Stewart Brand

Stewart Brand has been lauded for his accomplishments as a writer, entrepreneur, and environmentalist. Born in 1938 in Rockford, Illinois, Brand was raised in a natural environment and developed a deep interest in ecology, conservationism, and technology at an early age. After studying at Stanford University and the San Francisco Art Institute, Brand worked as an editorial assistant at the Department of Science and Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution. He was eventually promoted to editor of the Naturalist's Almanac, a position he held until 1971.

It was during this time that Brand founded The Whole Earth Catalog , an influential publication combining technology, ecology, and natural science. The catalog, which he edited and published from 1968 to 1972, was highly influential and drew in many readers during the hippie era. It was during this time that Brand famously coined the phrase “information wants to be free” . Brand was also the co-founder of The Co-Evolution Quarterly, a now-defunct magazine dedicated to exploring the impacts of technology on society.

Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Brand worked as a writer and speaker on a variety of topics related to technology, science, ecology, futurism and other related fields. He has written several books on these topics, including How Buildings Learn (1994), Whole Earth Discipline (2009) and The Clock of the Long Now (1999). He is also the founder and president of the Long Now Foundation, a not-for-profit dedicated to long-term thinking and sustainability. And he is the founder of the Global Eco-Education Network, a group dedicated to consensus building between diverse cultural and economic perspectives on ecological issues.

In addition to his numerous works, Brand has also been recognized for his work as an environmentalist, having won such awards as the Gandhi Award in 1994 and the Wright Award in 1994. He has also served on the boards of numerous organizations. Most recently, Brand was honored with the National Academy of Sciences’ Public Welfare Medal in 2020 for his “lasting contributions in support of science and critical thinking”.

Throughout his career, Brand has lent his wisdom and expertise to many causes, most notably the pursuit of sustainability and the celebration of progress through technology and innovation. His works demonstrate an unwavering commitment to environmentalism and his legacy will serve as an inspiration for generations to come.