Field Notes from my journey creating Living Ground, Ecuador.
“If I want people to care about the Earth itself, about the land and soil that feed us, about the way our food, medical, political, and religious systems are shaping us, and about how divided and dysfunctional we have become, then I need to plant those concerns inside stories that are wide enough and deeply connective enough that others can recognize themselves within them.” Leisha of the Living Ground Project.
Living Ground Recent Posts
Learning to Weed With the Garden, Not Against It
One of the most common misunderstandings in gardening is that weeding simply means removing unwanted plants. When people hear the word weeding, they often imagine clearing…
The Plants That Travel With Us,
There is a plant I was recently introduced too, Laritaco. In botanical language it is known as Vernonanthura patens. It is a shrub with narrow leaves…
Protected: Life Written in This Land
Becoming the Expert of Your Own Body
Understanding what is happening inside the body during chronic illness is both a scientific question and a deeply personal one. Modern medicine often relies heavily on…
Zooming Out and then Prayer
When I find myself in the middle of a problem, it can feel enormous. An unexpected bill arrives or a wall suddenly needs repair; the heavy…
The Sulfur Bridge: The Chemistry That Connects Soil, Plants, and the Human Body
Dimethyl sulfoxide, better known as DMSO, is one of the most unusual compounds ever explored in biology. For decades it has appeared in thousands of scientific…
Living Ground in the Red
Our Gratitude Meal this weekend was about the color of Red. Not by accident and not really intended Sales have been down lately. I have been…
The Pathways of the Human Terrain
In nature, nothing suddenly collapses without a long chain of shifts that come before it. Forests decline slowly before trees fall. Rivers change direction before they…
Flowers Become Medicine
I have been working on a small book about flower essences. It feels natural for me to say that because so much of what I do…
The Work After the Work
There are seasons when everything appears stable from the outside. It seems solid, productive, visibly rooted, and yet, internally, something is shifting. It is quiet but…
Protected: Team Meeting Feb 28
Metamorphosis
The wild thing, I imagine is that the butterfly remembers when it was a caterpillar even though its brain dissolved into liquid and formed again into…
The Living Ground Project is a visionary initiative dedicated to fostering self-reliance and sustainable living through hands-on education and community empowerment. Our mission is to create a thriving, living example of holistic sustainability, from nurturing healthy soil to cultivating diverse foods and medicines, and transforming these into nourishing, delicious products. We aim to be a comprehensive educational center, teaching both locals and visitors the skills needed for self-sufficiency, while also providing opportunities for eco-tourism and cultural exchange. The project encompasses a natural health food store, café, and apothecary, showcasing the practical applications of our sustainable practices. By offering rare and unusual plants and seeds, we promote biodiversity and encourage others to explore unique cultivation methods. Our vision extends to developing a product line of essential oils and producing microbe-rich inoculants, emphasizing the importance of soil health and natural farming methods. We offer land consulting services to help others regenerate their soils and transition away from chemical dependency. Additionally, we host health and healing retreats, workshops, and educational programs focused on human health, particularly the human microbiome, aiming to reduce dependency on pharmaceuticals. Central to our vision is the creation of meaningful local employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, demonstrating that self-reliance and community support can go hand in hand. Through these diverse efforts, the Living Ground Project aspires to be a beacon of sustainable living, inspiring individuals and communities worldwide to embrace self-sufficiency, environmental stewardship, and collaborative growth
