CURRENT MISSION

To transform the world into a healthy, happy, fair, and kind place, starting with myself!

ABOUT ME

I grew up to Swiss parents in a small town in south-western Ontario. I've spent a lot of time in Switzerland and grew up speaking Swiss-German, English, and French. I enjoy traveling, meeting people, and sharing food. I like sports, too, like swimming, snowsports, surfing, running, etc. After a few years working as a plant ecologist, in the last 10 years I've become specialized on green roofs and other novel uses for vegetation in the built environment.

PHILOSOPHY

I try to be truly grateful for everything I have, and believe that every person has the potential for greatness. I strive to cultivate compassion, generosity and kindness, choose my words carefully, and to live a simple and content life. I live my life to help make the world a better place, be it through my work, my volunteerism, or my capacity to smile at strangers.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far I've only couch surfed once, and it was a brilliant experience. I love the concept. I wish I had space to offer, but unfortunatley that's not in the cards right now. I'll definitely keep on, though, and vow to redeem my karma in this lifetime!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Many years ago (before CS?) I was roadtripping around Italy with an Italian friend. We'd traveled in Guatemala for several weeks the year prior and, as I was in Europe, we took a week to explore some of his country. In Florence we bumped into another friend who we'd met in Guatemala, total coincidence! We all couch-surfed at his friend's small flat. Sleeping bodies claimed whatever surfaces they could find; it was a funny scene to behold.

Interests

Sports, ecology, nature, photography, music, dancing, painting, vegan and raw cuisine, touring ski, snowboard, surfing, art, clouds, critical mass

• arts
• books
• architecture
• photography
• dancing
• environment
• ethics
• dining
• vegan
• running
• traveling
• restoration
• socializing
• painting
• music
• surfing
• skiing
• snowboarding
• buddhist
• sports
• swimming
• ecology
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I appreciate George Monbiot's incisive writing style and factual presentation of difficult topics. I like historical fiction (e.g. Edward Rutherford). Music-wise, I love drum & bass, reggae and dub, as well as samba, indie rock, techno, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Eye-to-eye with a beached whale on the white sandy beaches of Pacific Rim Nat'l Park (BC, Canada). The amazing thing was realizing that the whale had intentionally placed itself there, as it apparently found some good pickings at this section of shoreline. It soon rolled back down, swimming parallel to the sandy shores, eventually joining other pod members who were foraging further out to sea.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've been deepening my knowledge and practice of Buddhism. I've developed academic courses on ecological field sampling, on plant selection for living walls and green roofs. I enjoy music of all sorts, and currently play in the Sheffield Samba Band. I'm very interested in current trends in food webs, climate change, biodiversity, restoration ecology, etc.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Experiences in veganism, including cookery, nutrition, ethics. Knowledge and practice of Buddhism and looking at the world through this lens. Expertise in plant ecology, urban ecology, living architecture.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, India

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States

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