Colin Leath

Fall 2006

San Diego, California

Current Projects Midwifing the Great Turning

Creating a backyard compost pile and garden, inspired in part by Path to Freedom in Pasadena.

Creating a community garden in nearby Clay Park with the Rolando Community Council.

Helping San Diego Food Not Lawns organize a conference.

Helping the San Diego River Park Foundation extend and improve the San Diego River Trail.

Helping World Guardian Voices / San Diego Ishmael save the world.

Creating a Community Land Trust for San Diego activist collectives and for carfree people.

Planning a bioregional permaculture gathering for San Diego / Tijuana.

Academics

English and Spanish Language Literature and TESOL. San Diego State University. 2004-2006.

BS with departmental honors, Psychology. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. 1999.

Diploma. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia. 1994.

Professional Experience

Research Interests

Permaculture.

The role of theory or myth in socially-constructed experience, and the process of theory composition.

Teaching Philosophy

Education should “enhance our students’ journey to wholeness” (hooks 181).

“Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, revelling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community” (hooks 197).

bell hooks. Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope. New York: Routledge, 2003.

Publications

The Carfree Universe Project: Strengthening Communities of the Carfree. April 2003 present. <http://carfreeuniverse.org/>.

A portal for the carfree community where I have published academic and creative work.

Presentations

“Nothing?” with Brad Anderson, Laura Sheppard, Michael Thayer, and William Shames of the San Diego Ishmael Group. San Diego EarthFair, Balboa Park. 23 April 2006.

“CarFree City, USA,” with Gus Yates, David Ceaser, Steven Pav, and Jim Gottlieb. San Diego EarthFair, Balboa Park. 1 May 2005.

“The Experience of Meaning in Life from a Psychological Perspective & The Effect of Participation in the Meaning in Life Forum on Participants’ Experiences of Meaning in Life.” Bridging Disciplines: The First Annual Graduate Student Board Interdisciplinary Conference. San Diego State University. 4 April 2005.

A presentation of my undergraduate theses in which I noted related literary works.

“Transitioning to Carfree Living and Environments,” with David Ceaser and Gus Yates. Green Earth Promotions’ First Annual Green Earth Festival. Veterans Memorial Building, San Luis Obispo, California. 5 June 2004.

“The Carfree Movement.” Tenth Annual Southeast Summer Permaculture Gathering. Earthaven Ecovillage, Black Mountain, North Carolina. 9 August 2003.

“Using ZOPE to Create Web Applications.” Towards Car-Free Cities III. Toulcuv Dvur, Prague, Czech Republic. 21 March 2003.

Gatherings and Affinity Groups Organized

First Annual Bioregional Permaculture Gathering for Tijuana and San Diego. Planned for 2007.

College Area Ishmael Dinners. San Diego, California. Spring 2006.

New York City Integral Transformative Practice Group. Fall 2002-Spring 2003.

The Meaning in Life Forum. Associated Students of the University of Washington Experimental College, Seattle, Washington. Spring 1998.

First Saturday of the Month Dinners. 5230 21st Ave NE, Seattle, Washington. Fall 1997-Spring 1998.

The being Group. University of Washington Registered Student Organization. Summer 1996-Fall 1997.

Gatherings Attended

San Diego Puppet Insurgency Winter Solstice Celebration and Sing-a-long. 22, 23 December 2006.

Edible San Diego Bike Tour. San Diego Food Not Lawns. 11 November 2006.

First Annual HerbDay San Diego. Sponsored by the San Diego Herb Club and the San Diego Chapter of the American Herbalists Guild. Balboa Park, San Diego, California. 14 October 2006.

Roots of Resistance: Summer Skill Share and Organizing Camp. Organic Collective, San Diego, California. 8-10 September 2006.

Permaculture Summer Gathering. Celo, North Carolina. 3-6 August 2006.

H2K2 (the fourth Hackers On Planet Earth conference). Hotel Pennsylvania, New York, New York. 12-14 July 2002.

Bioregional Gathering / Anti-GM Food Rally. At a farm near Austin, Texas. Spring 1999.

May Day Celebration (with speakers Earnest Callenbach and Dan Hamburg). Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. 2 May 1998.

Seattle’s First Activist and Media Teach-In. Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and the Seattle Independent Media Coalition. University Friends Meeting Hall. 21 February 1998.

Building Momentum in Character Education: A Free Conference and Curriculum Fair. Sponsored by Washington Partnership on Character Education. Stevens Elementary School, Seattle, Washington. 25 June 1997.

Affinity Group Participation

San Diego Food Not Lawns. Fall 2006-.

SDSU Environmental Business Society. Fall 2006-.

San Diego Ishmael. Spring 2005-.

San Diego Integral Meetup and AllUp. Summer 2006.

Washington, DC Ishmael. Fall 1998, Spring 2003.

New York City Ishmael. Fall 2002-Spring 2003.

New York City Integral and Integral Transformative Practice. Fall 2002-Spring 2003.

Critical Mass Bicycle Rides. Seattle; Washington, DC; New York City. 1996-2002.

Monterey Peninsula Friends Meeting. Carmel, California. Summer 1999-Fall 1999.

Friends Meeting of Austin. Austin, Texas. Spring 1999.

Friends Meeting of Washington and FMW Spiritual Friendships. Washington, DC. Fall 1998.

Union Bay Rowing Club. Seattle, Washington. Summer 1996-Fall 1996.

The Friends of the Medicinal Herb Garden. University of Washington, Seattle. Fall 1995-Summer 1997.

University of Washington Hiking Club. Fall 1995-Spring 1996.

University of Washington Sailing Club. Summer 1995-Spring 1996.

EarthCorps Invasive Plant Removal Work Parties. Seattle, Washington. Fall 1995-Spring 1996.

Intentional Communities Visited

Activist San Diego. San Diego, California. Fall 2006.

Organic Collective. San Diego, California. Summer 2006.

Celo Community Land Trust. Celo, North Carolina. Summer 2006.

Earthaven Ecovillage. Black Mountain, North Carolina. Summer 2003, Summer 2006.

Path to Freedom. Pasadena, California. Summer 2006.

Los Angeles EcoVillage. Los Angeles, California. Summer 2001, Summer 2006.

Shakti Rising. San Diego, California. Fall 2005, Spring 2006.

The Domes. Davis, California. Summer 2004.

Madre Grande Monastery. Dulzura, California. Fall 2003.

The Farm Community and Ecovillage Training Center. Summertown, Tennessee. Summer 2003.

Wildroots. Madison County, North Carolina. Summer 2003.

Freetown Cristiania. Copenhagen, Denmark. Summer 2001.

The Austin EarthFirst! House. Austin, Texas. Spring 1999.

Fossil Fuel Free Farm. Blue Lake, California. Spring 1998.

Sirius Community. Shutesbury, Massachusetts. Spring 1998.

Earthlands. Petersham, Massachusetts, North Quabbin Bioregion. Spring 1998.

Deep Springs College. Deep Springs, California. Spring 1994.

Continuing Education

Dance Place San Diego Free Day of Dance. 26 December 2006.

Master Class, Martha Graham Dance Company. SDSU, San Diego, California. 12 March 2005.

45-Hour Challenge Course Facilitator Training. The Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center and The SDSU Aztec Recreation Center, San Diego, California. Spring 2004.

Classes in Kundalini Yoga, Pilates, and Qigong. Point Loma YMCA, San Diego, California. Fall 2003.

Plant Walk and Weekend with Frank Cook. Earthaven Ecovillage to the North Carolina School of Holistic Herbalism, Madison County, North Carolina. 14-16 August 2003.

Herbal Elixirs with Frank Cook. Earthaven Ecovillage, Black Mountain, North Carolina. 8 August 2003.

Classes at Dance Space and the Martha Graham Dance Company. New York, New York. Fall 2001-Spring 2002.

American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor. Monterey Sports Center, Monterey, California. Spring 2001.

Masters Synchronized Swimming. Seaside Recreation Center Pool, Seaside, California. Spring 2001.

Classes at dance studios in New York City, including Dance Space, Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, American Ballet Theater, and the New York City Parks Department; classes in Nia and in Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms; and a contact improvisation jam at Judson Memorial Church. 13-27 January 2001.

Ballet and Modern. SpectorDance, CSU Monterey Bay, Fort Ord, California. Fall 2000-Spring 2001.

Ballet. Peninsula Ballet Center, Pacific Grove, California. Fall 2000-Spring 2001.

Ballet. Carmel Ballet Academy, Carmel, California. Fall 2000-Spring 2001.

Jazz, Modern, and Ballet. Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, California. Summer 2000-Fall 2000.

Texas Master Gardener. Zilker Botanical Gardens, Travis County, Texas. Spring 1999.

Intermediate Conversational Spanish (noncredit). University of Texas, Austin, Texas. Spring 1999.

Inquirers Class. Friends Meeting of Washington. Washington, DC. Fall 1998.

Judaism 101. Hillel at UW. Seattle, Washington. Fall 1997.

Additional Experience

Solo Walk. Black Mountain to Celo, North Carolina via Mount Mitchell. Summer 2006.

Instructor for Peak Performance, Inc., for a week-long backpacking and kayaking trip for eighth graders in Big Sur, California. Summer 2006.

Staff. Hostel Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California. Summer 2004.

Solo Bicycle Tour. New York City to Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. Spring 2003-Fall 2003.

Work Exchanger. Earthaven Ecovillage, Black Mountain, North Carolina. Summer 2003.

Volunteer Laborer. Potomac Vegetable Farms, Fairfax County, Virginia. Summer 2003.

Chorister. Volunteer Choir, Saint Bartholomew’s Church, New York, New York. Fall 2002-Spring 2003.

Chorister. Brooklyn Community Chorus, Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York. Fall 2002.

Work Study Student. Dance Space, New York, New York. Fall 2001-Spring 2002.

Solo Bicycle Tours. Monterey to San Diego, and San Remo, Italy to Malmo, Sweden. Summer 2001.

Monterey Hostel Society Volunteer. Monterey, California. Fall 1999-Spring 2001.

Crisis Line Volunteer. Community Human Services’ Community Counseling Center, Monterey, California. Spring 2001.

Assistant Teacher, South Central Yearly Meeting First and Second Grades. Union for Reform Judaism Greene Family Camp, Bruceville, Texas. Spring 1999.

ESL Citizenship Tutor. El Buen Samaritano, Austin, Texas. Spring 1999.

Sustainable Communities Initiative Volunteer. City of Austin, Austin, Texas. Spring 1999.

Gardener. South Austin Community Garden. Austin, Texas. Spring 1999.

Volunteer, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers & Amigos de las Américas of Austin Weekend Service Trip. Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Spring 1999.

Intern. Libertarian National Committee. Washington, DC. Fall 1998.

Adult Leader for Boy Scouts of America National Capitol Area Council’s High Adventure Trip at Atikokan Canoe Base, Ontario, Canada. Summer 1998.

Awards

Eagle Scout, 1992.

References