Jeanette Acosta: Land & Water Community Director
Jeanette Acosta is our Watershed Progressive Land & Water Community Director, working remotely from California.
She trained at Cornell University in the field of Medicinal Plants and teaches Herbalism and Ethnobotany, focusing on Maritime Culture and California Native Plants.
As a Clinical Herbalist and Clinical Aromatherapist, she is also an Ayurveda Health and Yoga Practitioner/Teacher Trainer, as well as a Certified Teacher/Teacher Trainer in Indigenous Permaculture Agroecological Design. Jeanette has supported several Indigenous Nations in developing successful cultural food sovereignty programs.
She co-curated the herbal program for Weaving Earth in partnership with the Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA) at NARA’s Youth Residential Treatment Center.
For over a decade, she has been a Board Member and Vice President for Kua’Aina Associates, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization founded in 2005 by individuals of Native Hawaiian and Māori descent who recognize their kuleana (responsibility) to unite their collective experience as cultural stewards. Additionally, she serves as a Board Member-at-Large for Weaving Earth, which provides nature-based education aimed at action at the intersection of ecological, social, and personal systems change.
On an international level, Jeanette has worked on healing and wellness for survivors of violence and sexual assault. To further her knowledge and skills in these areas, she has attended numerous regional and national conferences, courses, and workshops, completing certifications in cultural competency and over 40 hours of training in sexual assault advocacy.
This expertise allows her to effectively implement regenerative, sustainable, and holistic land protection, restoration, and conservation practices. These are crucial for balancing the local access, history, and economic viability of a community and its land stakeholders while preserving and protecting cultural and natural resources.
Her lived experiences, knowledge, and passion for the Earth and its people add tremendous value to our team!