TED Community » Kat Haber

About Me

My grandfathers taught me to respect the Earth. I have created award winning gardens, innovative programs (Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail and the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer, AK), taken risks (freestyle aerialist and Air Castles hot air balloon champagne flight service in Boulder), pioneered new paths (one of the first women attending US Air Force Academy, and dug deep within (Lifespring councilor, Conscious Evolution guide, Social Synergy, tribal native spiritual ecology) all characterize paths of knowing, the soul serenity found in wild places. Bringing young leaders to WILD9, 9th World Wilderness Congress, infused an urgency, lightheartedness and idealism to save at least half of Earth's wilds. I am honored to offer my talent, treasure, relations to preserve Earth for my son's sons' 7 generations to come. 1. At the United States Air Force Academy, I was ranked 11 out of 1500 mostly make cadets, being in the second class of women, in the first year, free-fall parachuted, taught land navigation, was the squadron flag bearer, was in the first squad of cheerleaders, have a dozen hours in a Cessna T-37 Screaming Mimi, and sang in the choir in the beautiful stained glass Chapel. Nominated by then Senator Les Aspin of Wisconsin, then became Secretary of Defense. Thank you for taking a risk on a bright-eyed Wisconsin girl!
2. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is where I come from and my family still calls home. I am the oldest of 5 kids.I ran a family business at age 12.
3. I competed in aerials in skiing and was going for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. Former team mate Melanie Pelanek, from Winter Park, got the spot and won the Gold Medal. Go Freestyle Team USA!
4. I was an exchange student in Barcelona, Spain and Cordova, Argentina. Thanks to my host families there. I love the Latin culture!
5. My Mom taught me I could be/do/have anything I wanted in life. Can do! I miss you mom.
6. I designed my Alaskan house, and have been a Frank Lloyd Wright fan since sitting in the Lake Geneva library as a girl over looking the changes weather had on the water.
7. While my son's athletic ability in golf, skiing, soccer, fly fishing inspires and amazes me, it was his speech at WILD9, 9th World Wilderness Congress in Merida, Mexico that has so far made me proudest of him. Now he is declaring a life path of being a pro golfer-extremely tough emotional road. Go McKenzy! He also won a Jefferson award and Ashoka's Technology 4 a Better World national competition. Now he is coding the first teen TEDxHomer app-at 15.
8. I am a grandmother to both a 18 year old and a 8 year old.
9. Skiing makes me sublimely happy! Back Bowls of Vail's 6,000 acres is my happy place. Greetings to Vail Resorts for providing world class skiing!
10. HaberVision.com, our high end polarized sunglass company, provides charities with sustainable streams of funding through easily placed links on their websites. Contact us.
11. Earth stewardship makes me wild, serving on: WILD Foundation,
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Vail Alpine Garden Foundation. I founded Sustainable Homer. I am bringing TEDx events to Homer, Alaska; Vail Colorado, and Palm Springs, CA.
12. I believe and support youth philanthropy! Go YAC, Ecologicals, and TEDxHomer Teens!
13. I mentored an amazing citizen journalist from Uganda, Beatrice Achieng Nas, through World Pulse's Voices Rising. I am grateful to all those in WP! I also serve as a mentor to the Women Leaders Forum.Go Young Women Ambassadors!
14. My first car was a turquoise Buick Wildcat. We replaced the front bench seat with 3 green leather cushions with roller wheels and put black and white zebra striped furry fabric inside. My sporty USAFA car: chocolate Datsun 280 ZX. My current car BMW 325i.
15. I voted for both Sarah Palin for Governor of Alaska, to replace Frank Murkowski who had a 17% approval rating, and campaigned for President Barack Obama. I consider myself fiscally conservative (read not big governmental programs-but grassroots grown & community scaled) and socially liberal.
16. I curate TEDxHomer in Alaska. Our TEDxHomer team and teens make it memorable, fun, and creative. Thanks TEDxy's! Hopefully we TEDxHomer volunteers have mentored sufficiently for the TEDxHomer Teens to fledge for TEDxYouth@Homer2012:Let's Play completely produced by/for teens.
2009: The Great Unveiling
2010: Sustain US
2011: heART Matters
2012: Let's Play2012
2012: TEDxVailWomen The Space Between & TEDxVailChange. 17. I love TED cred points. Leading edge ideas excite me, challenging fresh linkages for solutions. I was part of the first social action project at TEDActive this year on Social Networking and the way in which it can serve to solve global problems. We got 6,000 to support an educational initiative.