Born and educated in Pennsylvania, I moved to Texas with a degree in Narratology and ended up as a telecom client account manager. The cubicle life wasn't cutting it. Cue: The SHIRE.

Sustainable Habitats Incorporating Renewable Education. Their pilot project - named the Hundred Acre Wood - was just getting off the ground outside of Austin, and I volunteered every weekend for 8 months.

I've been a resident of the Hundred Acre Woods now for just about a year, and have had the incredible opportunity to see the SHIRE grow through our workshops and outreach. We've done everything from natural building, to biofuels, to mycoremediation and grade school field trips.

My plan for the summer is to travel the Northeast and visit permaculture communities, then spend a season in Thailand with the Panya Project. Right now it looks like I'll be headed to Nepal after that, but life can grow in any direction