About Us
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
The Ahimsa Project is rooted in the principle of ahimsa, or non-harming. Our mission is to help alleviate suffering and create healthier, more compassionate relationships between people, communities, animals, and the natural world.
Through sustainable food systems, biodiversity conservation, environmental education, community-based initiatives, and programs that uplift women and girls, we work to turn the principle of non-harming into meaningful action. We believe that caring for people and caring for the planet are deeply interconnected, and that lasting change begins with creating systems in which both communities and ecosystems can thrive.
Our Story
For founder Susan Kiskis, The Ahimsa Project grew from a belief that caring for people and caring for the planet are not separate pursuits. Her path through yoga and the philosophy of ahimsa, graduate studies in global health and sustainable food systems, and conservation work around the world revealed the same truth again and again: human wellbeing and the health of the natural world are deeply interconnected.
Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word often translated as non-harming or nonviolence. At The Ahimsa Project, it is an invitation to reduce harm and, wherever possible, work to alleviate suffering.
The Ahimsa Project began taking shape in 2023, when Susan applied to the Clinton Global Initiative University with a Commitment to Action focused on rewilding the Cumberland Valley in Pennsylvania. The commitment led to her being named a Changemaker and helped turn an idea into action.
Susan brought together more than 50 volunteers to transform part of a former school property, now home to a yoga ashram, into a community green space. Together, they planted more than 200 trees, beginning the restoration of the landscape while creating a space for people and nature.
It became an early expression of what The Ahimsa Project could be: taking the principle of non-harming beyond philosophy and putting it into practice.
That work continued through projects connecting environmental stewardship, food, and community, including the development of an agroforestry tract on a working farm, and a farmers market compost program that helped return food waste and nutrients to the soil.
Today, The Ahimsa Project is carrying that philosophy forward on Prince Edward Island. Its next chapter includes The Shared Table, a community initiative bringing together food, connection, accessibility, biodiversity, and sustainability, as well as a longer-term vision for the PEI Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, where conservation, sustainable food systems, research, and public learning can come together.
No one person or organization can eliminate all the suffering in the world. But each of us can decide what we contribute to it.
The Ahimsa Project is our answer to that choice- to restore where something has been lost, protect what is vulnerable, share knowledge, strengthen communities, create opportunities for women and girls, reconnect people with food and the natural world, and, whenever possible, leave a little less suffering behind than there was before.
How we fulfill our mission
The Ahimsa Project works at the intersection of people, community, and the natural world. We put our mission into practice through:
Education
Creating accessible opportunities for learning through public talks, educational resources, podcasts, films, documentaries, classes, workshops, and community programming.
Community-Based Projects
Developing and supporting hands-on initiatives that restore ecosystems, strengthen food systems, and bring people together, from tree planting and agroforestry to community composting, food forests, habitat restoration, and public growing spaces.
Research
Supporting and conducting research that contributes to our understanding of biodiversity, conservation, sustainable food systems, climate resilience, and the relationships between human and environmental wellbeing.
Scholarships & Mentorship
Creating opportunities for women and girls to pursue education, research, leadership, and careers in conservation, environmental science, sustainable food systems, and related fields.
Global Partnerships
Supporting carefully selected projects and partnerships beyond Canada that advance conservation, sustainable food systems, environmental education, community resilience, and the wellbeing of people and the natural world.
Storytelling & Media
Using podcasts, film, documentary, photography, and other forms of storytelling to make research and environmental knowledge accessible, amplify the voices of people working for change, and inspire deeper connections with food, community, and the natural world.
Classes & Workshops
Offering educational experiences in areas including yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, conservation, biodiversity, food systems, gardening, and environmental stewardship, connecting personal wellbeing with community and planetary wellbeing.
Meet The Team
Susan Kiskis
Founder & Executive Director
Matthew Kiskis
Director
TBA
Director
TBA
TBA
Organizations We've Worked With
.png)
