Scott Gallant

Dedicated Project Visit Application for September 22, 2010

Scott will be joining us for a Dedicated Project Visit on September 20, 2010:

• Name Scott Gallant,Age 24
• Contact Info Gallant129@gmail.com, 513-227-2279, My work schedule is crazy as I live in the woods. My next in town dates include August 25 & 26, Sept 5-7, and I am finished Sept 19th. These are the only dates I can return calls and emails.
• Proposed Stay Sept 22-Oct 22
• References Peter Mikek, Academic Advisor Wabash College, mikekp@wabash.edu, 765-361-6120 Sarah Shade, Program Coordinator Southwest Conservation Corp, sarah@sccorps.org, 970-403-0146 Alan Smith, Artist-in-Residence Rancho Mastatal, alansmith101@gmail.com, 973-477-8907
• Describe yourself - During my senior year of college I went through a quarter life crisis. To make a long story short, it was because of a woman. I am forever grateful to her for forcing me to realize there is so much more to life than whatever complacent existence I was contemplating back then. Since that moment, and it really was a moment, a pinch in the arm, awoken from a dream, I have been in love with the joys and wonders of life.
• Skills and Tools - I have anywhere ranging from a decent skill set to a basic understanding of the following skills: carpentry (Mortise and Tenon), fermentation, economics, database entry, trail construction, dry masonry, Spanish, baking, permaculture, and public speaking. I will be arriving in a car, and I have a seven year old computer with a few keys that do not function.
• Interests - Agriculture: Animals, Gardening, Permaculture, Hydroponics, Orchard, Composting, Edible Landscaping

Processing: Dehydration, Lacto-Fermentation, Canning, Baking, Solar Cooking Energy: Passive Design, Babington Burner, Solar Panels, Hot Water, Telsa Turbine, Solar Concentration, Wind, Combined Heat Power Fuel: BioDiesel, Straight Vegetable Oil (?), Wood Gasification Water: Well, Rooftop Collection, Filtration, Greywater/Reuse, Living Machine, Hot Water Building: Smart Design, CEB Press Tools: Agricultural tools, Food Processing and Kitchen Equipment, Workshop Tools Communication Internet, Phone, Publications, Group Work Health Food as Medicine, Healing Plants and Minerals, Exercise, Therapies Art Beatification, Music, Dance, Visual Arts Other Legal, Resource Development, Marketing, Website, Public Relations R & D Proposal: My degree is in Economics; and while I don’t know where this education will lead me or how I will use it, I know it is a key word to a sustainable future. If had all the resources to devote my time and energy to one project, it would be in the theme of ecological economics. I would study extensively how to properly price nature. How to incorporate externalities such as pollution, trees, and human well-being into an economic system that truly serves this planet and its entire species, would be the question I would tackle. Of course my lowly undergraduate degree hardly qualifies me for this research, but I believe my passion and work ethic could make up for this. Experience Four life experiences stick out in my mind. They have all occurred in the last two years, after I made the decision that life is better lived passionately. In the fall of 2008 I spent two months living in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in southern Colorado. It was my first foray into seasonal work; I was a crew member on a trial maintenance crew. It was my first experience backpacking, being in the backcountry, and truly being swallowed by the wild and calm of nature. It rekindled my childhood love of the outdoors. My passion for trees, wind, birds, and putting my feet in a stream while reading a book grew exponentially during this time. This experience started it all for me, threw me into the chain of events that has gone full circle, as I am now a leader for a trail crew two years later. Shortly after this job I found myself hitchhiking through Mexico, on what would become an unexpected year and a half journey. It was through hitchhiking, being given rides, meals, even beds to sleep in by strangers; strangers who would have been kicked to the curb in my own country, where I learned to trust people and believe in their inherent kindness and generosity. This was paradigm shifting, coming from a closed and conservative background. I learned human interaction is not simply a means to an end, but is entirely an end in itself. As I made my way south, I stumbled upon a sustainable community in Costa Rica called Rancho Mastatal. It was here I found my personal life goal, my passion. Here I learned the art of fine furniture building, fermentation, permaculture, and most importantly communal living in its truest form. Here my passion developed for food, our right to healthy, fresh, affordable, and local food. This has been my driving force in life since; this idea is what sustains my vision of my personal future. It is not specific enough to say what exactly I will do, but my time at Mastatal gave me the direction and passion I had been searching for. The last event that changed my life occurred only a few months ago. I was diagnosed with Testicular cancer. So far everything has gone well with the treatments and my mental and physical state are great. But the time surrounding this event was one of contemplation. It forced me to look at what was truly important in my life, and somewhat surprisingly I learned that all I wanted in life was to love and be love. This moment caused a wonderful reconciliation between my best friend and I, one that I hope and believe is leading to a lifelong commitment between the two of us. Goals What would you like to learn/accomplish/achieve during your stay at Factor E Farm? Does this goal coordinate with any of your life goals? What are some of your life goals? I want to expand my idea of what sustainability can entail. I want to further my current skill set. I want to learn what technologies could happily apply to rural villages in Latin America. I want to increase my mechanical knowledge from zero to a number greater than zero. All of this furthers my life goals. I want to own a farm one day; I hope to share it openly with the world. I plan on participating and creating regional and sustainable economic communities, operating under different premises than our current flawed system. Anything Else? I am from the mid-west, a small farming community in Ohio, bordering Indiana and Kentucky. I picked sweet-corn for a living back in high school. One of the biggest reasons I am drawn to Factor e Farm is its location. My experience in sustainable communities has either been in tropical paradises or hippie mountain retreats. But an old soybean field?! That strikes home. If I want to change agriculture in our country, I need to be where agriculture dominates, the corn and soy fields of the mid-west.

And to address all your points: A photo has been attached. I can cook and bake if I have a good recipe.  One of my big life goals is to become an amazing cook, I am not there yet.    I am very easy to get along with, and I get along with everyone.  I think my references will attest to this.  I have no mental or psychological ailments. I have been living communally for six straight years now.  Currently I am leading a team of nine individuals from all over the country, constructing a trail on one of the highest peaks in the continental US.  At Rancho Mastatal in Costa Rica, an exciting center for sustainable farming, building, and living, I spent eight hours a day working in the gardens or building furniture.  The food produced from these gardens I never tasted, the bed I built I never slept in.  I loved every minute of it.  If I am learning and being challenged, I am happy.  The fact that you are asking this question, that you are specifically looking for individuals with this ability, makes me believe this will be a wonderful fit. I can make a video introducing myself and describing some of my goals, hopefully I will be able to send it to you before our conversation.  I can also continue making short videos during my time on the farm. I prefer rough living settings (I love my tent!).  I am very flexible and easily adapt to new environments, including those I have to pro-actively build. I hope these answer all of your questions.  I encourage you to look me up on Couchsurfing.com or even facebook to get a better idea of who I am.