, seminar dialogue, experiential learning, and reflective practice, participants cultivate an Eco Gerontology perspective that can be applied within their professions, communities, research, and everyday lives, helping co-create regenerative futures where both people and Nature can flourish.


Eco Gerontology Learning Modules

Exploring the Intersections of Aging, Care, Ecology, Community, and Economy

  • FOUNDATIONS OF ECO GERONTOLOGY: Introduces the emerging field of Eco Gerontology and explores the relationships between aging, ecology, health, care, community, and place.

  • NATURE CONNECTEDNESS, PLACE, AND HUMAN FLOURISHING: Examines biophilia, nature connectedness, placemaking, and the role of the living world in wellbeing across the lifespan.

  • AGING in an ERA of CLIMATE CHANGE and ECOLOGICAL DISRUPTION: Explores climate resilience, environmental change, ecological grief, adaptation, and intergenerational perspectives on the future.

  • REGENERATIVE LIVABILITY, FOOD SYSTEMS, and the CARE ECONOMY: Examines age-friendly communities, local food systems, regenerative economies, caregiving, and the conditions that support thriving people, communities, and ecosystems.

  • INTERDEPENDENCE, ECOLOGICAL WISDOM, and THRIVING COMMUNITIES: Explores systems thinking, reciprocity, community resilience, and humanity's relationship within the broader web of life.

  • CLOSING CIRCLE: Articulating Your Ecosophy: Aging in Relationship with the Living World. Participants synthesize their learning and develop a personal framework for aging, care, community, and ecological stewardship.

Eco Gerontology Certificate Outcomes

Upon completing the Eco Gerontology Certificate, you'll gain:

  • A deeper understanding of aging as an ecological, relational, and place-based experience.

  • An Eco Gerontology perspective for understanding the interconnected relationships between aging, Nature, health, community, economy, and the living world.

  • Greater confidence contributing to conversations, research, education, policy, and initiatives that support healthy aging in a rapidly changing world.

  • Practical frameworks for advancing more livable, regenerative, and age-inclusive communities.

  • A lifelong foundation for integrating Eco Gerontology into your professional work, community leadership, research, and everyday life.

  • Founding Membership in The Eco Gerontology Initiative, including ongoing Eco Gerontology seminars, continued learning opportunities, and connection with a growing international community helping shape the emerging interdisciplinary field of Eco Gerontology.

Join the First Wave of Eco Gerontology Pioneers

The Eco Gerontology Certificate is more than a professional credential. It is an invitation to join a growing community of pioneers reimagining aging through our relationship with Nature.

ENROLL TODAY!

Meet Your Course Creator & Lead Educator

The Eco Gerontologist

Monica Eastway is an educator, speaker, gerontologist, and pioneer in the emerging field of Eco Gerontology. Her work explores how relationships between people, communities, places, and the living world shape health, wellbeing, belonging, and longevity across the lifespan. Drawing upon more than 25 years of experience in health, wellbeing, aging, and community-based practice, Monica develops educational programs, community conversations, and partnerships that bridge Gerontology, Nature Connectedness, Green Care, ecology, and regenerative thinking. She is the founder of The Eco Gerontology Initiative and creator of the Care Outdoors Companion Training and Eco Gerontology Foundational Certificate, advancing research, education, and practice that places Nature at the heart of how we understand and support aging in a rapidly changing world. Monica holds a Master of Science in Gerontology from the University of Indianapolis and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Toledo. Through education, speaking, partnerships, and community engagement, she is helping cultivate healthier, more nature-connected, and regenerative futures for all generations. Join a growing community helping shape the emerging field of Eco Gerontology.

Monica Eastway

Meet Monica

The Eco Gerontologist

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