I was born and grew up in Portland Oregon in the late 50s. Early on I had a passion for plants, loved flowers and started "The Growing Concern Gardening Service" when I was 21. My BA from Pitzer College is in Botany and Environmental Studies, 1989. I studied for an MS in watershed management at Humboldt State, closely examining the influences of willows on streambank and floodplain functions; ecology, hydraulics and fluvial geomorphology. I had the good fortune to study at the Flood Hazard Research Centre, MIddlesex Uni for the PhD, 1999. My thesis examines the intersection of three disciplines that co-occur in "nature"; how willows and woody plants influence the movement of water & sediment in dynamic floodplain environments. Now in my later career, I work with a herd of alpacas in rotation grazing to improve floodplain pasture condition, nutrient cycling and retention, to produce fiber while providing ecosystem services.
Growing the new low carbon economy; using livestock to restore soils, pastures and watershed hydrological function for fish habitat & water quality. Growing sustainable textiles on US Alpaca fiber.
America really does have to take responsibility for feeding ourselves. We need to recruit farmers in every state, in every walk of life, in every generation. Small scale farming works with livestock to improve soils and provide the fertility needed to grow our food. The path to sustainability reconnects ordinary people economically with the sources of their food and clothing. The profitable low carbon economy produces fresh local food and warm clothing made locally, to reduce the need for burning 'carbon units'.
Connecting kids education with the sources of their food and clothing.
Creating local cuisine based on food eaten in season. Dance as a form of social innovation.
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