My name is Anon Crystal Shine. "Anon" is a mystical as well as practical word that has many meanings throughout many different cultures. It was not a name until I was named it, so if you have never met anyone else with this name, I'm not surprised ;). "Crystal" I got to pick for myself when my parents finally got me a birth certificate at age 6. Reasons for this peculiarity may become more evident in subsequent paragraphs. "Shine" is what my parents changed our family name to when they got married. I'm happy with this decision as I much prefer "Shine" to "Lester"! I'm a Com Major graduating at the end of this semester. I may get my graduate degree at some point. For now I am excited about using much of what I have learned at UH in my new Community Outreach position at Down to Earth.
My relationship with sustainability started early in life and is based in a simple connection and reverence for wild places and the effortlessly sustainable systems of the natural world. My parents had strong convictions not to participate in the violence and environmental degradation of mainstream society. They lived as gypsies, hitchhiking across the US, living off the land and benefiting form the kindness of others. I was born close to nature at Big Bend Hot Springs in Shasta CA and hitchhiked, with my parents to 47 states and Canada and Mexico all before I can remember! Moving to the Big Island at the age of 6 further contributed to my awe of nature and the complex beauty that resides there. This love lends itself to an intense interest in preserving that which I have so much appreciation for through practices of sustainability.
Currently I am living in Leilani Estates just outside of Pahoa. I moved out here to be with the man that I love and to help him to raise his 4 year old son. My fiances' parents own and operate a large farm in Opihikao, just down the road from us, and I have learned a lot about the sustainable practice of growing ones own food from them. I also love living close to the hotponds, tidepools and lava flows native to Kapoho and Kalapana.
From this course I am hoping to expand my knowledge of global sustainability practices and movements and make strong connections with others in my own community who may share my values and passions for protecting and learning from nature. This support lends itself to stoking the rowdy love necessary to continuing the evolution toward right relationship with each other and the planet.
I am a people person as well as a nature person. I have a lot of compassion for the human experience and have always been drawn toward understanding how to contribute to a experience of greater contentment for humanity. I am beginning to see that really what is best for us is also what is best for the planet! Health and Happiness are sustainable practices! This natural draw toward understanding contentment and harmony in relationships of all kinds has led me to deep investigations of Mahayana and Zen Buddhism (especially Pema Chodron) Nonviolent Communication (Developed by Marshall Rosenberg) and Mysticism (individual experiences of connecting with the Divine) from any and all cultures and traditions. I also LOVE to cook, eat and feed people, swim, run, bike, hike, do art projects with children and my friends and paint.
I am so inspired by my friend Jessica (also taking this course) who bikes the 10 or so miles from her house to town in order to go to work and school almost every day! Once she got a ride home and forgot her bike in town, so the next mornning she ran the whole way! She does have a car, but as she put it she is seeing how much she can "Just, suck it up!" Unfortunately I live 30 miles from town, so biking at this point is not entirely possible :(. But maybe someday! One thing I am doing is choosing to work for a company that is contributing to sustainability by being affiliated with other environmentally conscious companies, buying and selling local products and selling nothing that is not completely vegetarian. This company is a natural food store you may have heard of called Down to Earth. Choosing a vegetarian/ vegan diet is actually a step that anybody can take, with a little effort and support, towards living more sustainably. I won't go into the details here but stay tuned. Also you may see me on campus giving free vegetarian cooking demos, and providing a platform to discuss strategies for further promoting sustainability in our community. Samples of vegetarian food included!
My relationship with sustainability started early in life and is based in a simple connection and reverence for wild places and the effortlessly sustainable systems of the natural world. My parents had strong convictions not to participate in the violence and environmental degradation of mainstream society. They lived as gypsies, hitchhiking across the US, living off the land and benefiting form the kindness of others. I was born close to nature at Big Bend Hot Springs in Shasta CA and hitchhiked, with my parents to 47 states and Canada and Mexico all before I can remember! Moving to the Big Island at the age of 6 further contributed to my awe of nature and the complex beauty that resides there. This love lends itself to an intense interest in preserving that which I have so much appreciation for through practices of sustainability.
Currently I am living in Leilani Estates just outside of Pahoa. I moved out here to be with the man that I love and to help him to raise his 4 year old son. My fiances' parents own and operate a large farm in Opihikao, just down the road from us, and I have learned a lot about the sustainable practice of growing ones own food from them. I also love living close to the hotponds, tidepools and lava flows native to Kapoho and Kalapana.
From this course I am hoping to expand my knowledge of global sustainability practices and movements and make strong connections with others in my own community who may share my values and passions for protecting and learning from nature. This support lends itself to stoking the rowdy love necessary to continuing the evolution toward right relationship with each other and the planet.
I am a people person as well as a nature person. I have a lot of compassion for the human experience and have always been drawn toward understanding how to contribute to a experience of greater contentment for humanity. I am beginning to see that really what is best for us is also what is best for the planet! Health and Happiness are sustainable practices! This natural draw toward understanding contentment and harmony in relationships of all kinds has led me to deep investigations of Mahayana and Zen Buddhism (especially Pema Chodron) Nonviolent Communication (Developed by Marshall Rosenberg) and Mysticism (individual experiences of connecting with the Divine) from any and all cultures and traditions. I also LOVE to cook, eat and feed people, swim, run, bike, hike, do art projects with children and my friends and paint.
I am so inspired by my friend Jessica (also taking this course) who bikes the 10 or so miles from her house to town in order to go to work and school almost every day! Once she got a ride home and forgot her bike in town, so the next mornning she ran the whole way! She does have a car, but as she put it she is seeing how much she can "Just, suck it up!" Unfortunately I live 30 miles from town, so biking at this point is not entirely possible :(. But maybe someday! One thing I am doing is choosing to work for a company that is contributing to sustainability by being affiliated with other environmentally conscious companies, buying and selling local products and selling nothing that is not completely vegetarian. This company is a natural food store you may have heard of called Down to Earth. Choosing a vegetarian/ vegan diet is actually a step that anybody can take, with a little effort and support, towards living more sustainably. I won't go into the details here but stay tuned. Also you may see me on campus giving free vegetarian cooking demos, and providing a platform to discuss strategies for further promoting sustainability in our community. Samples of vegetarian food included!
Yum, it looks like good eatin!
ReplyDeleteMahalo for such a comprehensive introduction. I am glad you are in the class!