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Biographical
My love of the outdoors was cultivated through its consistent proximity
in my upbringing and the emphasis placed upon it by my family. Hiking
was a regular after-school activity, with the occasional backpacking
trip to help satisfy the desire to be basic (and smell like a
campfire). When I was 13, I started a 'landscaping company' to save
money for a school trip to Europe the following year. I grew with the
business over the next 8 years, and my skills did, too. At this point,
I've pruned, trimmed, healed, and planted, much flora, muchas veces.
This relationship with the Earth, paired with the knowledge and
awareness that I picked up upon moving to Tucson, Arizona, turned me
into quite the activist. My spiritual quest lead me to pursue a more
wholesome lifestyle in general, and I became a vegetarian (for a while). During the
two years that I was based there (3 semesters at the University of
Arizona in the direction of business), I became the president of
Students for Fair Trade (even when I wasn't a student anymore), which
was successful in convincing the campus to adopt a policy that commits
to purchasing all Fair Trade coffee available. To witness first hand
the beneficial impacts of cooperatives on the environment and the
people involved, I traveled to southern Mexico, where I was fortunate
enough to study the structure of a few of these organizations, as well
as work with a women's weaving co-op in Chiapas, that was teaching
indigenous women the technical skills needed to enter the online
marketplace. In addition (and back in Tucson), I helped found 'a
network for social action and progressive consciousness' (the Glācis
Movement), that has, in turn, produced a healthy assortment of marches,
potlucks, and other intentional gatherings (silent party, anyone?).
When Tucson had finished it's time for me (2005), I moved back to
Albuquerque (my home base), where I was synchronistically linked up
with a new organization called the Sustainable Global Leadership Alliance.
With them, I deepened my understanding of the world's predicament and
what there is to do about it. We traveled to India for a healthy dose
of humility, and helped with the Hunger Project,
an establishment dedicated to empowering women to rise beyond their
traditional roles in society and make positive change within their
communities. Over the next year, I worked for a photovoltaic retail
company, volunteered at a fair trade boutique, played lots of music,
organized Open Circle (a pop-up community marketplace and fair in the
park), helped start an art zine called Smoke Signals, and lived the
life of a vagabond (in one city).
Again, it was time to broaden my horizons, sharpen my focus. I moved to
San Francisco, where I was accepted into an intentional community,
called the Delancey Street Foundation,
where I lived for 2 years. There, I learned how to live in harmony with
many different people from many different backgrounds, not to mention
how to get along with myself. I quickly established my niche as the
'green guy', encouraging healthy eating habits (think fresh produce
preparation and wheat bread for 400 people everyday) and the practice
of composting, teaching Ecology, and utilizing the abundant (and
lovely) food donations that we received. When I left, I was a better
person, ready to put my own dreams back on the front burner. It was no
surprise then, that my next job was at a local health food store. As I
saw it, I was on my way to having the perfect co-op job and a spot at
the radical co-op housing, while getting my music out and working with Food Not Bombs,
community gatherings, forums, markets, and so forth, in a progressive
city like San Francisco. This track seemed ideal, until I realized that
regardless of how revolutionary my lifestyle was, I would still be
missing a key element of the solution that I was working so hard for. I
needed (and forever will) a true, solid, and direct connection with the
Earth. As things happen, Christina (then a long-time friend) and I
decided to meet in Costa Rica. Throughout our time there, I found what
I was looking for. I expanded my roots, got my Permaculture Design
certificate, and watched as my identity as a 'city boy' faded.
Fate works our way still, and I have now had the opportunity to reside
on a farm outside McMinnville, OR, for six months this year, where I
involved myself in such things as planting lots of echinacea, helping
sheer (and butcher) a sheep, operating a tractor, supporting the local
Slow Food chapter, volunteering at the weekly farmer's market,
harvesting more heirloom tomatoes and zucchini than I ever could have
imagined, trimming goat's hooves, managing a 4-acre hazelnut orchard,
sheet mulching, chopping acres of blackberry and stinging nettle with a
machete, and building many a hardwood structure (gate, banisters,
composting toilet, chicken coop, etc.). I'm a musician, poet, artist, visionary, and organizer/instigator, to throw a few labels in the air. I use my energy for progress (Permalove.org
is one of the latest manifestations). My plans in life have to do with
experiencing extraordinary circumstances and helping those who are
committed to making this Earth a better place/creating beauty. I am
willing and able. That's the most important thing, I think. You'll find me these days in the 505. Oh . . .
and also, in 2001, I spent the summer painting schools, digging
latrines, and maintaining trails throughout Panama.
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Sounds, Words, Compassion, Focus, Risk, Nourishment, Connections, Choices, Progression, Systems, Roots, Freedom, Destiny, Taboo, Balance, Us, Excuses, Simplicity, Chaos, Sense, Truth.
