Faculty

Bindu Mohanty - Spring Semester

Ph.D., Comparative Studies in Integral Yoga and Transpersonal Theories, CIIS
M.A., English Literature, University of Kentucky
B.A., English Literature, Sambalpur University

A writer and senior faculty, Bindu Mohanty has lived in Auroville since 1994. Committed to the practice of Integral Yoga, she believes that social change requires a radical transformation of the individual. She is passionate about promoting social justice and ecological sustainability in a globalized world through an integral and transdisciplinary approach to education. Her current research interests include interpersonal dynamics and social evolution.

Ethan Hirsch-Tauber - Spring Semester

M.S. Environmental Education, Audubon Expedition Institute/Lesley University
B.A., Environmental Studies, New College of Florida

Ethan Hirsch-Tauber spent five years working in the field of green building and energy efficiency through a non-profit in Atlanta and then leveraging US government efficiency initiatives with a consulting company in Washington DC. In 2007, he returned to graduate school to focus on experiential and community-based environmental education. Hirsch-Tauber joined Living Routes in 2008 and continues to teach and be a teacher-trainer for the Auroville program. He has developed a strong passion for transformative, ecological, and integral education. More recently, he has begun visiting ecovillages around the world to explore the different ways that communities are approaching the present sustainability challenges humanity faces. His core goal as an educator is to inspire students on their personal journeys to create positive social and environmental change.

Andrea Vecchione - Fall Semester

Ph.D. (ABD), Asian Comparative Religions, California Institute of Integral Studies
M.A., Education, Mills College
B.S., Environmental Science, University of Rhode Island

Andrea Vecchione's love of nature and science began in Brazil and in the Pacific Northwest conducting wildlife surveys of rare and endangered animals. When she realized that human encroachment was the basis for most habitat destruction, her quest for sustainability led her to a path of organic farming, permaculture and teaching; bringing both nature into schools, and students out of the traditional classroom. Her master's thesis focused on how organic gardens can create a greater sense of community in public schools. Her thirteen years of teaching has afforded her experience with students from grade school through graduate programs, from a curriculum of environmental science to Permaculture and systems theory. After repeated trips to India, including working with Living Routes, she is completing her Ph.D.  dissertation on the topic of, "Sacred Groves and Traditional Environmental Knowledge" fusing both environmental ethics, and spirituality.

Min Ameen - Fall Semester

MBA, Manchester Business School, Manchester, UK.
BS Mechanical Engineering, Vikram University, India

Min lives in Auroville, is actively engaged with the Sadhana community and works on issues relating to environment and sustainability on the local and national level. In addition to working at Auroville’s Center for Scientific Research (CSR), he is involved with projects throughout India ranging from carbon offsetting, sustainable development, influencing government policy and rural empowerment through renewable energy and awareness. Min is currently working with the Ministry of Renewable Energy in India to develop favorable policies that will accelerate solar water heater distribution throughout the country. He is also in the process of creating an Eco-Exhibition in Auroville, for up to 500,000 visitors a year, that will improve awareness about sustainability and developing a program to deploy solar energy solutions for lighting and pumping water in deprived regions of India.