Joanna Rogers Macy, Ph.D. (sometimes listed as Joanna R. Macy or Joanna Marie Macy; b. May 2, 1929), is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. She is a voice in movements for peace, justice, and a safe environment. She has created a theoretical framework for personal and social change, and a workshop methodology for its application. Her work addresses psychological and spiritual issues, Buddhist thought, and contemporary science.

Murray Bookchin was an American libertarian socialist speaker and writer, and founder of the "Social Ecology" school of libertarian socialist and ecological thought. He is the author of two dozen books on politics, philosophy, history, and urban affairs as well as ecology. Bookchin was a radical anti-capitalist and vocal advocate of the decentralisation of society. His writings on libertarian municipalism, a theory of face-to-face, grassroots democracy, …

Gary Snyder (born May 8, 1930) is an American poet (originally, often associated with the Beat Generation), essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist. Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Since the 1970s, he has frequently been described as the 'laureate of Deep Ecology'. From the 1950s on, he has published travel-journals and essays from time to time. His work in his various roles reflects his immersion in both Buddhist spirituality and nature.

Reverend Fr. Thomas Berry C.P is a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian and ecotheologian (although cosmologist and geologian - or “Earth scholar” - are his preferred descriptors). Among advocates of deep ecology and "ecospirituality" he is famous for proposing that a deep understanding of the history and functioning of the evolving universe is a necessary inspiration and guide for our own effective functioning as individuals and as a species.

John Seed is an Australian environmentalist and director of the Rainforest Information Centre which successfully campainged to save the sub-tropical rainforests of New South Wales. He is also a prominent figure in the deep ecology movement and co-creator of the Council of All Beings, and other re-earthing processes.

Paul Howe Shepard, Jr. (b. 1926, d. 1996) is an American environmentalist and and author best known for introducing the pleistocene paradigm to deep ecology. His works have tried to establish a normative framework in terms of evolutionary theory and developmental psychology. He offers a critique of (agricultural) civilization and advocates modelling human lifestyles on those of prehistoric humans. He explores the connections between domestication, language, and cognition.

Arne Dekke Eide Næss is widely regarded as the foremost Norwegian philosopher of the 20th century, and is the founder of deep ecology. His philosophical work focused on Spinoza, Buddhism and Gandhi. He was the youngest person to be appointed full professor at the University of Oslo. Næss, himself an avid mountaineer, is also known as the uncle of mountaineer and businessman Arne Næss Jr. (1937–2004) and the younger brother of shipowner Erling Dekke Næss.

Dolores LaChapelle was a mountaineer, skier, Tai Chi teacher, independent scholar, and leader in the Deep ecology movement. She graduated from Denver University in 1947 and then spent three years teaching skiing in Aspen, Colorado. In 1950, she made the first ski ascent of Mount Columbia, the second highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, and also of Snow Dome, the hydrographic apex of the continent. After marrying Edward LaChapelle, she spent a year with him in Davos, …

Richard Sylvan, born as Richard Routley (13 December 1935 - 16 June 1996) was a philosopher, logician, environmentalist, and anarchist. He was a proponent of "deep ecology", though he was critical of most attempts to articulate this ethic and preferred to characterise his own version as deep green theory. He changed his name to "Sylvan" ("of the forest") to reflect his commitment to nature. In addition to his work in environmental ethics, …

The Rev. Michael Dowd is an itinerant "evolutionary evangelist" and the author of the 1991 book "EarthSpirit: A Handbook for Nurturing an Ecological Christianity" (Twenty-Third Publications, ISBN 0-89622-479-1), which was inspired by the writings of cultural historian Thomas Berry, physicist Brian Swimme, and deep ecologist Joanna Macy, …

Venerend Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (formerly known as Otter G'Zell, born Timothy Zell) (on November 30, 1942 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a co-founder with R. Lance Christie of the Church of All Worlds (CAW) on April 7, 1962, serving as both High Priest and also Primate of the church for many years, and a leading figure in the Neo-Pagan religious community. He holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Westminster College in Fulton, …

William Stanley Merwin (born September 30 1927 in New York City) is one of the most influential American poets of the latter 20th century. Merwin made a name for himself as an anti-war poet during the 1960's. Later, he would evolve toward mythological themes and develop a unique prosody characterized by indirect narration and the absence of punctuation. In the 80's and 90's, Merwin's interest in Buddhist philosophy and deep ecology also influenced his writing.