We are a small but growing group of like-minded souls. We would like to live more gently on the earth. We are scientists, forest restorers, meditators, educators, and farmers. We are practical people, who like to get their hands dirty, and we believe that if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem… Interested in learning more? Please contact us

Founders:

Br. Tenzin (Dr. Alex Anderson)

Tenzin has a research background in the ecology of climate change impacts on rainforest bird biodiversity. Now ordained as a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, he has been fortunate to study and practice under Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village And at Pa Auk Tawya in the Burmese forest tradition. With a passion for walking retreats in wild places, He is fascinated by the complementarity of the Theravadin, Zen, Vajrayana and Hatha Yoga approaches to cultivation of the spiritual path, and the application of mindfulness to living in harmony within oneself, within community, and with the natural world. To read more visit his bio page.

Dr Bev Sibthorpe

Growing up on a small dairy farm in New Zealand, Bev trained as a nurse in Auckland before going on to study anthropology and human science at the ANU in Canberra, and subsequently worked for several decades as an applied epidemiologist primarily focusing on Aboriginal community controlled primary health care. Bev feels a strong commitment to social justice and equity, and to practicing compassion in my daily life. Inspired by time at Plum village in France, she aspires to embracing interbeing, minimising her planetary footprint and to growing food and caring for the land. To read more visit her bio page.

Spiritual guidance

We draw deep inspiration from the late Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and abundant nourishment and support from our connection with the Plum Village and Sakya Tibetan sanghas, and our heart connection with the wonderful community at www.yatra.org.au.

Supporters

Leo Lazarus

Poet, writer, traveller, engineer and lover of all forms of life, leo was born and raised in Melbourne, making his way to the fringes of the city in 2015 and forming a deep and intimate connection to the land of the Warrandyte State Park, Wurundjeri Country. Since then he has been balancing an engineering career, with a focus on water networks, sewerage treatment and waterway ecology, with my passion for travel writing and poetry. For leo truly caring for the land, rejuvenating land and being fulfilled in the process seems to be the antidote to so many challenges facing us in these times of chaos. To read more visit his bio page.

Tasch Arndt

Tasch is passionate about taking care of the Earth and the diverse human and more-than-human kin that we share this precious planet with. Her interdisciplinary background spans ecology and the social sciences and I hold a Master’s degree in Human Geography from the University of Amsterdam. For her Master’s thesis she conducted research on feminist agroecology and Community Supported Agriculture. and has studied permaculture, worked on a small-scale organic market garden. Tasch believes that sustainable farming can be a regenerative and healing force that can support planetary and human health, reconnect people with the environment and grow thriving communities. 

Nathan Sutter

Previously ordained as a monastic in the Plum Village Tradition, Since returning to Australia in October 2016, Nathan has been involved in developing and facilitating a mindfulness program in a secondary school, teaching yoga and meditation in various spaces around the country and studying and practicing under various teachers. In my roles as son, uncle, teacher, student and friend, I find inspiration in the dialogue between Early Buddhist notions of health and wellbeing and ‘awakening’ and those of the modern, secular kind, ‘Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Hakomi, and Somatic Experiencing.  Nathan holds dear a vision of ‘The Beloved Community’ transmitted to him by Thich Nhat Hanh during his time at Plum Village.

Sky and Miraz Indira

Skye was raised on (and by) a farm in South Africa, where she spent her early years wondering barefoot, hand-raising and rehabilitating wildlife and working as a safari guide. She then trained in traditional Taoist healing practices for three years and qualified as a yoga instructor before travelling to the Peruvian Amazon to study plant medicine.  Miraz also grew up close to nature, but tried to ‘civilise’ himself through a law degree at Melbourne Uni, a few years as a corporate lawyer and then as an insurance dispute resolution case manager. Now passionate about ecological identification, protection and regeneration they are both deeply disturbed by the trajectory of our civilisation and the separation consciousness on which it is premised, and feel the imperative to explore Earth-friendly culture and ways of being – including spirituality, community, permaculture and soul-centric early childhood education.

Lisa Brown

Lisa works as a psychologist and yoga teacher, and has trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She feels fortunate to have many extraordinary teachers, including Lama Tendar who has opened her heart and mind to the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on how understanding the mind and cultivating the energy of compassion creates an alchemy of healing and transformation. She is inspired by the commonalities between Buddhadharma, western psychology and earth-based wisdom traditions. It is her aspiration to contribute, as part of a collective, to a future where we remember our potential as human beings and our interconnectedness with all things to allow to heal relationships with ourselves, all being and the rivers, oceans, land and sky.