Phil Ferraro’s mentors included social theorist Murray Bookchin, environmental scientist Dr. John Todd.
Phil’s master’s degree in Social Ecology included a thesis on creating food and energy self-reliance in northern climates with studies in renewable energy, organic agriculture, community development, and social responsibility. He is also an early pioneer of permaculture design; having received his accreditation in 1995.
In the early 90’s Phil introduced a series of environmental education courses at the University of Prince Edward Island which led to his co-founding The Institute for Bioregional Studies Ltd. (IBS) in 1995. From 1999 – 2016, IBS has managed a series of far-reaching programs on behalf of the PEI ADAPT Council, Agriculture Canada and Bioenterprise Inc., helping agriculture and agri-food producers respond to emerging issues and develop new ways of doing business.
In 2014, IBS, in partnership with the PEI Farm Centre Association, created The Legacy Garden which has grown to become one of the largest urban farms in Canada. Today, the Garden operates as a social enterprise helping alleviate food insecurity by donating thousands of pounds of food to various charities while also operating a Therapeutic Horticulture program. The Garden and Therapeutic Horticulture program are in the process of expanding on a second site, in Eastern PEI, on land managed by IBS.