CURRENT MISSION

Reforesting the strip mined lands of Appalachia, starting an organic mountain farm, being thankful

ABOUT ME

From the Appalachian Coalfields of Eastern Kentucky, former underground coal miner, BA grad with a self-designed major, traveled for a year on a weird fellowship (www.watsonfellowship.org) and now back home to try to contribute somthing positive to the area my family's been in for 200+ years. I've worked on lots of different projects over the years, from community gardens, DIY bicycle repair shops, biodiesel production systems, and agricultural research. I play old time mountain music on guitar and fiddle, and different kinds of rock music on guitar and drums. I like to eat well and drink well, constantly finding myself hiking/running/biking in the great outdoors. Some might say I'm a workaholic, but I know how to have fun too!

PHILOSOPHY

I believe that people are living in a way that cannot be sustained over the long term, but that we can only fix these problems by avoiding elitism, making solutions accessible, and enjoying life while we try to make it better for generations to come. I am mainly focused on my home region of Central Appalachia, but I appreciate the beauty and struggles of other regions and feel that we can make much more effective progress by interacting across cultural and geographic lines.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I traveled the world for a year on the Watson Fellowship (www.watsonfellowship.org) spending time in regions affected by extractive industry (mining, etc) while also gaining real-world experience with sustainability projects (renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and land remediation). I was incredibly lucky with dozens of great couchsurfing experiences during that time, and now that I'm back I'd like to help travelers in my neck of the woods any way I can.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been really lucky that lots of amazing people have shared their time with me and given me a place to sleep for a night or two, and I plan on giving the same generosity whenever I can

Interests

Playing Music: Old time mountain, some heavy stuff, some light/pretty stuff
Listening to Music: Something from every kind!
Sustainable Agriculture: Permaculture, organic, biointensive, etc.
Renewable Energy: Mainly community-scale biomass such as biodiesel, pyrolysis, gasification, AD, etc.
Land Remediation: Bringing damaged areas back to life, especially surface-mined places
Bicycling: Road biking around on refurbished beasts from the 80s
Fine Brews: Unique beverages from around the world
Other Cultures: Experiencing people and places around the world

• design
• beauty
• diy
• running
• drinking
• gardening
• eating out
• music
• rock music
• guitar
• drums
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• agriculture
• business
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Authors: Kurt Vonnegut, Ken Kesey, Daniel Quinn, Philip K. Dick, Paulo Coelho, Ron Eller, etcMovies: Wall-E, Up, The Fall, Dancin Outlaw, Life Aquatic, Twin Peaks, etcMusic: classic rock, old time mountain music, weird indie/electronic, some heavier stuff, probably something from every genre but i'm a bit of a snob!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

mountains all over the world, from the ones behind my house in Kentucky to the third highest in the world in Sikkim, India

Teach, Learn, Share

Biodiesel system design/buildBicycle repairOrganic gardening & farmingSmall business start-upPlaying guitar, drums, or fiddle

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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