I was raised in the small redneck town of Prescott (as in Biscuit) Valley Arizona. I spent most weekends and summers camping, hiking, and traveling, which instilled me with great love and respect for nature.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that I didn’t belong, ideologically, in Arizona. I had been to Oregon a few times as a child and had always loved how green and rainy it was. So my family (Mike and Willie) and I packed up and moved to Portland in ‘98.

Portland is great (for a city). I love the rain, the parks, the bicycles, and the great many people who want to make positive change happen in the community.  But even in Portland it’s impossible to ignore the direction the US is heading. The war, the lack of funding for education, health care, and social programs, the devastation of the environment, the constant criminal activities of our political leaders, and the apathy of so many Americans has been a constant weight on my shoulders.
I’ve found it to be impossible to live any sort of mindful, meaningful life while being immersed within the materialistic culture of the US. I can’t work for “the man” anymore, nor can I give any more money to a system of corruption. 

I’ve wanted to find a community that shares my values: sustainability, love for the environment, a desire to make the world a better place for our children, an appreciation of art and music, and the motivation to make it all happen.  My family and I were in the process of planning a trip to Central America in search of a community like this when we met Joshua, Yemaya, and Kaileah who introduced me to “Verdenergia”. This is the community I’ve been searching for.

I absolutely love the people that I’ve met here, and the positive energy, ideas, and goals that this place generates. My goal here is to do what I can to promote a positive sustainable existence for my family and the tribe. I plan to do this by working to set up a good gardening system, putting together some retreats and educational programs, and working on any other projects that I can help with.

I have some artistic, web design, and video production skills and would love to collaborate with fellow tribe members on some creative projects in the future as well. I’m also interested in learning all about the native birds, wildlife, and plants that live on and around the farm.
I can’t wait to meet all of the tribe members and hope to do so when I return to Portland in May or here at the farm when I return.