CURRENT MISSION

own a farm one day, become self sufficient by growing food, and declare my independence from modern day fossil fueled social systems

ABOUT ME

I'm not hosting at the moment but last summer I lived with my 2 best friends while attending my last quarter of classes before graduating and my housemate Jeremy Lin hosted a few surfers on our couch. It was pretty cool and I would definitely be intersted in hosting later in life when I have a couch of my own to share with the world.

At the moment, I'm WWOOFing (Willing Worker On Organic Farms) through NZ on an incredibly tight budget and therfore will be searching for rides from place to stay when I can't hitchhike or reach my next host in less than a day. I have an Intercity Flexipass which I am reluctant to use unless absolutely necessary and hostels are way out of my price range. I'm good at making plans while still being very flexible, which gives me an idea of when I'll be needing a ride but the exact date is usually not too rigid... Also, I strive for minimalisitc ultralight backpacking, so all I have for an entire year of traveling fits into a 65 Liter pack that weighs about 30lbs (or 15kg) and includes everything I need to spend a comfortable night in the bush by the road (or rather avoid the expense of sleeping in a hostel).

PHILOSOPHY

"why do I live my life?" to tread lightly on this planet. As they say, 'take only pictures, leave only footprints.' Eventually I want to teach Environmental Sciences at the college level because as I see it, our generation is going to face a world of crises and we need to be informed about the decisions we make that insidiously impact everyone around is. We really all connected on this little planet of ours... Now don't think that I'm some crazy preacher, cuz that's just too pretentious. I am open to hearing others points of view and typically while traveling I try to avoid these deep philosopical conversations if I'm around people who view the world differently. I'm not here to change people. As Ghandi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." People CAN change, moreover we must, but that isn't my responsibility. I cannot change anyone. The most I can do is inspire someone to support organic agriculture, change their light bulbs to save energy, or better yet, turn it off if not in use... If my friendly influece causes someone to act in a way that lowers their environmental footprint even by a tiny bit, is that not included as a reduction in my own environmental impact on the planet? Now you might see why my goal in life is to be a teacher, an educator, and insirational figure. Sure sure, at the moment, living sustainably on the planet isn't the most 'convenient' path; it may cost more to eat local, organic food, and riding a bike to work might make you sweat and take a bit longer than driving. But we can all do our part, all that's missing is 'motivation.' Some people won't instal solar panels on their house or ride a bike until it becomes cheaper than energy from coal-fired power plants or driving our cars to and fro. Or maybe we need to see more radical changes in regional climates or sea level across the globe before we think about our impacts on the planet... Okay, enough ranting. Sorry. That's all I have to say here. If you want to talk about it, sure. If not, that's alright with me.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I don't have any means to contribute at this time but I will be getting a car in late June when my partner Samantha arrives in Auckland and then traveling together (after being apart for 10 months!!) for another couple of months, at which point, I will be more than willing to pick up hitchhikers and post ride offers on these forums.

Cheers!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Like I said, last summer, I was happy for my housemate to put up our couch on the network and we hosted a few international travelers that way. It was cool and I'm down to do it again some day.

Interests

Mountain biking
Snowboarding
Bike touring
Backpacking (aka "Tramping")
Traveling
Permaculture
Gardening
Sustainablility
Dog training
Behavioral psychology

• dogs
• causes
• education
• dining
• organic food
• gardening
• boating
• traveling
• cars
• cycling
• backpacking
• canoeing
• camping
• snowboarding
• track and field
• agriculture
• teaching
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

Whoa.. too many movies but here's a start;
The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, Zoolander, shit.. see, so many, I can't even think of them all... Oh, yea and a couple good documentaries, Food Inc., What a Way to Go, Captialism: A Love Story, Garbage Warrior, Planet Earth, Life (narrated by David Attenborough; not Oprah), and many more...

Books?... On The Road, Big Sur, Freakenomics, Rules for Radicals, Peak Everything (anything by Richard Heinberg), Depletion and Abundance,.. Harry Potter was cool too...

On my to read list... Omnivore's Dilemna, Ishmael, and many more...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Biking and camping along 500 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon and California...

Ride my mountain bike really fast downhill, taking 8 foot drops at speed, competing with other universities in Downhill, Dual Slalom, and Cross Country...

Climb to the top of Mt. Ngaurahoe (Mt. Doom) in Tongariro NP... it took 1:10 to cimb and 10 minutes to scree down =]

Canoe for 2 days along the Wanganui River before accidentally slicing my pinkie finger with an incredibly sharp pocket knife while cutting an apple into thirds, 2 hours before the next hut, where I was able to radio for a Dept. of Conservation jet boat to take me out on the last day, followed by my receiving 3 stitches (first time ever!!) and a lesson in National Healthcare....

Help DOC track down wild kiwis and actually got to hold one that was 3.5 kgs....

Hiked the Milford Track and Kepler Track in winter, back to back, within a 6 day period....

Fuck... so much stuff... Life rocks... don't live in debt, unless it's for education... live simply, save your money, get out and do it!

Teach, Learn, Share

Refere to my interests and personal philosphy. If you wish to have conversation about any of those topics, I am happy to engage.