CURRENT MISSION

To model and inspire living lightly and joyfully

ABOUT ME

My current passion and profession is in the field of permaculture - teaching and learning how to live more sustainably and joyfully. Currently I'm the director of Lost Valley Center and Meadowsong Ecovillage about twenty miles outside of Eugene.

PHILOSOPHY

Less is often more.
Developing compassion and letting go of attachments leads to happiness.
Quieting my mind has led to insight that has proven to be trustworthy.
Life is like standing on a pivot board - it's a balancing act.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have traveled in Hawaii and Washington State using couch-surfing.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Well, it wasn't exactly through couch-surfing, but once I traded places with a woman who lived very differently from me courtesy of ABC and their TV program "Wifeswap." What a trip that was - I had predicted that she'd have the most culture shock coming to my home in an ecovillage, but I may be wrong. Folks really do live differently from each other within the boundaries of the USA. I'll tell you the story in person if you wish, or google my name for some of the publicity on this particular adventure.

Interests

Observing nature, playing and singing and playing improv violin with friends, growing food, conversation, meditation and yoga, permaculture, living lightly, teaching what I'm passionate about learning, reading, community.

• culture
• singing
• dining
• yoga
• modeling
• meditation
• reading
• tv
• music
• violin
• surfing
• communications

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite way to experience music these days is participating in song circles with folks associated with a gathering called "Singing Alive" and a group called "SingPeace! Earth Pilgrimage." You can find both of these overlapping groups on the web.

A book I found important is Permaculture:Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren. More accessible on a similar topic is Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway. Lately I've been reading about plants, especially wild ones that are good to eat.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I traveled in Bolivia for several months with my three children when they were fairly young. I was amazed by the kindness and generosity of the people we met.

Teach, Learn, Share

Music, permaculture, community building skills.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bolivia, France, Guatemala, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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