Welcome Eco-Pioneers!
Over the course of the past few months, this website, along with much of my personal life, has been through a wealth of transition. If you are close follower of my blog, you may have noticed that my posting has become a bit sparse and irregular. At the same time, if you still have found the time to visit this site on occasion, you might have seen some significant changes. I am now very excited to introduce you to the new Eco-Pioneers and share with you all the great new additions to this Grand Web (re)Launch!
Foundations
One year ago, as I prepared to embark on a monumental journey “…not in search of greener pastures but rather, the knowledge of how to make pastures greener,” I started a weblog to catalog my journey and my international adventures in permaculture. The opportunity to explore a new path in my life had been forged and many great unknowns lay ahead of me as I scrawled out my first few entries on my little internet soapbox.
A Bridge to Abundance
From this humble platform, I launched a fundraising campaign that raised over a thousand dollars (of which, not a single penny has yet been spent – I still intend to release a detailed report of exactly how this money will be spent within the context of permaculture aid, as promised), and reached out to friends and family all across the country. The first leg of my adventure had just begun to take shape. A 10 week internship at the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia was the center piece of my itinerary. Sandwiched on either side was a month long adventure on the Hawaiian Islands with family and new friends and a managerial position at a yet to be established permaculture site in Thailand.
More than a journey…
It was with clear intention that I set out on this adventure to change my way of life. Although my previous employment at Wheatsville Co-op had been, without question, the most fulfilling and gainful employment, both financially and experientially, of my life, I was setting out on this adventure to define and hone the skills of a new livelihood. It was time to not only take my passion out of the realm of hobby tinkering, it was time to make a living on my own terms! For me, this meant finding a way to live a regenerative life style while helping others to do the same.
It was clear that this was more than just a trip to visit new cultures, more than an educational journey, more even than a way to change my profession… this was a vision to cultivate a world culture of abundance!
No Small Feat
Cultivating a world of abundance, of course, is no small feat… but it does start with small feet! Reducing our ecological footprint is a vital first step in this process of learning to be a regenerative human. Reducing our ecologically destructive behaviors (such as reducing plastic usage and disposal, limiting ecologically destructive travel, and eating low on the food chain) while increasing our ecologically beneficial behaviors (such as planting trees, building soils and rehabilitating damaged and polluted land, water and air) while demonstrating how these things can benefit all life, is a start toward realizing that vision.
Barefoot in Khao Yai National Park
Obviously, the scope of this work was not fully understood when I set out sat down to write my first blog posts. But that did nothing to hold me back then… and even in recognizing the breadth of this scope now does nothing to hold me back now from the wholehearted commitment to this vision! Why? Because, if every human decided the scope of their vision was too large from them to make any difference in the world, we would not know the amazingly diverse and technologically advanced world we know today… the world would be without pioneers!
Discovery
Finding level
The course of this past year’s journey, learning, traveling and acquiring valuable new skills, has been one of unimaginable discovery. Through the process, my thinking about how I apply my time and energies in pursuit of my goals and vision has constantly evolved and been shaped by a wealth of new knowledge and experience. These discoveries have lead me to reshape and refine my goals and aspirations and has given me a new perspective on my talents and how I can be “of the most benefit, to the greatest number of beings, over the longest period of time, for the least effort.”
With the discovery of how best to apply my talents and time came the discovery that it was time to venture beyond a simple weblog.
The New Eco-Pioneers
Today, I am very excited to share with you the new Eco-Pioneers. Evolved from a simple weblog, I am now exploring this site as a platform to launch a whole(istic) new life for myself and a wealth of abundance for the world. Here are some of the features you will find on the new Eco-Pioneers:
Courses – I’ve created a courses section to highlight the various courses I will be teaching and how you can get involved. In less then two short weeks from the time of this writing, I will be teaching a Permaculture Design Course just outside Austin, Texas. There are still spaces available so register while you still can!
Services – Among many other things, I am now offering Education & Mentoring services, Permaculture & Regenerative Design Consultation, and Cooperative Business Consultation services. My goal is to cultivate a world of abundance. By offering my talents in this way I am able to maintain my own abundance and devote more energy toward this mission.
Permaculture Diploma – Perhaps one of the most exciting aspect of this new site is my work with the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. Covering 10 projects over the course of two years, this diploma is more about personal growth and evolution than it is about a piece of paper (diploma). In addition to finishing my first project of designing my learning pathway, I have teamed up with two more pioneers, Chowgene and Bright Sky, to create an independent peer support group that will form the foundation of a more cooperative education system for our collective future. More updates as new projects are completed!
Professional Portfolio & C.V. – In addition to these many great evolutions, I’ve begun compiling a portfolio of my past work. This is a section of the website that is sure to grow and evolve over time.
International Aid – I have made a commitment to honor myself and my ethics through the work I do on this planet. As part of this commitment, I will continue to learn and grow as an individual while recognizing my connection to the whole. Please see my personal vision statement for more information on how my work contributes to our global interdependence.
Putting the ‘s’ in Pioneers
Get out there and build something creative!
I have developed this site to help launch this new paradigm of world abundance… but I can do nothing alone. This site is devoted to cultivating more pioneers, such as yourself, to take the leap and begin living as a full and complete humans that have shifted their lives into modes of ecological restoration and regeneration over old habits of thoughtless destruction. We are all interconnected, what we do to each other, we do to ourselves, and we do to our environment.
You too are a pioneer of your environment, a cultivator of your community… take hold of this life and create a wold of abundance for our future generations! Start now by planting a tree, learning where you food comes from or where your money goes, grow food, meet your neighbor, or plant a garden in your front lawn. There are plenty of people to help and support you.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now!” – ancient Chinese proverb