Regeneration Nation Costa Rica
Jason Thomas
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Regeneration Nation Costa Rica explores who's doing what to bring CR toward environmental & social wellbeing.
Join us as we share stories, strategies, and insights from ecologically & socially beneficial projects contributing to the change we need to see more of in the world.
These stories provide businesses and landowners everywhere access to unique ideas for how they can design their own business models for regenerative success and impact.
In the end, we hope to see more people succeed in their dreams to live & work in ways that are beneficial to the environment, living beings, and future generations.
Support the Podcast at: https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr/
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2 days ago
025 Ian-Michael Hébert: Ecovillage Design with Reciprocity at Heart (HOLOS)
In this episode, we speak with Ian-Michael Hébert, one of the founders of Holos, a private retreat center and community specializing in holistic living and transformational experiences.
In our conversation, he discusses the genesis of Holos, their vision for a sustainable and resilient community, and the importance of focusing on reciprocity and honoring the indigenous people of the land. Ian-Michael also emphasizes the importance of preserving the natural beauty of the Diamante Valley and their commitment to stewardship.
Among other details of the community’s infrastructure, he describes their design for conserving a quarter of the property while reforesting most of the already denatured zones. They also have plans for a macaw reintroduction initiative.
Ian-Michael reflects on challenges they’ve faced in getting set up with elements such as water management, communication breakdowns with the municipality, and bridging the gap between foreigners and locals.
As we discuss the importance of supporting the local community, paying fair wages, and engaging with local service providers, Ian-Michael affirms Holos’s goal to continue reassessing their programming to focus more on community relations and neighborhood development.
Other topics we touched on include developing a clear vision, team building, project financing, and embracing the wisdom of not knowing.
I appreciate the degree to which Holos works to cultivate reciprocity with surrounding humans and the natural world. As important as it is, it can be challenging to keep such delicate subtleties at the forefront while in the development phase and when juggling the needs of investors and push-back from the municipality, but it’s the path worth walking.
Setting space aside to develop housing and other infrastructure for the Costa Rican and indigenous Boruca people, who compile much of their labor force, is a significant investment. I’ve been happy to see this practice implemented among some of the other ecovillage projects I’ve been investigating, as well. It’s a valuable step in honoring the needs of their workforce while holding space for the local culture and providing stability for the project.
Another element I’ve found attractive among the ecovillages I’ve been looking into is the effort to lay out a portion of the community infrastructure kept open for the use of the regional community, which is also represented in Holos’s design.
Something that echoed strongly for me in this interview is that it can be difficult to handle people’s projections when operating a project of this size. Gossip can be plentiful, and the most altruistically intending projects are often the easiest targets for it by those who are doing less, feeling like a project of that size should be able to do it all. I’m glad that Ian-Miachael plans to hold more events to bring the local community in to see more of what’s happening there.
Another detail that stuck out for me was Ian-Michael’s share of finding the right team. This topic often comes up with other landowners and entrepreneurs I work with. When looking for your team, it’s essential to identify your strengths, clearly describe your needs, make a humble ask out to your community, and have patience as it comes together.
Before letting you go, I’d like to address a housekeeping detail regarding working with a team. About 2/3rds into the interview, there's a moment where I described my efforts to help with a road repair fundraiser a couple of years ago. Relistening to it, I recognize I used a lot of “I” languaging.
I feel it important to clarify that I wasn’t the only member of the Diamante Bridge Collective who went to the Association meeting to learn about the pueblo’s needs, nor was I the only person behind the fundraiser. I might have been the one who initiated it, but raising that much money was a multicultural community effort and a testament to the power of cooperation.
I hope your life unfolds in a continuous stream of miracles. Remember to design reciprocity in all that you create.
One way to reciprocate any value you’ve been getting from the show is to subscribe to the podcast, rate us on Apple, comment on a YouTube video, donate to our Ko-fi.com fund, or share an episode with a fellow ecovillage enthusiast.
Until next time,
Keep it connected!
To learn more about HOLOS:
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Website: https://holos.global
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Social Media: @holos.global
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Basecamp video tour of HOLOS retreat center, bamboo structures, and glamping tents:
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Ecovillage Panel Discussion at Envision Festival 2023: https://youtu.be/vBqHwM5x01U
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!
Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.
You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to improve their lives. Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources
If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. It takes less than a minute, and it makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.
Special thanks to Albán Corrales and Eduardo Sant Anna for editing this episode!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Follow Regeneration Nation Costa Rica: https://regenerationnationcr.com
RegeneraVida: https://regeneravida.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Instagram: https://instagram.com/regenerationnationcr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/regenerationnationcr
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Jul 25, 2023
024 Sarah Wu: Cultivating a Regenerative Envision Festival
In today’s episode, we hear from Sarah Wu, a highly respected permaculturist & herbalist living and teaching in Costa Rica. I sat down with Sarah at the Envision Festival earlier this year to learn about some of the regenerative initiatives the festival has implemented as part of its mission.
Envision is a multi-day music festival with several stages and thousands of participants. By day, the focus is characterized by consciousness-raising workshops and presentations on permaculture, community-building, yoga, wellness, the embodiment of the divine masculine and feminine, and honor of indigenous ways. All this is presented with an overall theme of mindfulness and play.
By night, the arena becomes flooded by a secondary population of party-goers enjoying the many talented DJs and musicians playing on Envision’s many stages. You can find everything from electronic music to jam bands and local folk artists to ecstatic dance on the padded yoga stage. The experience can be overwhelming for some, and advice should be heeded to pace yourself, hydrate, and wash your hands frequently.
The festival brings with it a significant impact on the local town of Uvita, both in the ways of a boosted economy as well as occasional exhausts of some of its more limited resources. Like with all things in life, there exists a dichotomy that the festival producers have worked to bring balance to over the years.
In our interview, beyond sharing details about the thousands of trees they’ve planted onsite, their extensive composting system, the no-single-use-dishware policy, and the education programs that Sarah has initiated through the Village Witches program, we touch on the reasons why Envision isn’t using compost toilets anymore and what a future solution might look like.
One of my favorite parts of the interview is when we reflect on valuing each of our different niches in humanity’s ecosystem.
Festivals of this size are here to stay, and they can prove to be a life-changing experience for many people. At the same time, many festivals can get a bad rap for the negative impact of so many people converging on an area for a short time. While the convergence has a temporary impact on the wildlife, for instance, it is worth recognizing that the food forest of this festival site was previously nothing more than a cattle pasture.
Their internally organized dishwashing system diverts hundreds of thousands of plastic waste products from the landfill each year. The Village Witches program has cultivated a culture of well-being amidst a party scene, bringing herbalism to the mainstream.
The festival has also done a lot to bring hundreds of jobs to the local economy before, during, and after the event. They’ve also done a lot of work over the years to harmonize the ecosystem of the festival production, staff, artists, attendees, volunteers, and other influences.
In the interview, we didn’t cover what Envision’s non-profit foundation Somos el Cambio continues to do for the neighboring region.
With the leadership of Federico Gutierez, Somos el Cambio
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Has planted over 17,000 trees directly by Envision staff and volunteers,
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And over 80,000 more trees with Envision’s support.
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They’ve donated $18,000 of medical equipment to the local hospital in Ciudad Cortes for COVID relief efforts.
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$7,800 was donated to the Uvita community food bank, a Foundation in charge of identifying and distributing food to those families in greatest need.
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More than 4,600 trees have been planted with the local water board to protect the springs that feed water to all of Uvita.
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Eight monkey bridges have been built through a cooperative alliance with The Electrical Institute of Costa Rica.
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They’ve donated $17k to fund local water system upgrades.
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And over 30 tons of trash have been recollected during clean-up activities nationwide.
If you’d like to catch a glimpse of some of the workshops that took place at Envision, I recorded a few of them for the Envision Festival Playlist on our YouTube Channel. Among them is a panel discussion on the challenges that can arise in Building Eco-Villages, a talk about Decolonizing Permaculture, and some other exciting bits.
If you’re new to Regeneration Nation Costa Rica, subscribe to the podcast to stay updated with future releases. You can also keep up by joining our email list through our website, regenerationnationcr.com.
That’s what I’ve got for you this time.
Now, go out and be the change!
To follow more of Sarah’s contributions toward a regenerative world, check out:
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https://Envisionfestival.com
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https://villagewitch.org/
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@sarahwu.villagewitch.original
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@envisionfestival
Other recommendations from Sarah:
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https://www.Somoselcambio.org
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@Jaidev108
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!
Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.
You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to improve their lives. Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources
If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. It takes less than a minute, and it makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their projects.
Special thanks toAlbán Corrales for editing this episode!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Follow Regeneration Nation Costa Rica: https://regenerationnationcr.com
RegeneraVida: https://regeneravida.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Instagram: https://instagram.com/regenerationnationcr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/regenerationnationcr
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@regenerationnationcr
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May 19, 2023
023 Scott Gallant: Permaculture Development within a Holistic Context (Porvenir Designs)
In this episode, we meet with Scott Gallant, a permaculture consultant at Porvenir Design. I took advantage of the pragmatism he’s developed through his many years here to explore some of the pitfalls he’s seen with foreigners building large-scale developments. We also explore ways he guides his clients toward transmuting those potential problems into solutions.
Through his design and consultation work, Scott often finds himself inviting his clients to slow down and simplify their visions. Scott practices what he preaches, and we get into some of the ways he applies the Holistic Context approach to his own business. He also describes his experiences starting and operating a business in Costa Rica, along with the advantages and disadvantages of doing things by the books.
The second half of the interview gets really interesting as we discuss ways he trains new landowners how to be mindful of the context they’re building in. This includes setting reasonable expectations for your laborers and investing in appropriate education for them, especially if you want them to do things in a way they aren’t familiar with. Setting your work team up with unreasonable expectations is a hasty and unhealthy practice.
Investing into adequately training your workers in the techniques you want them to implement is a far more efficient use of your time, money, and relationships than telling them to do something they only know how to do from a conventional lens and expecting it to meet your end goals.
You’ll want to check out Scott’s blog. He’s an excellent writer who touches on many interesting topics.
I’d like to thank you for caring enough about what you’re doing to listen to this podcast as part of your personal development journey. If you know someone developing land in Latin America that would benefit from what Scott shared with us in this episode, consider passing it along to them. If they don’t often listen to podcasts, we host all of our episodes and more on our YouTube channel.
Keep in mind that the show has a profile on a donation platform called ko-fi.com. There’s a donate button on most pages of the website. It always makes my day when I get an email announcing that someone cared enough to support the show.
If sending in cash to help cover editing costs isn’t accessible to you, send me a message and let me know what you like about the show. I love hearing from you.
You can send an email to jason@regenerationnationcr.com, and I’ll get back to you personally.
Until next time, have a holistic day!
To follow more of Scott’s contributions toward a regenerative world, check out:
Website - Porvenirdesign.com
IG - https://www.instagram.com/scottplantstrees/
Other recommendations from Scott:
* Holistic Context: Holistic Decision Making - Dan Palmer
* Making Permaculture Stronger Podcast interview with Scott
* Holistic Management eBook by Alan Saveries
* Toby Hemingway’s Gaia’s Garde
* The Resilient Farm and Homestead
* The Overstory Book
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!
Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.
You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better. Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.
For transcripts of this episode, visit ….
Special thanks to Albán Corrales for editing this episode & Eduardo for editing the video!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Apr 29, 2023
022 Tricia Stapleton: Cultivating Community Resilience through Cultural Connection, Mutual Aid Work, & Trust
This episode is with a dedicated community organizer living in the Osa Peninsula, Tricia Stapleton. Tricia shares her embodied wisdom with each question she answers. Relistening to this episode to prepare it for publication was a treat! I had a hard time selecting which portions of this interview to use for the 3-4 highlight reels I produce with every episode because there was SO MUCH amazing content.
You’re lucky to be listening to this episode right now.
One of the many things that Tricia and I have in common is the responsibility we share as regenerative projects of not ignoring the socio-economic context we find ourselves in. Socio-cultural diversity as a vehicle for mutual aid, and the bridging of analog and digital solutions to community building are other topics that I enjoyed exploring with her.
We cover a few programs Tricia has co-founded in the Osa Peninsula. Cooperativa Los Higuerones is a bioregional learning center in the southern zone of the Osa Peninsula, Gulfo Dulce watershed. Its focus is on promoting alternative economic, social, and environmental opportunities.
From “stone soup socials”, to mutual aid work, emergency food boxes, a CSA program, a recycling program, and a locally operated farmers market… this multi-cultural local resilience organization, Higuerones, is doing it all!
Through that cooperative has been born Manos Cambiatas, a community work-party initiative that you’ll hear more about. Here’s a video that they created highlighting the work of Manos Cambiatas.
Be sure to listen to the end of the interview, where Trisha shares what they’re birthing with the ReGenerOsa collective. Regenerosa has developed a tithing program to fund regenerative projects in local communities.
Could you contribute 2.5% of something you’re doing to support a community actively caring for 2.5% of the earth’s biodiversity? This interview might just motivate you in that direction.
If you got some value from this episode, share it with a friend, say something nice about the podcast on your favorite social media channel, or drop a donation off at ko-fi.com.
I have more wonderful interviews like this waiting for the editors, and every little bit helps cover the production expenses. Thanks for sharing your time with us.
Now, go and give that 2.5%...
To follow more of Tricia’s contributions toward a regenerative world, check out:
Cooperativa Higuerones - http://www.higueronescoop.org/
The Regenerosa Collective- https://regenerosa.wixsite.com/regenerosacollective
FB - https://www.facebook.com/loshiguerones.coope
IG - https://www.instagram.com/higuerones.coop
Email -regenerosacollective@gmail.com
Other mentions from Tricia include:
ASCONA - https://www.facebook.com/asconacr/
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!
Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.
You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to improve their lives.
Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources
If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. It takes less than a minute, and it makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.
Special thanks to Albán Corrales for editing this episode!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Follow Regeneration Nation Costa Rica: https://regenerationnationcr.com
RegeneraVida: https://regeneravida.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Instagram: https://instagram.com/regenerationnationcr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/regenerationnationcr
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@regenerationnationcr
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Feb 21, 2023
021 Rodo Saenz: Natural Building Tools, Tricks, and Sage Advice (Bamboo School Costa Rica)
Rodo is a master natural building teacher from Costa Rica who’s been studying & teaching bamboo construction around the world for over 40 years.
I’ve released Rodo’s full-length interview on YouTube, complete with a visual tour of his handmade tools and a demonstration of a few bamboo building techniques he shows us. Still, I decided to release this shortened version of it for my podcast listeners, cutting out the parts that were primarily visual.
We start this interview in front of one of his most recent compost toilet & shower installments he’d made. We talk a bit about the bamboo and cob techniques that he used, as well as the series of week-long workshops that he taught, using these structures as the workstation.
From there, we move into his bamboo workshop, where he gives an overview of his handmade tools - several of them have traveled with him for over 40 years!
You’ll have to see the video to get the close-up tour! In that video, he also demonstrates a few of his furniture-building techniques.
The last segment of our interview takes us inside his tool shed for a discourse on building with cob and other natural materials. This is the part that made me want to release an audio version. I was particularly impressed to hear about his use of hydraulic lime as a substitute for cement!
Rodo has since moved on from EcoMaste and is now teaching natural building at a new location in La Florida, further back in the Diamante Valley. To learn more about his upcoming workshops, you can follow him on Facebook at “Bamboo School Costa Rica.” I also have his email address listed below.
If you found these tips useful, share them with a friend or on social media.
If you want to send the show some love, follow Regeneration Nation CR on your favorite social media channels and throw us a Comment or a Like every now and again to let us know you care.
I’m grateful to be building a better world with you!
Remember,
When the world around you seems to be falling apart,
The most regenerative thing you can do is lift your head up and create something.
To learn more about Rodo’s workshops and how you can learn from him, check out:
FB - https://www.facebook.com/BambooSchoolCostaRica
Email - bamborodo@gmail.com
If you enjoy this video, hit the Like button and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to stay informed of future releases.
Special thanks to Olalekan Ayodabo for editing this episode!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Follow Regeneration Nation Costa Rica: https://regenerationnationcr.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Instagram: https://instagram.com/regenerationnationcr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/regenerationnationcr
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@regenerationnationcr
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Feb 14, 2023
020 Jean Pullen & Alan Cacao: Living Seed Banks & the Breadfruit Revival
In today’s episode, we get the privilege of visiting with not one but two leaders in the regenerative space, Jean Pullen & Alan Cacao. Through their project Regenerate Your Reality, Jean & Alan have been tirelessly promoting permaculture education, seed propagation, food sovereignty, & community-building projects throughout the country.
Regenerate Your Reality is a permaculture, agroforestry, and education project working to bring sovereignty and happiness to our communities. It’s their mission to restore the relationship between humans and the earth to build a regenerative present.
They start the conversation by describing their work educating people at their biodiversity sanctuary in the mountains, near Platanillo, up the hill from Dominical. If you schedule a visit to their 1-hectare food forest, you’ll be welcomed to a tour of more than 300 species of food they have planted there. All of which is a living seed bank.
We discuss their partnerships with Kiss the Ground & Jungle Project and how they’ve been empowering local farmers with a regenerative livelihood, growing syntropic food forests with a focus on the abundantly producing breadfruit tree.
With the help of Earth University, INA (Costa Rica’s National Institute for Learning), and Kiss the Ground, these two life advocates and the rest of their friends at The Jungle Project provide ongoing, multi-year technical assistance to small-scale farmers on a variety of organic regenerative practices.
The organization’s mission is Trees, Training & Trade. The farming families learn to restore and maintain the ecological health of their farmland in ways that improve their nutrition and their income.
This crew is actively seeding a regenerative nation.
As Alan put it, connecting with the earth is our first medicine and one worth practicing daily. Participating in a world where the color green is ever out your window, and the sounds of birds and insects are perpetually punctuating the periphery of your awareness - for me, that’s a life I want to live. It’s the one I want to participate in preserving and passing on to my grandchildren.
I loved the moment when all three of us were relating to the transformative power we’re gifted with when we embody the experience of volunteering or interning at a permaculture center. You become a product of that project. It changes your life forever.
I was impressed to learn that the Jungle Project is rewarding partner farms by buying 80% of the fruit they produce.
Their mission is to substitute grains in people’s diets with breadfruit. Changing people's habits can be a long road, but it doesn’t stop them from walking it. After the interview, I had the pleasure of trying Alan’s handmade breadfruit tortillas with the abundant garden salad we all shared. The tortillas were delicious and had a very agreeable texture! I think they have a shot.
If you’d like to learn more from Jean and Alan, check out Regenerate Your Reality’s website and the permaculture webinars they’ve created. You can find Jean’s book there, as well.
That’s what I’ve got for you this time. If you like the episode, pass it on to a friend. If you’re hearing the show for the first time, subscribe to Regeneration Nation Costa Rica wherever you find podcasts. We’re on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and most other players.
Have a fantastic day, and the next time you have a friend over to visit, consider gifting them some seeds!
To follow more of Jean & Alan’s contributions toward a regenerative world, check out:
Regenerate Your Reality - https://www.regenerateyourreality.com
Jean’s Book - https://youtu.be/1hpulzhRNTM
Jungle Project - https://jungleproject.com
Kiss The Ground - https://kisstheground.com
FB - https://www.facebook.com/RegenerateYourReality
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/regenerateyourreality
Order Breadfruit Flour by contacting team@jungleproject.com
Breadfruit Flour Recipes (in English) - https://regenerationnationcr.com/breadfruit-recipes
Recetas con Fruta del Pan (En español) - https://regenerationnationcr.com/recetas-con-fruta-del-pan
Other recommendations from our discussion:
Punta Mona - https://www.puntamona.org
Mystical Yoga Farm - https://mysticalyogafarm.com
Essence Arenal - https://essencearenal.com
My interview with Nico Botefur of Essence Arenal - https://regenerationnationcr.com/podcast/nico-botefur
Envision Festival - https://www.envisionfestival.com
This episode is brought to you by YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!
Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.
You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better. Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources
Special thanks to Albán Corrales for editing this episode!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Follow Regeneration Nation Costa Rica: https://regenerationnationcr.com
RegeneraVida: https://regeneravida.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/regenerationnationcr
Instagram: https://instagram.com/regenerationnationcr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/regenerationnationcr
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@regenerationnationcr
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Oct 31, 2022
019 Jonathon Conant: Crafting Guests' Experiences, Cultivating Transformational Opportunities (Airborne Arts)
In today’s episode, I meet with Jonathon Conant, a seasoned performer, and coach of the aerial arts. He teaches trapeze and aerial silk skills in one of the most enriching environments a student could hope to learn them in.
We talk at length about Jonathan's practice of guiding students to explore flow state as a tool for unlocking unrealized potentials and enriched self-awareness.
We also talk about a number of the small touches that Jonathon places along his guests’ experience, from his first contacts with them by email down to getting them involved in cleaning up each other’s dishes after sharing a meal.
Jonathan uses the word Milieu several times in the interview. Milieu refers to the way we create and keep our space and what a significant effect that has on our guests' experiences. This applies even to their ability to assimilate what we have to offer them.
I’ll have to say that this was probably one of the most fun interview visits I’ve been on so far. I made sure to arrive at Jonathon’s place early in the day to get in on his morning trapeze class. I filmed a little video of the class while I was there. Make sure to check it out on our YouTube Channel on the Farm Tour Playlist when you get a chance. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/Y5wRjg3_A70
See more of what Jonathon is up to at www.airbornearts.com/
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!
Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr/ to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.
You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better. Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.
Special thanks to Peter Mukuru and Ariel Poltronieri for editing this episode!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Sep 16, 2022
018 Norman Brooks: Experiments in Community Development and Lessons Learned Along the Way (Punta Mona, Alegria, Ecovilla)
The episode you’re about to hear is with Norman Brooks,
Norman Brooks is a veteran pioneer in community development here in Costa Rica. Norman found his way to the jungle in a different manner than most of our guests. He followed and supported his children's passions. He’s commonly known by many around these parts as the father of Stephen Brooks, a well-known permaculturist and community leader in the country.
While his backstory gives an impression that Norman has been following in the footsteps of his son’s relentless passion and inspiration, the rest of the interview, as well as most of the other conversations I’ve had with Norman before setting a date to record, reveal him to actually be one of the pillars of practicality and fountains of wisdom that have been instrumental in his co-creators’ dreams coming true.
In this interview, you’ll hear the story of how their three projects, Punta Mona, Alegria, and Ecovilla, have evolved one out of the other. You’ll hear lessons learned and descriptions of adjustments made in response.
We also get into some of the legal and logistical details of building a community in Costa Rica and how Alegría was designed to make residential lots accessible to locals. His experience working with the local community has taught Norman that cultural regeneration is a first step on the path toward agricultural and even financial regeneration.
One of my favorite takeaways from the interview is Norman’s reflection that “If your dreams aren't scaring you, you may not be dreaming big enough.”
Links:
https://Puntamona.org
https://Alegría.com
https://Ecovillage.com
Alegria Home Owners Association Condominium Bylaws
Casa Sula (The school at Ecovilla)
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!
Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr/ to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.
You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better. Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.
Special thanks to Peter Mukuru and Ariel Poltronieri for editing this episode!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Sep 8, 2022
017 Edward Zaydelman: Producing Community & Events With Glamping & Other Temporary Infrastructure (Live the Possibilities)
The episode you’re about to hear is with Edward Zaydelman, founder of Live the Possibilities, providing guidance for those looking to take the leap into regenerative communities, sustainable neighborhoods, and revolutionary towns that are shaping the way we now live in the world.
While Edward’s story of developing his first land project, Vida, is one that was riddled with challenges and an ending that was very different than what was hoped for, upon inception, the interview is speckled with silver linings and an evolution of approaches that’s brought Edward to be the respected consultant that he is today.
Edward shares how he's taken what he learned from his years creating space at Burning Man and how he's applied that to his retreats in the tropics.
Edward advises us, before investing in expensive or permanent infrastructure, to consider producing some small events to develop a more practical perspective for the land’s, as well as your own, limitations.
In his adventures in creating low-budget and temporary spaces for events, he’s learned quite a bit about glamping options, and he shares with us the good, the bad, and the potential ugly in taking that approach. Glamping tents are a wonderful way to host people on a budget to get your program off the ground. It also helps to gather data before investing the capital needed to build more permanent structures. They also happen to look nice.
We also get into topics like creating sacred space, renting temporary infrastructure, developing strategic partnerships, and the importance of self-care. If you're not taking care of yourself, what you have to offer others won't be of the quality they deserve.
I’m embarrassed to say that this episode was recorded almost a year ago. At the same time, I’m proud to say that I’ve finally gotten it published.
I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I have.
Links:
Vida - http://www.puertavida.com/
Live the possibility https://www.livethepossibility.co/
Stout Glamping Tents - https://stouttent.com/
Lotus bell Glamping Tents - https://lotusbelle.com/
Cloud Seven Tents - https://www.facebook.com/cloud7tents
Retreat Guru - https://RetreatGuru.com/
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!
Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr/ to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.
You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better. Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.
Special thanks to Peter Mukuru and Ariel Poltronieri for editing this episode!
Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Aug 21, 2022
016 A Shift In Focus for Changing Times
Hello, and welcome to the first official episode of Regeneration Nation Costa Rica: Regenerative Agriculture, Business, and Community for Change. We’re exploring the A, B, C’s of co-creating a regenerative culture.
The A's, B's, & C’s of Agriculture, Business, & Community are three of the pillars that we build our societies around. In these fields, some of the most potent innovators are working to create new living paradigms - in harmony with the planet, its inhabitants, and the well-being of future generations.
Costa Rica is recognized as a hot spot for regenerative innovations and attracts millions of visitors each year. While many are simply traveling to soak up a season of pura vida living, a growing number are looking to contribute to and be part of an idealized movement for change.
My name is Jason Thomas. I first arrived to Costa Rica in 2009, bought a farm, raised a family, produced events, hosted hundreds of guests, learned a lot, taught a little, ate some humble pie, took a break, and came back for more.
When the pandemic hit and the flow of Airbnb guests that my permaculture project had depended on plummeted, I decided to use podcasting as a way of exploring better ways to manage my land project, build community, and keep it all financially sustainable.
Ironically, over the course of that journey, I ended up leaving my land project, expanding my sense of community to a more regional focus, and have begun experimenting with new ways to meet my needs by learning how to support the needs of others more effectively.
Along with the many changes I’ve encountered these last couple of years, I’ve decided to change the focus and name of the Sharing Insights Podcast that I’d begun at the dawn of it all. If you’d like to learn more about my background, I’ll invite you to visit Episodes #000 & #013 or check out the About page on our website https://regenerationnationcr.com.
While I still have a passion for serving landowners who invite guests in to have transformative experiences, I’ve come to realize that to serve that audience; we’d all benefit by opening the conversations up to include others who’ve found success in other regenerative fields.
For us to arrive at the future that we’re all working toward, I believe that it’s essential for us to learn from a broader range of change-makers across various fields of influence. As a growing human population living on a warming planet, our needs can only be met, in the time required, if we join forces and expand our awareness beyond our individual pieces of the puzzle.
This podcast is designed to support business owners who dream of using their efforts for ecological and social benefit. This might include new business owners, people actively preparing to begin their entrepreneurial journey or veterans who want to expand their own perspectives on who's doing what and how they might improve on what they’re already doing.
While we’ll continue to share insights from seasoned landowners and communitarians throughout Costa Rica, we’ll also hear from leaders in the green energy and ecotourism movements, crusaders for social equality, cultural bridge-builders, alternative economy pioneers, and more.
I’ve decided to be a bit of a bridge-builder myself in hopes of connecting grassroots movements with more industry-level initiatives, cultivating opportunities for us all to work together.
Transforming the ways that humans interact with each other, the planet, and their consideration for future generations requires a complex weaving of a web, intertwining insights from multiple points of view. We need to know who’s doing what in order to support them and benefit from what they have to offer.
While the show’s guests will continue to be from projects based in Costa Rica, I imagine that regenerative pioneers worldwide will find the insights we share to be a benefit to them as well.
Thousands of people around the globe are poising themselves to either start a regeneratively-focused project or double down on the one they already have. At the same time, hundreds of thousands more are looking to places like this for solutions, experiences, and even refuge.
For most, operating a project like this, at any scale, has no end of challenges, especially for those who are underfunded. I've found that a podcast like this can be a powerful tool to learn what others are doing and how they're doing it.
Whether you’re an owner, patron, or even cheerleader of regenerative enterprises, we’ve got a robust lineup of guests waiting to get on the mic to share what they’re doing and how you can get involved.
If you’re living in Costa Rica and the promise of this being a regenerative nation excites you and is why you’re here, then be sure to subscribe to the podcast to learn more about who you’re already in community with and how to strengthen those bonds.
Whatever your reasons are for being here, I hope the insights we’re sharing offer you some support along your journey.
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Aug 10, 2022
015 Cultivating an Impactful Belief (Season 1 Recap)
Cultivating an Impactful Belief System
Welcome
Hello, and welcome to the 6th and final episode of the Season 1 Recap of the Sharing Insights Podcast! I think it’s fair to say that it’s been a value-rich experiment for me. All the same, I hope you, my friends, have gotten some value out of it as well.
As it is, this is also going to be the final episode of the Sharing Insights Podcast.
Yes, this is the grand finale of the podcast as we’ve known it. Since I began producing this podcast and learned more about the power of the mic and what we can do with it, I decided to open the conversation up to other regenerative-focused programs that aren’t exclusively land-based. From here on, the podcast will be known as ‘Regeneration Nation Costa Rica’.
The urgency for humanity to get behind regenerative practices in any and all aspects of its existence has begun to grow on me. While I’ll continue to provide content directed at helping land-based projects gain exposure and learn from each other’s insights, we’ll hear more about who’s doing what to help Costa Rica reach carbon neutrality and social equity.
I believe that to help this movement of regenerative-focused landowners further discover their potential, make the impact they intended, and thrive, it’ll do us well to see what other players are doing in the regenerative field. There are a multitude of empowering projects all around Costa Rica, offering products, services, education, and community-building opportunities that our current audience can benefit from hearing about, and I want to get them on the mic!
The time to make the efforts needed to hand our grandchildren a world worth having children in, is NOW. The maverick landowners who’ve been the focus of the podcast so far will continue to be an important focus for upcoming content. I already have several interviews with land stewards recorded and ready to go.
At the end of this episode, I’ll share more of what I’ve been getting into these past months and what you can expect from the podcast in the months to come.
Let’s get into this theme of cultivating an impactful belief system and some of the insights that our guests have shared with us so far.
None of this show’s guests could be where they are, doing what they do, if they didn’t embody an impactful belief system. It’s been a great pleasure to get to know these leaders better and witness their brilliance.
So, what is an impactful belief system?
The world is full of people trying to make ends meet. The struggle keeps most folks hyper-focused on the details of what many call the “hamster wheel” or “the rat race” of life. From this place, it’s difficult to see what one can do to create a positive impact in the world around them beyond being a “responsible consumer.”
There are others, however, who find the grace to break free from reactionary living long enough to discover what their passions are and how they can apply them to serve the needs of others in a regenerative way. In a world with headlines as disconcerting as the ones we find today, it takes courage to forge ahead with one’s dreams and be the change one wants to see.
Recognizing that a new way exists; believing that you can find your way there, and holding faith that “if it can be done, you can do it”, are some of the first steps in initiating and developing an impactful belief system. Transformation awaits those who take these steps.
What do our guests have to say from their side of the looking glass?
Just for fun, let's go in reverse order of our episodes, bringing the brilliance of our friend Lynx Guimond to the spotlight first. In Lynx’s interview, he leaves us with the commonly shared, but too commonly forsaken advice to make the effort required to live your dreams. He reminds us that happy people choose to do what they want to do. Likewise, happy people find ways to want to do what they’re doing. This is sage advice that does us service each time we remember it. Creating a healthy and holistic lifestyle and environment makes doing what we love and loving what we do easier. It can drive us forward on our path of living our dreams.
Lynx, and all his crew at SailCargo Inc, also ask us to commit to buying local and do whatever else we can do to reduce the carbon footprint of the shipping industry. Purchasing used products is another method that Lynx, and many other conscientious consumers, recommend for reducing this planet-altering source of pollution.
It’s become imperative that we start spending more time researching how to effectively direct our buying power to support places that are doing what we want to see done in the world, and form commitments to follow through whenever possible. Of course, it’s equally imperative that we forgive ourselves for where we are while we get certain about where we’re going.
Another one of our guests who’s kept his focus on sourcing his needs, and those of his guests, as locally and mindfully as possible, is Nico Botefur.
Nico started with an inherited piece of property and a modest budget and has developed it into a regenerative farm-to-table hotel and restaurant, providing entrepreneurial opportunities for many of his neighbors who choose to offer tours, therapy sessions, and other culturally-focused classes and services. The biggest takeaway here is that he first invested into his education. Upon deciding to undertake the stewardship of the property and start the business, he took a permaculture course and attended a variety of workshops and retreats to better understand how to work with the land, natural building materials, and his own inner nature.
The entirety of my interview with Nico Botefur, the way he goes about the orchestration of Essence Arenal, and the way his staff welcomes their guests, demonstrates his belief that “passion is the key to success.”
Another pair of impactful believers is Meghan Casey and her husband Davis Azofeifa. They’re the sweet couple whose family founded and runs the Chilimate Rainforest Eco Retreat. First, let’s look at their commitment to join forces with the Rainforest Alliance. The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new norm. They help farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers champion ecologically and socially regenerative practices.
As a reward, businesses that complete the application and mentoring process are validated to use Rainforest Alliance’s well-recognized frog certification seal on their website and marketing, along with other benefits. Meghan tells us, in her interview, how they had many of the social and environmental bits down, but Rainforest Alliance helped them with administrative skills and infrastructure.
She’s also been a leader in her community, assisting her neighbors with entrepreneurial guidance and training, helping them to tap into the ecotourism market in a way that fosters cultural bridging. Meghan and Davis have empowered their community to collectively foster an ecologically, economically, and culturally prosperous environment for many families in their pueblo. From language & art classes, to homestays, to farm tours, horseback riding, and more, they’ve turned it into a destination location that’s impacted the lives of countless eco-centric people passing through the region.
When I first arrived in Costa Rica a dozen years ago in my veggie oil school bus, one of the first culturally progressive Ticos that I met was a young man named Esteban Acosta. He was fresh out of Earth University, working as a biodynamics manager at an organic farm, close to where I live now, and this kid was just bubbling with fun. The kind of fun that exudes from those who absolutely love practicing their garden alchemy.
Esteban had built a well-functioning biodigester for the owner’s goat farm, which Esteban…
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Jul 27, 2021
014 Jason Bliss: Words of Advice for Next Generation Nomads (Part 2 from “For Animals For Earth Podcast”)
This episode is part 2 of my interview with Brandy Montague from her podcast, For Animals For Earth. In this half of the interview, I shared a bit of advice for travelers looking to visit impact centers as guests, volunteers, digital nomads, or students. In the end, we’re all really students!
Brandy asked me to share a description of what it might be like to visit a place like mine. I freely shared some of the comforts along with several of the discomforts that one might expect as part of the package, from composting toilets, harvesting food, being in close proximity to many people for an extended period, and even some thoughts around our conditioned fears around bugs and snakes.
When asked, “What’s the one thing that people can do to make a positive impact on the world?” I get into the importance of being a conscious consumer and supporting businesses that approach their products and services with social and environmentally ethical practices as a priority.
If you get anythi…
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Jul 15, 2021
013 Jason Bliss: A Vagabond Permaculture Podcaster - The Backstory (Part 1 from “For Animals For Earth Podcast”)
Listen in on this conversation that was recorded by Brandy Heyde Montague interviewing me for her podcast “For Animals For Earth”. She was intrigued by the term Ecological Impact Center and asked if I’d be a guest on her show https://foranimalsforearth.com/.
I met Brandy thanks to her offer to read through and give feedback on what’s become my first eBook, exploring permaculture and how we can apply it to our lifestyles. You can download the book for free at https://sharinginsights.net/permaculture-lifestyle-ebook/.
I’ve decided to rebroadcast this two-part interview, to help you get a better feel for me and why this podcast has come into being. I’m also buying myself time while I compile notes for a recap episode, contemplating the many things I’ve learned on my podcast journey so far.
In this first half of the interview, we talk about what an impact center is, and then I get into story-telling mode. Brandy asked me how I came to buy land in Costa Rica. My attempt at…
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Jun 22, 2021
012 Lynx Guimond: Building a Zero-Emissions Ocean Vessel on a Permaculture Homestead (SailCargo Inc)
Lynx Guimond of Sailcargo Inc. is an adventurous carpenter and shipwright with an inspiring mission. He's created a homestead in Costa Rica, uniting a team of over 20 shipbuilders from around the globe to embark on the quest to create a zero-emissions cargo eco-ship called Ceiba, to cross the Atlantic ocean between Central America and Europe.
He shares the story of how went from bee-keeping in the mountains to creating a sustainability-focused shipyard from scratch. Assembling a team of naval carpenters from around the world, he's imported their expertise to share with the local craftsmen, all aligned in common vision.
In complement to the shipyard's mission of revolutionizing ocean travel, the crew's been developing a sustainable homestead, using slow and small solutions. In a short period of time, they've come to produce a generous amount of organic food for themselves, right at home on their beachfront property!
To top it off, Lynx and crew have been heading up reforestation prog…
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Jun 8, 2021
011 Nico Botefur: This Permaculture-Designed Hotel, Restaurant, and Food Forest is Set Up for Success (Essence Arenal)
Nico Botefur of Essence Arenal shares how he’s turned a couple of rooms on a denatured piece of property into a thriving business, food forest, and employment opportunity for entrepreneurs in his region. Located at the base of the beautiful Arenal Volcano, his hotel/restaurant/spa is an excellent example of what magic can come with patient and persistent application of the permaculture principles to one’s business. Nico and I discuss his use of bamboo for a wide variety of projects from glamping tent frames, to greenhouses, to volleyball posts. We also explore several ways that Nico has been creating synergistic systems that maximize his efforts, recycling waste back into the project and providing multiple yields with each input of energy.
If you'd like to learn more about Nico's cyclical approach to resource management for his hotel and restaurant, check out this short PDF that captures some of the highlights of how it all works.
Download the PDF here: https://sharinginsights.ne…
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May 18, 2021
010 Meghan Casey: An Ecolodge Using Community Outreach to Co-Create a Regenerative Region (Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat)
This interview, with Meghan Casey of the Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat, is the kind of conversation that can change the fabric of a project’s relationship with its region and neighbors. We discuss community outreach projects that anyone can do: including teaching English, promoting cooking classes and homestay/farm stay experiences for guests to have authentic cultural experiences with the locals, organizing cacao and coffee tours, raising children in such a work-life situation, and more!
If you’ve wondered how to effectively provide value to your outer community, create goodwill, and foster regional resiliency, this episode is for you!
We've prepared a PDF to offer you a short list of some things that you can do to create goodwill and resilience in your community. You can download it at https://sharinginsights.net/community-outreach.
To follow more of Chilamate Rainforest Eco-Retreat’s adventures in community outreach and micro-business creation, check them out at:
Websit…
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Apr 27, 2021
009 Estéban Acosta: A Young Costa Rican Teaching Biodynamics, Cash Crops, & Home-Scale Biodigesters (Sembrando Flores and Viogaz)
Today’s episode is with Estéban Acosta of Sembrando Flores & Viogaz, Costa Rica’s leading manufacturer and installer of bio-digesters for home-scale, as well as commercial, uses. We discuss the spiritual side of agriculture through the application of biodynamic principles, growing “green manure” (mucuna beans), and the benefits of using a biodigester to process grey water and black water. Esteban is a consultant and international spokesperson for the biodynamic movement. This episode is sure to bring you value.
I hope you enjoy it!
Download Esteban's Description of the of Biodynamics Principles:
https://sharinginsights.net/biodynamics
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without my selling you stuff. Isn’t that great! So, instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a cof…
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Apr 6, 2021
008 Terry Lillian Newton: Integrating Horses with Permaculture, Mindfulness, and Passion (Kindred Spirits)
In today’s episode with Terry Newton of Kindred Spirits, we explore horse care, equine therapy, using connection with horses to enhance yoga and meditation practices. Permaculture, & natural medicine. It’s a conversation filled with intriguing stories, practical advice, and inspiration to follow one’s dreams. Terry shares her top tips for horse care in the tropics, as well as things that aspiring owners would do well to consider before solidifying their commitment.
We've created a PDF with some of Terry's top recommended plants for horse health. If you'd like to check it out, you can download it directly, here https://sharinginsights.net/horse-health.
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without my selling you stuff. Isn’t that great! So, instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just…
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Mar 17, 2021
007 Aly Khan & Alnoor Ladha: Designing Community for Post-Capitalistic Resiliance (Brave Earth)
Building community is a central focus for many back-to-the-land projects. Most commonly, that community is comprised of internal share-holding members, long-term guests, or the extended community of the surrounding village. For some projects, that would also include short-term guests and off-site investors. No matter what community means to you, many agree that a shifted focus toward a healthy sense of community is vital for a sustainable future.
Today’s episode dives deep with Aly Khan & Alnoor Ladha of Brave Earth (Tierra Valiente), one of Costa Rica’s newest intentional communities. Topics covered include creating an onsite school & communally-owned economic engine as a tactic to keep members on-site year-round. We also hear about their 50/25/25 model for profit sharing and the value of weekly community councils. One of my favorite moments is the description of their community solidarity network called “Fuerza del Amor” and what they’re doing to integrate their local neig…
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Jan 17, 2021
006 Ancel Mitchell: Bringing Cacao from Its Traditional Roots to a Cottage Industry (Talamanca Chocolate)
Welcome to the world of Ancel Mitchel, herbalist, storyteller, chocolatier, and overall quality human being. In today’s episode, we dive into the value of connecting with & supporting local indigenous communities, various ways that one might prepare a cacao bean, and the value of embracing the mythological roots or our plant medicines.
Ancel is one of the key players of Finca La Isla, along with her partner Peter Kring from last week’s episode. Both of these pioneers have had a lot to share. Kick back and enjoy the stories that Ancel lays out for us. It’ll be time well spent.
Also, we've create this awesome downloadable PDF that includes all the best tips and tricks we learned from Ancel in this epsiode. You can download it here: https://sharinginsights.net/Ancel-Mitchell-PDF
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without…
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Jan 5, 2021
005 Peter Kring: Veteran Insights into Fruit Forest Maintenance & Running a Farmers Market (Finca La Isla)
Meet Peter Kring, a nurseryman & farmer who has more than 30 years of experience in tropical agriculture. Peter has introduced many valuable species into cultivation in Costa Rica and maintains a collection of over 200 species of fruit trees. His farm, Finca la Isla, on the Caribbean coast, offers a plethora of workshops in horticulture, medicinal plants, chocolate making, fermentation, and farm to table practices.
In today’s episode, Peter shares with us his insights into sustainability through producing goods to sell at the farmers' market. Peter is an advocate for farmers’ markets and is the president of the committee that manages the market in Puerto Viejo. He also touches on organic certification, what it takes, & whether it’s worth it. Beyond that, Peter shares with us his preferred soil amendments and walks us through some of his fruit forest maintenance.
We talk about a ton of farming and fruit forest maintenance tips and tricks in this episode! So, to make it easier f…
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Dec 17, 2020
004 Justin Dolan: Sustainable Design, from Building Methods to Waste Management (Part 2 from The Permaculture Country Club)
The conversation continues from last week’s episode with Justin Dolan of St Michael’s Permaculture Country Club, in Central Pacific Costa Rica. Justin mentions a number of the innovations that he’s been experimenting with, including natural building with bamboo, bioremediation, soil health, natural cooling with living rooftops and vines, waste management, and more.
We've also created an awesome PDF that contains all the best tips we learned from Justin Dolan about designing for resilience. You can download it here: https://sharinginsights.net/designing-for-resilience-PDF
To follow more of Justin’s adventure’s in Permaculture, check out:
* Website - https://stmichaelscr.com/
* Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SaintMichaelsCR/
* Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/permaculturecountryclub
* Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/st.michaelscr
Be sure to check out Justin's Top Tropical Plants recommendations: https://sharinginsights.net/top-tropical-plants
This epi…
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Dec 10, 2020
003 Justin Dolan: Cultivating Bio-diversity, Bokashi, and Healthy Competition within Community (Part 1 from The Permaculture Country Club)
In today’s episode, we join Justin Dolan at the St Michael's Permaculture Country Club in Central Pacific Costa Rica. Justin shares his passion for seed propagation, medicinal plants, and using bio-ferments for healthy soil as well as animal care. We explore topics such as healthy competition, the value of studying with a mentor, and using plants for natural home cooling. Justin is a wealth of knowledge and the conversation ended up continuing into a second episode. If you enjoy listening to Justin and the insights that he has to share, be sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you’ll have immediate access when Part 2 is released. We’ll be hitting on topics such as natural building, and greywater management. Be sure to check it out!
To follow more of what’s happening at the Permaculture Country Club, check out:
Website - https://stmichaelscr.com/
FB - https://www.facebook.com/SaintMichaelsCR/
IG - https://www.instagram.com/st.michaelscr/
Be sure to check out Justin's Bokashi…
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Dec 2, 2020
002 Ed Bernhardt: A Deep Ecologist's Tips on Soil Building, Brewing Bio-ferments, and Educating the Next Generation (New Dawn Center)
In today’s episode, we visit with Ed Bernhardt at the New Dawn Center/Finca Alba Nueva, in Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica. Ed is a deep ecologist, and author for several newspaper & magazine articles in Costa Rica, including the Tico times. Ed shares with us tips for soil building & supporting your plant’s immune system with a recipe that he calls “kombucha for the plants,” He also shares stories about what it was like to homestead in the 80’s, in Costa Rica, while teaching organic gardening to the locals from young school children to University students. Ed is developing an online course to continue reaching out to those who are willing to receive the wisdom that he has to share, earned over 40 years of gardening in the tropics. Ed also grows a variety of medicinal plants that he processes with his wife for sales at the local farmer’s market.
If Ed’s description of his bio-ferments has you wanting more, be sure to check out the YouTube video that we created, where we take y…
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Dec 2, 2020
001 Suzanna Leff: Run a Successful Volunteer Program for Over 30 Years and Still Love It (Finca Amrta)
In today’s episode, we visit with Suzanna Leff, one of the cofounders of Finca Amrta, a permaculture farm in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica. Suzanna has been running her volunteer program for over 30 years and has been able to keep it full, almost exclusively by word of mouth. We discuss topics like, how to find volunteer managers and administrative support, helping guests find their passions, and how to keep people engaged and happy.
We've created a downloadable PDF to offer you a list of tips you can implement to enhance your volunteer program. Download here: https://sharinginsights.net/volunteer-programs
If you enjoy the podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a rating and short review wherever you listen to podcasts. It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.
This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have a…
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Dec 1, 2020
000- A Warm Welcome From Your Host Jason Bliss
This brief episode is a thorough introduction to Sharing Insights Podcast, what I seek to bring to the world through this medium, and exactly how I intend to do it. You will also get to hear my story and journey from traveling to communities around the world to owning my own land-based project here in Costa Rica.
The takeaway from this episode is that this is a journey we must take together because, without the collective sharing of insights, we will not grow. I hope you take the time to listen to this introduction and feel encouraged to share your insights with us too.
In the meantime, I have a favor to ask of you. As a fledgling podcast, it is vital to gain some good reviews across our streaming platforms. If you have a moment and want to help support this podcast, please leave us a review on your preferred podcast streaming service.
You can also support the podcast financially by donating to the cause here: https://ko-fi.com/sharinginsights
Thanks, and enjoy the show!
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