Chuck Pettis - visionary, designer, eco-artist, and author - is the founder and owner of Earth Sanctuary, a 72-acre nature reserve and meditation parkland on Whidbey Island, Washington.

Chuck Pettis - Evergreen Citizen of the Month

Over the past 25 years he has built numerous environmental artworks, among them labyrinths and stone circles. In 1977 he built the Ellis Hollow Stone Circle, the first energetically and astronomically aligned stone circle in the United States. In 1987 he created the "Seattle Ley-Line Map," utilizing a grant that the Geo Group (of which he is a founding member) won from the Seattle Arts Commission. The map, displaying ley lines that run through Seattle, is part of Seattle City Light's 1% for Art Portable Works Collection. For more information, visit the Geo Group web site at www.geo.org.

Chuck Pettis received a B.A. in Psychology from Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a M.A. in Design from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, where he attended Buckminster Fuller's Design Department. Fuller's holistic approach to design has continued to be a source of life-long inspiration for Chuck.

Chuck Pettis' interest in design and spirituality go hand in hand. He has visited and studied sacred spaces all over the world. His most recent book is Secrets of Sacred Space: Discover and Create Places of Power ($20, Llewellyn Publications, 2000).

As a dedicated practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, he deeply believes in the value of meditation. He says "I don't know anyone who meditates or prays too much. With Earth Sanctuary I've tried to create an environment that motivates and facilitates spiritual practice."

Chuck is an experienced and engaging speaker-both on the subject of sacred space, as well as branding and marketing. He is the founder and president of BrandSolutions, Inc., a internationally respected brand consulting and research firm that advises on the selection and use of trademarks, images, and corporate messages. His book TechnoBrands: How to Create and Use, Brand Identity to Market, Advertise and Sell Technology Products (AMACOM, 1995) has been published in the U.S., Italy, China, and India. He has written many articles and given over 150 speeches and presentations on advertising, public relations, and brand building.

Chuck Pettis resides near Earth Sanctuary in Freeland, WA. He can be reached at (360) 331-6667 or at cpettis@earthsanctuary.org.

Secrets of Sacred Space: Discover and Create Places of Power - by Chuck Pettis (Llewellyn, 2000)