[3] The Institute for Social Ecology was established at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont in 1974 by cultural anthropologist Daniel Chodorkoff and author Murray Bookchin.
"[9] In 1986, members of the Maple Hill neighborhood in Rochester, Vermont, hired a lawyer to challenge state and local building permits for the Institute, based on a variety of concerns that included water pollution, traffic congestion, and the subject matter taught at the school.
The ISE organizes educational 'intensive seminars' about human/nature relationships, directly democratic movements, climate change, and the historical unfolding of Left politics.
Students attend colloquia in Prescott, Arizona and in Vermont, while working independently in their home communities in collaboration with an ISE graduate advisor.
The weekend gatherings are an opportunity for new and longtime associates of the Institute to discuss current issues, workshop writing projects, and renew a sense of community.
[4]: 59 The ISE's approach to grassroots organizing is rooted in the principles of decentralism, community control, and face-to-face, direct democracy that have broadly inspired many movements for global justice.