Regeneration Nation Costa Rica – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, I had a chat with a long-time friend, Santiago Moringa, from Molinos Verdes de Moringa. Santi is a leader in social permaculture and has over a decade of experience building community gardens and other socially regenerative projects across Costa Rica and internationally.

In our conversation, Santi shares his journey from discovering permaculture through the lens of agriculture to embracing the broader social aspects that foster community and connection. We delve into his passion for integrating diverse communities into the permaculture movement, including elders and marginalized groups. Santi also opens up about his personal transformation and the pivotal moments that shaped his commitment to the social permaculture movement.

From his early experiences with factory farm methods to his life-changing reflections on the importance of love and empathy in all human interactions, Santi's stories are heartfelt calls to action for us all. 

I’m grateful for Santi’s emphasis on integrating social elements into permaculture, focusing not just on physical structures but on fostering genuine human connections and community resilience. We really need to expand our perspectives on permaculture and how it can be applied beyond food forests and water management.

Santi also highlighted the need to embrace diversity beyond appearances. Instead, seek functional diversity in viewpoints and interactions that honor each individual's unique contributions, leading to more innovative and inclusive solutions.

With this comes a need to understand and embrace our emotions, which leads to personal growth and stronger community bonds. It's crucial to channel these emotions constructively to create a safe container for that diversity to be expressed. At the same time, always remember that growth is a process, and it’s crucial to be patient with ourselves and others as we navigate the human experience together.

If Santi's work inspires you, consider putting effort toward making a difference in your local community. Support those already doing incredible work so you can build a more regenerative future together.

Thank you for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of regenerative living.

To follow more of Saniti’s contributions toward a regenerative world, check out:
Website - www.mvmoringa.com
YT - https://www.youtube.com/@mvmoringa/
IG - https://www.instagram.com/mvmoringa/

This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU!  I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!   

Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr  to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care. 

You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better.  Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources 

Special thanks to Patrick Fuentes for editing this episode!

Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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In this interview, I visited Itai Hauben at his lovely home and permaculture education center called Adama. 

Adama is nestled in the mountains of the Chirripo River Valley, where Itai and his wife Melina teach permaculture design courses to lucky students every year. It’s also the headquarters of Symbiosis Eco Design, their permaculture design and implementation business, serving land projects nationwide. Symbiosis is a powerful change agent in this country ecologically, socially, and educationally. 

We got together to chat about why creating a permaculture design is such a highly recommended investment BEFORE making any significant investments into any land-based endeavor. Itai gives several examples illustrating the importance of hiring a professional who can read the landscape and avoid potential pitfalls. 

In addition, Itai emphasizes the need to conduct proper due diligence before purchasing a property and hiring specialists to ensure the security of your investment. There are some things that just can’t be undone!

Understanding and integrating local knowledge into permaculture design can’t be overstated. We've delved into the critical aspects of water management, soil stability, and the creation of food forests, illustrating the importance of thoughtful, well-planned permaculture designs. 

Learning from our mistakes is ordinary, meaningful, and part of the journey. Learning from other people’s mistakes through research or hiring the assistance of someone further along the path is wisdom, and an integral part of the permaculture design process.

The episode wraps up with talks on preventing burnout and pacing a project according to the client's needs. 

Let's carry forward the wisdom and inspiration from Itai's journey. Remember, the path to successful, sustainable living and professional growth in permaculture is paved with patience, planning, and a profound respect for the surprises that can be found amidst the natural world. 

May we all embrace these principles in our own endeavors, nurturing a future where both our environment and our businesses can flourish in harmony.

To follow more of Itai’s contributions toward a regenerative world, check out:
Website - https://symbiosiscr.com/ 

FB - https://www.facebook.com/SymbiosisEcoDesign 

IG - https://www.instagram.com/adama_permaculture/ 

Email - symbiosisecodesign@gmail.com 

Other recommendations:

• Regeneration of desert into forests in Jordan https://www.greeningthedesertproject.org/ 

To support the show, go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr. 

You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better.  Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources 

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In today’s episode, I meet with Jonathon Conant, a seasoned performer, and coach of the aerial arts. He teaches trapeze and aerial silk skills in one of the most enriching environments a student could hope to learn them in. 

We talk at length about Jonathan's practice of guiding students to explore flow state as a tool for unlocking unrealized potentials and enriched self-awareness. 

We also talk about a number of the small touches that Jonathon places along his guests’ experience, from his first contacts with them by email down to getting them involved in cleaning up each other’s dishes after sharing a meal.

Jonathan uses the word Milieu several times in the interview. Milieu refers to the way we create and keep our space and what a significant effect that has on our guests' experiences. This applies even to their ability to assimilate what we have to offer them. 

I’ll have to say that this was probably one of the most fun interview visits I’ve been on so far.  I made sure to arrive at Jonathon’s place early in the day to get in on his morning trapeze class. I filmed a little video of the class while I was there.  Make sure to check it out on our YouTube Channel on the Farm Tour Playlist when you get a chance. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/Y5wRjg3_A70 

See more of what Jonathon is up to at www.airbornearts.com/ 

This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU!  I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!   

Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr/ to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care. 

You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better.  Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen.  It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.

Special thanks to Peter Mukuru and Ariel Poltronieri for editing this episode!

Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The episode you’re about to hear is with Norman Brooks,

Norman Brooks is a veteran pioneer in community development here in Costa Rica. Norman found his way to the jungle in a different manner than most of our guests. He followed and supported his children's passions. He’s commonly known by many around these parts as the father of Stephen Brooks, a well-known permaculturist and community leader in the country. 

While his backstory gives an impression that Norman has been following in the footsteps of his son’s relentless passion and inspiration, the rest of the interview, as well as most of the other conversations I’ve had with Norman before setting a date to record, reveal him to actually be one of the pillars of practicality and fountains of wisdom that have been instrumental in his co-creators’ dreams coming true.

In this interview, you’ll hear the story of how their three projects, Punta Mona, Alegria, and Ecovilla, have evolved one out of the other.  You’ll hear lessons learned and descriptions of adjustments made in response.

We also get into some of the legal and logistical details of building a community in Costa Rica and how Alegría was designed to make residential lots accessible to locals. His experience working with the local community has taught Norman that cultural regeneration is a first step on the path toward agricultural and even financial regeneration.

One of my favorite takeaways from the interview is Norman’s reflection that “If your dreams aren't scaring you, you may not be dreaming big enough.”

Links:

https://Puntamona.org

https://Alegría.com

https://Ecovillage.com

Alegria Home Owners Association Condominium Bylaws

Casa Sula (The school at Ecovilla)

This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU!  I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!   

Go to https://ko-fi.com/regenerationnationcr/ to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care. 

You can now also visit our website’s Resources page to find lots of great information and products that many have found to make their lives better.  Visit: https://regenerationnationcr.com/resources 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen.  It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.

Special thanks to Peter Mukuru and Ariel Poltronieri for editing this episode!

Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod

Link:

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The episode you’re about to hear is with Edward Zaydelman, founder of Live the Possibilities, providing guidance for those looking to take the leap into regenerative communities, sustainable neighborhoods, and revolutionary towns that are shaping the way we now live in the world.

While Edward’s story of developing his first land project, Vida, is one that was riddled with challenges and an ending that was very different than what was hoped for, upon inception, the interview is speckled with silver linings and an evolution of approaches that’s brought Edward to be the respected consultant that he is today.

Edward shares how he's taken what he learned from his years creating space at Burning Man and how he's applied that to his retreats in the tropics. 

Edward advises us, before investing in expensive or permanent infrastructure, to consider producing some small events to develop a more practical perspective for the land’s, as well as your own, limitations. 

In his adventures in creating low-budget and temporary spaces for events, he’s learned quite a bit about glamping options, and he shares with us the good, the bad, and the potential ugly in taking that approach. Glamping tents are a wonderful way to host people on a budget to get your program off the ground. It also helps to gather data before investing the capital needed to build more permanent structures. They also happen to look nice.

We also get into topics like creating sacred space, renting temporary infrastructure, developing strategic partnerships, and the importance of self-care. If you're not taking care of yourself, what you have to offer others won't be of the quality they deserve.

 I’m embarrassed to say that this episode was recorded almost a year ago. At the same time, I’m proud to say that I’ve finally gotten it published.  

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I have.

Links:

Vida - http://www.puertavida.com/ 

Live the possibility https://www.livethepossibility.co/ 

Stout Glamping Tents - https://stouttent.com/ 

Lotus bell Glamping Tents - https://lotusbelle.com/ 

Cloud Seven Tents - https://www.facebook.com/cloud7tents 

Retreat Guru - https://RetreatGuru.com/ 

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Hello, and welcome to the first official episode of Regeneration Nation Costa Rica: Regenerative Agriculture, Business, and Community for Change. We’re exploring the A, B, C’s of co-creating a regenerative culture. 

The A's, B's, & C’s of Agriculture, Business, & Community are three of the pillars that we build our societies around. In these fields, some of the most potent innovators are working to create new living paradigms - in harmony with the planet, its inhabitants, and the well-being of future generations. 

Costa Rica is recognized as a hot spot for regenerative innovations and attracts millions of visitors each year. While many are simply traveling to soak up a season of pura vida living, a growing number are looking to contribute to and be part of an idealized movement for change.

My name is Jason Thomas. I first arrived to Costa Rica in 2009, bought a farm, raised a family, produced events, hosted hundreds of guests, learned a lot, taught a little, ate some humble pie, took a break, and came back for more.

When the pandemic hit and the flow of Airbnb guests that my permaculture project had depended on plummeted, I decided to use podcasting as a way of exploring better ways to manage my land project, build community, and keep it all financially sustainable. 

Ironically, over the course of that journey, I ended up leaving my land project, expanding my sense of community to a more regional focus, and have begun experimenting with new ways to meet my needs by learning how to support the needs of others more effectively.

Along with the many changes I’ve encountered these last couple of years, I’ve decided to change the focus and name of the Sharing Insights Podcast that I’d begun at the dawn of it all.  If you’d like to learn more about my background, I’ll invite you to visit Episodes #000 & #013 or check out the About page on our website https://regenerationnationcr.com. 

While I still have a passion for serving landowners who invite guests in to have transformative experiences, I’ve come to realize that to serve that audience; we’d all benefit by opening the conversations up to include others who’ve found success in other regenerative fields. 

For us to arrive at the future that we’re all working toward, I believe that it’s essential for us to learn from a broader range of change-makers across various fields of influence. As a growing human population living on a warming planet, our needs can only be met, in the time required, if we join forces and expand our awareness beyond our individual pieces of the puzzle.

This podcast is designed to support business owners who dream of using their efforts for ecological and social benefit.  This might include new business owners, people actively preparing to begin their entrepreneurial journey or veterans who want to expand their own perspectives on who's doing what and how they might improve on what they’re already doing. 

While we’ll continue to share insights from seasoned landowners and communitarians throughout Costa Rica, we’ll also hear from leaders in the green energy and ecotourism movements, crusaders for social equality, cultural bridge-builders,

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Cultivating an Impactful Belief System

   Hello, and welcome to the 6th and final episode of the Season 1 Recap of the Sharing Insights Podcast! I think it’s fair to say that it’s been a value-rich experiment for me. All the same, I hope you, my friends, have gotten some value out of it as well. 

As it is, this is also going to be the final episode of the Sharing Insights Podcast.

Yes, this is the grand finale of the podcast as we’ve known it. Since I began producing this podcast and learned more about the power of the mic and what we can do with it, I decided to open the conversation up to other regenerative-focused programs that aren’t exclusively land-based. From here on, the podcast will be known as ‘Regeneration Nation Costa Rica’. 

The urgency for humanity to get behind regenerative practices in any and all aspects of its existence has begun to grow on me.  While I’ll continue to provide content directed at helping land-based projects gain exposure and learn from each other’s insights, we’ll hear more about who’s doing what to help Costa Rica reach carbon neutrality and social equity.

I believe that to help this movement of regenerative-focused landowners further discover their potential, make the impact they intended, and thrive, it’ll do us well to see what other players are doing in the regenerative field. There are a multitude of empowering projects all around Costa Rica, offering products, services, education, and community-building opportunities that our current audience can benefit from hearing about, and I want to get them on the mic!

The time to make the efforts needed to hand our grandchildren a world worth having children in, is NOW. The maverick landowners who’ve been the focus of the podcast so far will continue to be an important focus for upcoming content.  I already have several interviews with land stewards recorded and ready to go. 

At the end of this episode, I’ll share more of what I’ve been getting into these past months and what you can expect from the podcast in the months to come.

Let’s get into this theme of cultivating an impactful belief system and some of the insights that our guests have shared with us so far.

None of this show’s guests could be where they are, doing what they do, if they didn’t embody an impactful belief system. It’s been a great pleasure to get to know these leaders better and witness their brilliance.

So, what is an impactful belief system?

The world is full of people trying to make ends meet. The struggle keeps most folks hyper-focused on the details of what many call the “hamster wheel” or “the rat race” of life. From this place, it’s difficult to see what one can do to create a positive impact in the world around them beyond being a “responsible consumer.”  

There are others, however, who find the grace to break free from reactionary living long enough to discover what their passions are and how they can apply them to serve the needs of others in a regenerative way.  In a world with headlines as disconcerting as the ones

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This episode is part 2 of my interview with Brandy Montague from her podcast, For Animals For Earth.  In this half of the interview, I shared a bit of advice for travelers looking to visit impact centers as guests, volunteers, digital nomads, or students.  In the end, we’re all really students!
  

Brandy asked me to share a description of what it might be like to visit a place like mine.  I freely shared some of the comforts along with several of the discomforts that one might expect as part of the package, from composting toilets, harvesting food, being in close proximity to many people for an extended period, and even some thoughts around our conditioned fears around bugs and snakes. 

When asked, “What’s the one thing that people can do to make a positive impact on the world?” I get into the importance of being a conscious consumer and supporting businesses that approach their products and services with social and environmentally ethical practices as a priority.

If you get anything out of this conversation, you get a peek at me speaking a bit more raw and uncensored than you will in most of my interviews with others. I strongly believe that we need to take personal responsibility for our daily decisions and the effect they have on the whole.  I also believe that we’ll do well to take the permaculture principles beyond land management and apply them as tools to examine ourselves, our business practices, and our connection to the human condition.

If you appreciate Brandy’s sense of curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about change makers and what they’re doing.  Consider adding her podcast to your subscription list to learn more about what other humans are doing to be a benefit for animals and for the earth.

Resources I mentioned:

• My free eBook: Permaculture Lifestyle Explained: The Eco-Enthusiast's Guide to Efficient Living
• Directory of Impact Centers: https://numundo.org
• Directory of Intentional Communities: https://ic.org
• Directory of Ecovillages: https://ecovillage.org/ 

Besides leaving a rating and review, or sharing the show with someone who’d like it, you can support the show and yourself by visiting our Resources page. I’ve collected an array of helpful information, links, and products that I thought you might find useful.  Check it out!

Special thanks to Peter Mukuru for editing this episode!

Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incom

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Listen in on this conversation that was recorded by Brandy Heyde Montague interviewing me for her podcast “For Animals For Earth”.   She was intrigued by the term Ecological Impact Center and asked if I’d be a guest on her show https://foranimalsforearth.com/.

I met Brandy thanks to her offer to read through and give feedback on what’s become my first eBook, exploring permaculture and how we can apply it to our lifestyles.  You can download the book for free at https://sharinginsights.net/permaculture-lifestyle-ebook/.

I’ve decided to rebroadcast this two-part interview, to help you get a better feel for me and why this podcast has come into being.  I’m also buying myself time while I compile notes for a recap episode, contemplating the many things I’ve learned on my podcast journey so far.

In this first half of the interview, we talk about what an impact center is, and then I get into story-telling mode. Brandy asked me how I came to buy land in Costa Rica. My attempt at a “short answer” turned into a 20-minute adventure down memory lane.  I also go off a bit, sharing my thoughts on forgiveness of self and others as a core skill to develop when building community.

 Make sure to subscribe to the podcast for immediate access to Part 2, as soon as it’s released.  In part 2 of the interview, I share some advice for travelers that want to visit places like this, as well as my take on volunteering.  

Special thanks to Peter Mukuru for editing this episode!

Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Follow Sharing Insights: https://sharinginsights.net

Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/sharinginsightspod 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharinginsightspod 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharingipodcast 

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqV63Fonev-y25FVSjGDvCg

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Lynx Guimond of Sailcargo Inc. is an adventurous carpenter and shipwright with an inspiring mission. He's created a homestead in Costa Rica, uniting a team of over 20 shipbuilders from around the globe to embark on the quest to create a zero-emissions cargo eco-ship called Ceiba, to cross the Atlantic ocean between Central America and Europe. 

He shares the story of how went from bee-keeping in the mountains to creating a sustainability-focused shipyard from scratch. Assembling a team of naval carpenters from around the world, he's imported their expertise to share with the local craftsmen, all aligned in common vision.

In complement to the shipyard's mission of revolutionizing ocean travel, the crew's been developing a sustainable homestead, using slow and small solutions.  In a short period of time, they've come to produce a generous amount of organic food for themselves, right at home on their beachfront property! 

To top it off, Lynx and crew have been heading up reforestation programs through their non-profit, Trees for Seas!

The food forests and greenhouse are passion projects, built by those who live there and are enriched with filtered greywater systems, composting toilets, and more. The positive social environment at the shipyard is a reflection of the creative spirit cultivated at Sailcargo.

If you’d like to learn more about their project, check out some of the following:

The Farm Tour Video that we recorded for our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/F-bRehxdU5U 

Their movie! - Building CEIBA: The Mangrove Years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2WKJtbm8yM 

Visit their website: https://www.sailcargo.inc/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sailcargo/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailcargo 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGuBI8GqmrsDNsx5KBUmXXg 

Nonprofits/Foundations

• Amigos de Costa Rica: https://www.amigosofcostarica.org/ 
• Trees for Seas: https://www.classy.org/campaign/trees-for-seas/c288055 

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