I have found, throughout all of my 36 years of life, that there is very little that is actually ‘real’ in this world, and this ranges from people, to products, to organizations and beyond. If it exists within the current profit-based system, then it has usually sold out somewhere to allow for the continuation of a bottom line. And that disappointing moment of realization I get when I see the bigger picture, see beyond the presented image and in to the truth of a thing, is a moment I was getting tired of constantly experiencing. And this is where Earth Haven comes in.
The more I learned about Earth Haven and the principles on which it is founded, the more my ears perked up! The founder, Gian Robberts, would see right through the surface dimensions of many of the solutions offered today, and cut to the meat and bone of whether it is truly considering the whole. He could always find that compromise for the bottom line, that one or two things that discredits the entire solution by making it unsustainable. I liked this, but I mostly liked the fact that he didn’t stop there, he kept looking until he found a solution that he could use, a real solution, and he would implement that.
What I also noticed and like about Earth Haven, is that it leaves no stone unturned, so to speak, when it comes to who or what Earth Haven supports. Earth Haven takes into consideration not only sustainable food growing methods, but also supporting the land and animals around the gardens. Not only that, the people are taken into consideration as well, not just feeding people, but educating and empowering people. There is often something that is overlooked when an organization pushes for a cause – whether it be the people and the personal self-change that is required to make a real difference, or the insects, soil and animals that are not directly related to food-production, but rather either disregarded or considered ‘pests’ that are invading our space and our land. Earth Haven considers and provides for all of these things, a truly holistic approach, which is really the only way it can be!
We can’t be at war with a certain ‘destructive’ insect when in fact it has every right to be here and exist as we do, based on the principle of honouring ALL life. If we did that, we would not be functioning from a starting point of principle, and we would only be another disappointment. Instead, we work WITH everything that is here, and so our eco-tunnel, growing methods, what we plant and where – is all done in awareness of what is present in the environment and how we can work with it.
Earth Haven has also hacked the problem of conditional funding. This is where funders make a list of conditions to which organizations must adhere to in order to receive the funding. Oftentimes organizations will bend their own rules and disregard certain principles in order to receive the funding they need. Earth Haven has hacked this problem through crowd funding and slow and steady growth. There is constant pressure due to the vastness of our vision and the sheer amount of work that must be done, but there is no rushing. We do what we can with what we have and no more. We do not create a situation where we are at the mercy of funders, because we will not compromise for money.
I lastly wanted to mention the part of the Earth Haven vision that involves spreading, acting like a heart pumping resources and education out into the world. Many organizations become too insulated, isolated and separated from the whole. Earth Haven is founded on the point of sharing openly and expanding to include anyone and everyone that is willing to move with us. It is important to move within and as principle, which is what I am currently busy learning more and more, but where there is a will, there is a way to work together in honouring and supporting all life equally.
This is just to list a few reasons why I saw Earth Haven as the organization I wanted to work with. I followed, shared and supported online for a long time. Then, I took a look at my life and asked myself if this was what I really wanted? I decided that ‘no’, I wanted more. I wanted to be directly involved, and I saw that I was willing to give up many of my life’s luxuries in order to be able to do so. It is more important for me to push for solutions in this world in it’s current state, than it was for me to build a life of comfort and security. It took me 4 years to get my life in order, to a place where I could leave it comfortably, leaving no unfinished business, and with enough to support myself while I am here.
Will I one day regret this? I highly doubt it. Working with Earth Haven is the most fulfilling work I have ever done, and I intend to see it through because if you ever get the chance to visit here, you will see a place that is exploding with potential! And this potential is being brought through into the creation process and becoming real, tangible solutions, but as we all know, the creation process takes time, and cannot be rushed.
I truly believe Earth Haven is going to be big, and is going to be great. And this is not simply an ungrounded belief based in desire, but a belief in myself, in Gian, and in everybody that is pushing this project, because I know we will do whatever it takes to move one of the first and only REAL projects of change in this world, and we will see the fruition and the realization of Earth Haven’s potential, as it will represent all of our living potential.
Thank you.
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