Greg is joining us in just a few days to lead the first Sharing Nature workshop being offered in the Rockies! He has a great history of collaboration with people and nature, and joining forces with legendary educator, Joseph Cornell.
Learn more about Greg and his life’s work:
Q: Where are you from?
A:Â I grew up in the “steel city” of Pittsburgh, PA, but never really felt it was my home. It wasn’t until I first traveled out west that my heart was touched by the Rocky Mountains and the desolation canyon of Utah…now I was home, for this is where my heart was. After highschool I moved to Asheville, NC to go to college focusing on “academics, work and service.” Us students ran the college, grew a lot of our own food, played bluegrass, went on many service trips. Shortly after college I moved to Northern California to live in an intentional community dedicated to “simple living and high thinking.”
Q: How did you first discover the passion for your area of expertise?
A:Â “I live only to entice people to look at nature’s loveliness.” These words of John Muir pretty much sum up my calling in life the past 15 years. It all started on an Outward Bound trip when I was a teenager. As I sat on the warm sandy beach of the Green River in Utah, I was overcome with an overwhelming sense of calm and beauty. These few moments have inspired my life ever since and are constantly recreated as I Share Nature with others. In University, studying Envronmental and Outdoor education, I met a humble man with contagious joy. This was my first meeting with Joseph Cornell and through his example I realized how important it is to make nature be alive within ourselves.
Q: What are you most excited about discovering at Shadowcliff this season?
A:Â This is my first time visiting Shadowcliff and I am excited about finding new magical spots to share the Sharing Nature activities.
Q:Â Sunrise or sunset? Why?
A: Sunset— “Here is a calm so deep, grasses cease waving… wonderful how completely everything in wild nature fits in to us, as if truly part and parents of us. The sun shines not on us but in us.” –John Muir
Q:Â What do you do when you’re not leading an amazing program at Shadowcliff?
A:Â I try to live in harmony with nature, with others and with myself. I also tend to a beautiful tulip garden!Â
