About me

Hi, my name is Marc. Out of all the things I have written, trying to write an “about me” has certainly been the most challenging. We are beings of infinite complexity, woven into a cosmic web that is intelligent beyond our understanding. As such we are always changing, in constant motion on our little spaceship in the middle of who knows where. Given this context, describing myself (in a few paragraphs at least) seems quite impossible. What I can do perhaps, is confine this story to my favourite chapter in my life so far which has been my relationship with Permaculture. So here goes…

Permaculture came to me when I started asking questions, questions like where does that food come from and where does that waste go? It’s a funny thing when you realise that the drivers of modern economies are based on the destruction of our life support systems and that we are killing ourselves in the name of quarterly growth. Anyway, no time for that now but this led me to regenerative agriculture and a film by John D. Liu where he documents a monumental restoration project on the Loess Plateau. In this video, a man by the name of Geoff Lawton appeared and with him a rather curious practice called Permaculture. 

The concepts resonated with me immediately. I loved the beautiful simplicity of Permaculture: care for Mother Earth and she will continue to care and provide for you, care for each other and remember to share… sounds pretty good, right? Observing and using natural systems as blueprints for human-centric systems - this holistic and highly practical design methodology really spoke to me. 

The common sense solutions of Permaculture came to me at a time when I was certainly a little lost. I spent most of my adult life following opportunities as they arose without really stopping to think: where am I going and where do I want to be going? How do I feel and how do I want to feel? What do I value the most?

When I began to address some of these questions a clearer picture began to form and my restlessness started to fade. Continued inquiry sparked a child-like curiosity leading to further inquiry as I began to explore the world from different angles and fresh perspectives. This picture became more defined and a vision appeared, for the first time in my life I felt a true sense of purpose. I began to question my beliefs and to change my relationship with myself; to feel a powerful reverence for the beauty that surrounds us, to participate in the creation of life and to find solace in the mystery.

Today I am practicing as a Permaculture designer and consultant with a strong desire to become an educator. I have been very drawn to Holistic Management and the teachings of Allan Savory, and I am working to become an educator in this field also. I believe these two areas of study (although not really separate) complement each other nicely. I have also done other shorter forms of study in Biodynamics, Syntropic Farming and Soil Science. Beyond these areas I get super excited about all things regenerative, I love new ideas and listening to passionate people. 

I recently began a Diploma of Counselling which has been rather fascinating so far, I am excited to see where this might take me and what doors this may open. I love being outside, in the garden, in the ocean, in the mountains, wherever I can go.

Above all, I am simply a human navigating the human experience. I value love, support, kindness, inclusivity, openness, honesty, authenticity, community, challenge and contribution. I think we all share these values which gives me hope for Mother Earth and all of her children.

PS

Some final thoughts. I want to knock down all the fences and the borders, to pull people out of isolation. To replace fear with love. I am a dreamer but I think we have the capacity to act as one people, who love each other unconditionally and who worship the ground we walk on. One earth community living in total harmony: no war, no hunger, only abundance. I think it’s important to dream.