Spain
Engineer, instructor, organic farmer/ natural builder/designer/filmmaker/healer/actor/musician and world-wandering wordweaver, im has been sojourning, building, planting, writing and teaching for over 30 years. In 1991, prior to the dawn of Certification Madness, im created SimPL as a short-contract and volunteer organization which seeks out and assists individuals and communities towards arriving at a self-reliant lifebase, amidst the growing apathy and consumption-fetish now gripping the general human population. SimPLife is the practice of natural living, with the intention of supporting and preserving the purity & sanctity of sensible lifestyle: project builds and lifeskills courses (permaculture & biodynamics-based), organic farming, natural building & life masterplanning. To date, there have been SimPLife builds or courses in Ladakh, Turkey, Spain, USA, Thailand, Ecuador, Egypt, Korea, Phillipines, Guyana, England, Nepal, Egypt and Indonesia. im's professional certifications include: BS Electrical Engineering BS Civil Engineering Permaculture Designer/Instructor LEED Accredited Professional Solar PV Designer/Installer, SEI Reconnection Healing Practitioner/ Reiki Master Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician, SOLO Wilderness Guide Educator, NOLS grab my FREE 2.5 hour e-course, SimPLife: The Way of the Practical Life, http://courses.thesimplife.com/courses/practical-hands-on-permaculture
Ladakh Territory, India 2013-2019 Key Contributions: Designed/built/maintained earth ovens for local businesses, in tourist environment. Project Leader & Designer for a traditional Ladakhi standalone kitchen. 50 to 200% increase in business recognition, productivity & sales. Rua Beach EcoResort- Sumba Island, Indonesia Dec 2017-Jan 2018 Key Contributions: Project Leader for beach-front resort construction. Planned & executed conscious landscaping, flood control/site drainage, organic food production. Designed & built the resort earth oven & bamboo shelter. 25% increase in resort recognition & kitchen productivity. The Farm Ecovillage Training Center- TN, USA http://www.thefarm.org 1999–2005 Key Contributions: Group Instructor & Project Leader for on-site permaculture, organic farming and natural building projects & workshops. Managed & maintained on-site food production. Con-structed & design-modified an Artificial Wetlands system: ponds construction, flow-forms & filtration flora. 25% increase in sitewide infrastructure, food production & public approval. Allpa Janpirina Instituto Ecological– [email protected] Tumbaco, Ecuador 2001-2005 Key Contributions: Project Lead & Instructor for Andino community works: Pisambilla Community Center, Boo-crete water storage tank & published handbook, construction procedures, farm resources management and renewable energy opportunities. (10-52, mixed skills & language). Initiated urban community waste management proposals: coordinated project with local govt. and funding agencies (Mayoral Staff, UNDP, USAID).
SimPLife Courses on https://www.udemy.com (my name “im Simpl”) 2015-present On-going Permaculture & Self-Reliance coaching & instruction, all skill levels. Key Contributions: Interactive, life-enhancing foundation and guidance for hundreds of worldwide engagers in hands-on projects. Current course titles: The Essential BioDynamics, Bio-Organic Farming, Living Farm!, How To Sculpt Your Own Earth Oven, How To Build a Profess-ional Djembe, SimPLife: The Way of the Practical Life, Organic Coffee- Farm to Table and Beyond 15,500+ students, 153 countries
Self-initiated, designed & coded community directory websites, out of concern for the burgeoning corporate imbalance in select local indigenous communities of Himalaya. Key Contributions: Affordable databased websites & web presence for private & family-run businesses, via three sister websites: https://pokhara.guide, dharamshala.guide, ladakh.guide. HTML/PhP/MySQL, face-to-face customer contact & sales. Directory website features: categorized listings, Traveller Rideshare, FleaMarket/2nd Hand, city maps. 33 total websites, in 2019-2020.
Key Contributions: Authored news reportage on global organic agriculture issues & investment opportunities. Focused on evolving the global organic market through education & promoting cooperative efforts. Articles include: Benefits of Perennial versus Annual Crops , The Organic Small Farm Cooperative Initiative (3 part series), The Whole-Farm Warrior: Dr. Vandana Shiva vs. GMO
Save the Children Intl – HQ30 Orange St., London, WC2H 7HH, UK https://www.savethechildren.net Remote Contract Designed a mobile, solar PV pump/irrigation prototype, remote-accessible via ModBus protocol, for renewable desert-regreening to establish farming lands in conflict-affected Syria. Key Contributions: System calcs, project bill of materials, system assembly/O&M guide, line drawings using AutoCAD. Close collaboration with Shafak (Turkey-based support installation group). Tasks completed on-time, within budget.
Project Start-Up Phase assignment for $18MM entertainment complex, with Korean prime contractor (12-50 skilled labour) on US Military base. Key Contributions: Authored all project procedures, supervised the on-site office installation, oriented workforce to new job phases, reported daily progress and setbacks, inspected & ordered incoming materials, recommended design & procedural changes. Project on-target, within budget.
Multi-family commercial rooftop solar PV, 30KW to 400KW. Key Contributions: Supervised growing design dept. (4 to 10). Personally negotiated every building permit the company ever obtained, for both structural and electrical project phases with various LA County permitting agencies (LADBS, LADWP, LAFD, CRA). Streamlined company design-documentation process. Drawing redlines and drawing package checks, trained designers in company process. Authored file archiving system, established energy calculations, assisted design using AutoCAD. Improved projects compliance transparency by 100%.