The coffee story continues, 5 years in the making.

Dear friends and supporters, 

The recent and current happenings in many regions of our earth may feel dire, chaotic, polarized, unsettling, and overwhelming - and I am not here to prove you otherwise. Instead, I simply wish to remind all of us (that includes myself!) that GOOD things are happening all around us - each day, each hour, each moment. Unfortunately and for reasons beyond the scope of this short post, that is not where our attention and our media have been focusing on. Besides a few of the Conscious Impact Nepali staff, myself, and the 16 other foreigners who have spent time at our camp and surrounding communities, this story of coffee and its latest unfoldings can be told by no one but ourselves. It's an empowering feeling, and I've been awaiting an opportune moment to bring it out into the light for your eyes and ears. 

The Conscious Impact story could arguably have begun in 2015 following the earthquakes in Nepal, or further back in its birth as a name and concept for community development and collaboration by co-founder Orion Haas. For the sake of simplicity and getting right into this coffee story though, I'll skip ahead to 2017. 

It was spring. I remember coming out of a chilly winter living in our tents at camp - my first winter with the team - and feeling the warmth penetrate my skin to defrost my bones. The days were getting longer, and birds returned from the lower elevations to sing their songs while spouts in our greenhouses and on the ground poked their heads out to receive the photons. To be completely fair, we actually didn't get much frost, if at all. Afterall, we are only situated at a hair over 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) elevation, and at this attitude in the Himalayas, the frost-fearing plants are mostly safe. But remember, we lived (and still do today) in tents. Zero insulation. No air conditioning nor heaters. 

I recently re-watched the video that the Conscious Impact team and I published for our #MoreThanATree campaign that kickstarted our first massive coffee & native shade tree planting to be reminded more clearly the what/who/why/how of that season.  If you haven't seen that before, I can encourage you to check it out to learn about the what/who/how/why of this undertaking. 

If that's 4 minutes too much for you, this is the quick 'n dirty: coffee tree planting allows for other shady (and/or native) trees to be grown simultaneously (minimizing erosion, ecologically restorative, sequestering carbon), and integrates well with the existing land use and crop growing that region farmers are accustomed to. Additionally, in a few years time, the coffee bean harvest have the potential to become a substantial source of income with minimal upkeep and work for families, earning them several hundred to a thousand+ US dollars extra per year depending on the number of productive trees for years and even decades to come. 

Our agriculture and executive team formulated this vision and plan through dozens of conversations during home visits and several larger community meetings, asking the question, "What can we do to help?", while evaluating our available human and natural resources, and solutions that benefit not only people but wildlife and the built environment also. 

Meeting Shyam Katuwal was a pivotal moment. He is a long-time friend of one of our core Nepali staff and closest friend, Narayan Bhattari. Shyam is an organic farmer who has dedicated 30+ years of his life growing food and medicine with no chemical fertilizers or pesticides on his land. He has had a coffee tree nursery since 1986 and been a strong advocate and resource for many. We partnered with Shyam to hold a series of community meetings to inform and gauge interest, followed then by a series of hands-on workshops for local community members to learn and replicate the decades of knowledge that he has to offer. Check out this interview the team and I did with him in 2017.

Through the success of our fundraising campaign coupled with the enthusiasm by our volunteers as well as community members, we got the initial batch of 10,000 trees into the ground throughout the spring and summer of 2017. Greg Robinson, our agriculture program co-lead, even remained in the village throughout the monsoon to ensure that all the trees were properly cared for and transplanted as the rest of us foreigners left the country due to immense amount of precipitation, heat, and difficulty of living in tents.

Below are several photos from between Feb-Jun of 2017:

Riding on the success of the initial plantings, in just a little over a year later, we broke ground (video link) on what is now the coffee co-operative processing center. It was a tremendous collaborative effort by locals, Nepali volunteers from Kathmandu, as well as foreign volunteers from well over 10 countries. Because of the topography (hilly and difficult to access) and being mindful of the budget, we opted not to hire a big earth excavator and dug into 4 terraces with simply shovels and raw human power. 

There is a saying in Nepal - "daal baht power 24/7" - daal baht being the national dish of rice and lentils with a side of curried and/or pickled vegetables. Daal baht was certainly the main "sponsor" of this massive undertaking! 

Like several family homes that we've built in the region, we utilized the earth bag building technique to construct the coffee co-op building. It is strong, earthquake-resilient, low-cost, allowed everyone to participate in the process (as it doesn't require hyper-specialized skills such as brick masonry), has a minimal environmental and social footprint, and sits right in the heart of the village for easy access by nearly all community members. 

The building was completed in mid-2019, and the coffee-processing equipment was purchased and put in place towards the end of the year. 

This year, as COVID-19 shuts down much of our globe in a multitude of ways, Conscious Impact also faces an unprecedented situation with no incoming volunteers, and with that, drying up a majority of the funding. Yes, in late 2018 we had set up a monthly #SustainUs campaign to begin creating a predictable, monthly source of income for the organization, but that hasn't reached a critical mass to fully sustain our current operations. As we walk into this realm of the unknown, we really don't know how to continue to do this work and feed ourselves, pay salaries for our staff, and ensure that the vision we've been committed to for the past 5 years will fully materialize. 

Well, as Nepal entered a state of lockdown in the 3rd week of March, our local staff and foreign team began to gather to evaluate what we can do moving forward, the first batch of beans on the trees we had planted in 2017 were ripening, providing us a harvest experience to be remembered forever. 

Everyone was ecstatic! 

Despite the global pandemic and setbacks we have experienced in the last several months, we are utterly thrilled with our progress on the coffee program. This first harvest has marked an important milestone in our young organization, and we feel clear in continually to commit and invest in ourselves and our community partners. We have made mistakes yet learned tremendously on the planting and ongoing care of the young trees, harvest techniques to ensure maximum yields, and how to communicate the benefits of coffee so that more farmers understand the long-term benefits their families as well as land could receive. 

This coffee story continues as I type this. It carries on because of 6 foreign staff members and volunteers have made the decision to stay in the country to help with the distribution and planting of the remaining 2,000 trees we've committed to this season. This story keeps unfolding because more and more regional coffee farmers see the vision and choose to work alongside us. And it is powered by your support and that of hundreds of others around the world who have consciously chosen to help continue to make this a reality - whether through coming to Nepal physically to put your hands in the soil, referring friends to our community, donating once or monthly, or even simply engaging with us via social media. 

This post is made possible thanks to the hundreds of volunteers and supporters of Conscious Impact through the years, and the dozens of supporters on Patreon and social media that I have that keep my work with them and the communities churning - I am so thankful each and every day. My intention in writing this post is not to pressure you in giving more of your financial resources, but rather celebrate the progress we have made in whatever capacity we have had, and bring with it a ray of light. We are living through an uncertain period with enough energetically-draining news to dampen the strongest minds and most joyful of hearts, and I hope this at the very least serves as a reminder that there is still light and hopefulness in our collective ability to band together and collaborate on writing the brighter pages of our future history. 

Here's to us, and the magic of coffee.

Be sure to check out our latest video that showcases our work these past few months and why we are asking for help right now. At the time of publishing this post, we are sitting at just over $18,000 with a goal of $25,000 USD. If you're able to, and the financial gods have been blessing you through these difficult times, consider pitching in please. 

You can read much more about our current aspirations and goals here on Conscious Impact's blog.

To simply donate directly, follow this link.

Thank you for your attention and support so, so much.

With gratitude and love from Seattle, Washington.

Jonathan

Note: Due to the formatting of Patreon vs. Squarespace, I could not simply copy and paste all of the content here. The next best move instead of inserting each image manually where they are on the original post is to simply have a gallery - sadly, the individual captions have been lost though:

A film born out of 4 years, 5 trips, and 12 months on the ground with Conscious Impact

Here it is. This is my most important and longest project to date. 4 years, 5 trips, with nearly 12 months of being on the ground with the Conscious Impact team & community in Nepal working, planning, building, filming, and editing. This is our most complete story and showcase of our projects, community, and intentions since the beginning as well as moving forward.

Please turn your sound on (headphones or quality speakers recommended!), and try to set aside about 9 minutes without interruptions. I (we) would love, love to hear what your thoughts and reactions are after. Leave a comment right here, DM me, share it near and far!

A tremendous shoutout to Orion Haas + Allen Gula in their foundational work and connections leading us to that part of Nepal where we've made lifelong friends and connections to the land. To Beth Huggins, Mariana Jimenez Dela Nait, Greg Robinson, and Alyson Noele Sagala for all of the untold and uncountable hours of devotion, love, and courage to keep marching forward year after year since our humble beginnings. To Rose Flanigan, my office mate on the terraces then, and always in spirit. Thankful for Narayan Bhattarai, Haribol Bhattarai, Kumary Tamang Bomjan (and dozens of other Nepali community members, really) for their openness and warmth in welcoming and working alongside us for 4+ years now learning and expanding together. This video and project also wouldn't be possible if it weren't for dozens more family members, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers of a network spanning across our earth providing spiritual, financial, and physical contributions through time and space. Could not possibly tag and name all of you. Thank you.

Huggee love and gratitude to my 45 patrons (http://patreon.com/subtledream) in the last year especially in helping to sustain ME to bring this to life. Folks contributing at $4/month or higher have their names forever embedded into our video.

If you feel connected to our mission and vision, it’d be awesome to have you join our sustainer team. I have just joined it myself a couple weeks back. 🙌🏽

🎬 Please share this magic! 🎬

Become a sustainer: https://classy.org/give/117738/#!/donation/checkout
More about Conscious Impact: http://consciousimpact.org

Is it mid-August already?

This is a distilled, public version of the patron supporters’ version accessible here. Currently, 44 patreon supporters help to make my lifestyle and work of minimalism, value and purpose-driven content creation possible each month. Check out my patreon page to learn more about me, how this works, and what you get in return.

Phew. Slipping a couple weeks behind here on this August release. It's been an absolute whirlwind in the best way possible here in and around Seattle. I'm gonna have to do a followup post this month like in July because the news and content keep piling up for me to want to include for you all. Here's what I've got for you all today: 

• Beacon Food Forest

• 'Good news you probably didn't hear about'

• Intentions for CI Season 5

• Updates from Everybody Eats NZ

• Upcoming travels & work

• Videos

• Podcasts

• Pretty pictures

Beacon Food Forest Photos 

That header image may look like a Google Earth/Maps image, but it's far closer and more recent - right from Beacon Food Forest's recent work party on July 20 via my drone. Being able to take my new gear to capture the food forest from the sky and on the ground again bring me and many people joy. Being a volunteer-driven project since its inception, the food forest has lacked a dedicated media person since I left Seattle in early 2016 except for a several-month period later that year. It has since gone through pretty radical changes - the groundbreaking of the "Phase 2" expansion plus the continued growth of all of the existing shrubs and trees. As I cycled through the bike/multi-use path cutting right through its center, I'm confronted with a visual that is looking more and more like an actual forest. The various layers in height and density throughout the open harvest area is starting to mimic that of a natural ecosystem, except of course, all of the plant species were planned and planted intentionally to maximize sustenance production for humans, pollinators, other wildlife, in addition to building the soil, sequester carbon, and many more positive functions. 

This coming weekend, I'll have the opportunity once more to get my hands a bit dirty and volunteer for their monthly work party. Thanks to your ongoing support, I'm able to also bring my craft to the table and help this selfless community to document the team effort as we nurture the space as one of the largest project of its kind in the states while also planning for a greater project for later this year and possibly the next, too (more to come!). 

Good news you probably didn't hear about (thanks, Future Crunch!)

• Los Angeles has announced the largest, cheapest solar + storage project in the world, at half the cost of a new natural gas plant. Wright's Law FTW. Forbes

• Ireland has joined the growing list of countries that say new petrol and diesel powered vehicles will not be allowed on the roads after 2030. BBC

• 8.8 million Nepalis have gained access to electricity since 2010, and officials say the country is on track for universal access by 2022. Kathmandu Post

• Heart disease rates in the UK have declined significantly - it's still the leading cause of mortality, but deaths have decreased by almost half since 2005. Telegraph

• Good news from North Korea. According to the WHO, smoking rates have declined by 8.4% since 2012, thanks to a government-led anti-smoking campaign. DailyNK

• Rates of HPV in Britain have fallen by 86% among young women aged 15 to 19 since they started being vaccinated in schools in 2008. Times

• UNESCO says that 19 African countries have reached gender parity (equal numbers of boys and girls) in primary education in the past decade. Brookings

• Kenya's High Court has ruled that rape survivors have the right to an abortion, a landmark ruling in a country where abortion is still illegal. Reuters

• An estimated 10,000 LGBTQIA+ teens in the US have been protected from conversion therapy in states that have banned the practice since 2012. NBC

• Canada has passed its most progressive Fisheries Act in history; for the first time since 1868, there's a legally binding requirement to rebuild fish populations. Oceana

• The Scottish government has met its annual tree planting targets for the first time. 11,200 hectares were planted last year, a significant increase on 2017. BBC

• Since 2000, the area of land dedicated for livestock pasture around the world has declined by 1.4 million square kilometers — an area the size of Peru. MongaBay

• Thanks to rigorous anti-poaching strategies, one of Africa’s largest wildlife reserves has just gone a year without losing a single elephant. Independent

• In the first six months of 2019, sun, wind, water and biomass produced more electricity in the world's fourth largest economy than coal and nuclear combined. DW

• In the first six months of 2019, Scottish wind turbines generated enough electricity to power 4.47 million homes - almost double the number of homes in Scotland. CNBC

• According to the United Nations, in 2018, global HIV-related deaths fell to 770,000, 33% lower than in 2010 when 1.2 million deaths were recorded. DW

• A new report by UNESCO says that between 2006 and 2016, India, Ethiopia and Peru achieved significant improvements in nutrition, sanitation, child mortality, drinking water, schooling, electricity access and housing. India alone lifted 271 million people out of poverty during this period. Understandably there's been wall-to-wall coverage of this story on every major global news channel. The Hindu

• New diabetes cases in the US have declined by 35% since 2009, the longest decline since the government started tracking the statistic nearly 40 years ago. STAT

• Mali has announced it will begin providing free healthcare for pregnant women and children under five. Universal healthcare, not just for rich countries. Guardian

• Drug overdose deaths in America declined by around 5% last year, the first drop since 1990. It's almost entirely due to better control of opioid painkillers. NYT

• Last year crime rates in the 30 largest cities in the US declined by 3.5%, violent crime by 4% and murders by 8%. Did someone just say 'hellholes?' Brennan Centre

• Ethiopia has kicked off a new campaign to plant four billion trees and will monitor progress with a satellite the country is launching in November.

• Since introducing new fuel efficiency rules a decade ago New York has cut nitrous oxide and particulate emissions from taxis by 82% and 49%, respectively. Nature

• Costa Rica has just signed a new law banning the importation, commercialisation and delivery of all styrofoam containers and packaging. Costa Rica News

• South Africa has nearly doubled its number of marine protected areas, increasing the proportion of conserved territorial waters from 0.4% to 5.4%. Cape Talk

• For the first time in 17 years there will be no commercial whaling in Iceland after the sole company certified to hunt whales failed to renew its license in time. Newsweek

How flippin' amazing are these POSITIVE news bits?! Seriously, subscribe to their fortnightly newsletter if this sort of content uplifts you anywhere near the way they do for me. 

Intentions for Conscious Impact Season 5

There are some clear goals & intentions for returning back to Nepal this autumn. 

As mentioned in the previous post, this will be the first time Conscious Impact is offering an earthbag dome workshop where folks are paying (versus suggested fundraising) for a dedicated course to learn and essentially become capable of building or leading their own earthbag structures. I will bring my documentation gear and skillset to work with the core team and participants to film (and learn personally) this process to better showcase and promote ourselves for future workshops and natural-building specific outreach + marketing. 

I miss my community there. It'll be absolutely wonderful for me to get back to witness firsthand the progress we've made since early November last year (oh goodness!) as well as to return to a state of service and community living with a healthy routine - something which I lack here in the states on most days and wish to better cultivate structure of my day to day life. 

I also wish to hear/witness/experience/capture snippets in more of the Himalayan country as I gain clarity on the theme of my future (and first) photo book(!)... more about this below. This may mean that I'll set aside a week or so to travel to a new region for some trekking and exploration. 

Everybody Eats NZ

Just like Collett's Corner that I've posted an update about, Everybody Eats NZ is another social-GOOD project dealing with food waste AND feeding the poor while bringing the issue to the forefront of people's minds and taking immediate action. I financially contributed to them back in 2018 while living and working in New Zealand, and have happily stayed subscribed to updates because they simply kick major butt. This month I wish to share with you all this fresh and exciting news flash. This is the power of grassroots mobilization and crowdfunding to make dreams realities: 

As a financial supporter of Everybody Eats, I want to update you on our journey so far and our new permanent restaurant.

In June 2018, we successfully raised over $120k in one of New Zealand’s most successful project crowdfunding campaigns, to set up New Zealand’s first permanent pay-as-you-feel restaurant. 

We got to work quickly and by September were operating 3 nights per week, subleasing Woodworks Cafe in Avondale. We had planned to build our own kitchen and to increase to 5 nights per week, however ongoing landlord building works meant we were delayed. In December the business changed hands and in January it reopened as Te Whau Eatery. With building works still going, we continued to operate for 3 nights each week, feeding around 120 each night, our 3 course, pay-as-you-feel meals. 

In April, as 6 months of frustration with builders ended, we were finally ready to move forward with our kitchen, however with the experience of operating more permanently, we decided this was not the right site for us to invest the money we had raised. The position and layout of the cafe were not suitable, and the subleasing arrangement was less attractive after the business changed hands in December. Since then we have been looking for another site, with all the money we had raised still safely in the bank but with 6 months of lessons from operating more regularly. 

Today we begin work on what we now think is the perfect home for Everybody Eats, in Onehunga. It was a failed cafe, a standalone building with 14 car parks, two kitchens and a mezzanine floor overlooking the main restaurant. We will be subleasing to a cafe operator and shared office/meeting space provider. The aim is to create a community hub, that is always activated, where people will gather for coffee, lunch, meetings, evening meals and everything in between.

We have the support of some incredibly generous businesses, who are donating their time, energy, equipment and expertise to help us achieve a $300k fit out, on a much smaller budget. We aim to be open in late September.

In the background we continue to operate our hugely successful Gemmayze St pop-up in Auckland City. We are now feeding on average 330 people each Monday night, with NZ’s top chefs continuing to help. We’ve been lucky to work with the likes of Josh Emmet, Des Harris, Samir Allen, Dariush Lolaiy and Josh Barlow over the last 12 months. 

We hope you will make it along to the new opening of Everybody Eats in Onehunga, so will send you an update once we have a confirmed date.

If you can think of anyone you know that may be able to support us with our fit out, I’d love to hear from you. Right now we are looking for a tiler, vinyl flooring company/installer, large indoor plants, commercial kitchen shelving and an artist for a large mural.

Warm Regards
Nick Loosley

Upcoming travels & work 

There has definitely been some solidification of my schedule since the last update, and I am happy to know that the rest of my year is essentially planned out for a change ;) Here's the latest of when I'll (mostly) be where: 

• Now - 20 Sep : Seattle / Pacific Northwest [summer, ongoing editing, mountain & water frolicking, friends]

• 21 Sep - 2 Oct : San Diego / Los Angeles [for photoshoot + family time]

• 3 Oct - 9 Oct : Seattle [for wedding + prep for longer trip]

• 10 Oct - 18 Oct : Pisa / Rome / central Italy [for wedding!]

• 19 Oct - early-mid Dec : Nepal [for Conscious Impact + personal project]

• *MAYBE* Early to mid-Dec : Hong Kong [visiting extended fam, friends, and networking]

• 20 Dec - holidays : Los Angeles / southern California [mom's 70th birthday!]

• Holidays to early Jan 2020 : Seattle / Vancouver / southern British Columbia [for wedding!]

• .

• ..

• …

• Open

• ...

• ..

• .

• Dec 2020 : Patagonia?! Why? Total solar eclipse.

Inspiring Videos 

Dandapani - on purpose in life (5 min 42 sec)

How India runs the world's largest election by Vox (7 min 34 sec)

Amazing Podcasts 

These are recent favorites, and all of them have been repeated in parts so that I could fully soak in the messages and lessons embedded between the words and emotions. They resonate hugely to my life now and of late, and I hope you'd also find value by these humans. As most of you have probably been able to tell, I am a huge fan of Jay Shetty's podcast, and thankfully it is available on many platforms for streaming. Podcasts have been some of my best go-to's in diving deep within myself, gaining new knowledge, be challenged on what I had thought was true, and to positively reprogram my mind for a healthier, better self. 

6 Reasons Why We Need to Develop the Emotional Skills Our Parents Never Had (29:47) -  by Jay Shetty on his show On Purpose 

What We Nurture (51:34) by Sylvia Boorstein on Krista Tippett's On Being 

How to stop caring what other people think of you (73:22) by Gary Vee on Jay Shetty's On Purpose 

Pretty Pretty Pictures  

A good chunk of why I've returned to Seattle this summer is because my network of quality humans here, and its proximity & abundance of wild, beautiful, really beautiful places. 

I've been hiking, cycling, kayaking, camping, and backpacking all around my previous (and I suppose current, too) home state, and I am simply in awe all over again. 

One of reasons why this update-post-newsletter is 2 weeks late is because I spent 2 nights out of the city and immersed myself in the Cascade mountains with electronics and communication turned off (minus cameras + music/podcast). 

Here are some highlights from that recent journey: 

With love and gratitude, always, 

Jonathan

PS: published this at 1:30am, so please excuse any typos or grammatical mistakes!

I am going back to Nepal.

This is from my patreon post released 2 weeks ago to my supporters:

Yes! I couldn't wait until the August newsletter to share this news with you all. I will land in Kathmandu October 19 to receive a 10-day volunteer group and also participate and film  Conscious Impact's first earthbag dome training workshop which starts in early November. There are some early plannings to stop in a couple other places before returning to North America by the tail end of December for a wedding. 

Speaking of wedding, I am hugely grateful for my friends Amy & Harry (met through Conscious Impact in 2016) in contacting me just a couple weeks ago about photographing their special day, which has catalysed and secured my return for season (year) 5. I'm honored that friends continue to book me for their weddings, family portraits, and other fun ideas. These gigs and destinations allow me to have the time anchor points as well as financial resources to travel (often to a new environment), fuel my life, work, and to be of service on my own and alongside organizations/communities like Conscious Impact. 

I wish to mention and thank Conscious Impact for funding my plane ticket to Nepal this year, a first and also a sign that we as an organization wish to continue (and increase) our investment in this team moving forward. The upcoming video that I've been working on and teasing you with snippets of is intended to help accelerate and bring all that and more to a reality. You'll no doubt be hearing even more about this soon. That said, your financial support through patreon will allow me to eat, transport, have lodging, work (in the cities), and pick up some replacement & new gear to make this mobile photo & video production team of one possible. ;) 

I thought it'd only be appropriate to pair this news with a blog post on what we are looking forward to for this 5th(!) year of Conscious Impact. I figured I'd save you a click by copying the contents of 5 reasons to look forward to season 5: 

1. The Homestay Program

Have you ever wanted to spend a full day and night living with a family in the Himalayas? Do you want a closer look at the daily life of a Nepali family? Season 5 will introduce a new Conscious Impact program in collaboration with the local government that will give volunteers a deeper immersion experience while offering local families another way to share their culture and raise money for their basic needs. We are SO excited to roll this out!

Milk tea is a morning staple of Nepali homes. Share this and much more with local community members in our new Homestay Program.

2. Empowered Youth

With 4 years of experience under our wings, Conscious Impact is now ready to expand our Youth Empowerment program. We hope that means more young women in our Girl’s Empowerment Program, more attendance in our After School Homework sessions, one or even two full-time Nepali staff focused on this work, and more volunteer engagement with local youth. We believe that children are the future, and we are committed to deepening our work with Takure’s youth in Season 5. 

A Nepali student presents her work before the young Girl’s Empowerment Program.

3. It’s Coffee Time!

Season 5 promises to bring our first coffee harvest! While the first harvest may be small, it still means finally seeing the fruits of 4 years of work. Farmers will be inspired by the coffee beans and the income that comes with it, and we expect that in Season 5, more farmers than ever will want to plant MORE TREES! We aim to grow our Agriculture Program, to plant more coffee, and to diversify the trees we plant.

Narayan Bhattarai with his family and Agricultural Program Lead Greg Robinson. Narayan hopes that this 3-year-old coffee tree will give fruit this December!

4. Get Certified in Natural Building

After years of training local Nepalis and volunteers from around the world in natural building techniques, in Season 5 Conscious Impact will finally begin to offer formal courses in superadobe, earthbags, cob, wattle and daub, adobe, CSEB, rammed earth and bamboo construction. We are SO excited! On November 4th, 2019 we begin our first course, Earthbag Dome Construction and Certification. Read more at https://www.consciousimpact.org/earthbag-dome-training. 

From November 4th-13th, Conscious Impact will host its first ever official Natural Building Course: Earthbag Dome Construction. Join us to learn to build your own home in just 10 days!

5. More of the Same!

That’s right, Conscious Impact is committed to continuing what we do and how we do it. In Season 5, our team will sustain our work in Agriculture, Youth Empowerment and Natural Construction. We will collaborate directly with the community to design and implement intelligent and effective development solutions. We will host volunteers from around the world in our environmentally conscious, nearly zero waste camp in the Himalayas, and we will do it all with huge smiles on our faces and hearts full of joy. That is who we are, and we don’t plan to change anytime soon.

We are looking for more volunteers. Learn more and join today at www.consciousimpact.org/volunteer.

Conscious Impact volunteers gather to share gratitude at our camp in Takure.

Back on track in July with a boat load of news & content

Alright, back on track for a beginning of the month release!  I am still feeling that post-vipassana peace and glow from exactly a month ago. Grounded.  

Here's what I've got in store for you lovely patrons in this July newsletter:

• 1 year of patreon + Season 4 wrap-up

• Good news you probably didn't hear about *new*

• The latest #subtledream scoop

• Future travels and work, updated (already)

• Inspiring podcast

• Motivating video

• Pictures!

Celebrating 1 year of patreon + Conscious Impact Season 4 wrap-up

I wanna start to our season 4 wrap-up, a blog post written by Conscious Impact co-founder Orion Haas, whose dad's home in Sebastopol, California is currently where I am typing this from. Conscious Impact has had another incredible year, arguably our best yet in a number of metrics, and even qualitatively speaking. We have lowered our spending but produced about the same amount of earth bricks. We have been able to provide a humble stipend to long-term volunteers while continuing as always to pay all of our Nepali women and men fair wages for the work they do for their own community as well for us foreigners. The number of homes and other buildings being rebuilt continues to climb, the engagement with the youth and farmers via our empowerment and agriculture programs remain vivid and rewarding, and we continue to have a diversity of global volunteers of all backgrounds come dedicate their time, energy, and expertise to keep our projects running and evolving. We've also seen a number of returning volunteers from season 1-3 get their hands dirty again. All in all, it was another 9 months of service and immersion for the books. I am incredibly proud of the team and community, and also joyed to have been able to be a part of the first several weeks, thanks to YOU!

When I launched the Patreon page a year ago, I had a vision of returning to Nepal once more to be of service while continuing to improve my storytelling craft, expand my global knowledge, and live simply in a tent for some months. As many of you know, my mother's health situation altered that course a bit, but nonetheless, I had a solid 6-week run with the team to move bricks, plant trees, eat countless plates of daal bhat (the traditional go-to meal of Nepal), and of course, document + film as much as we could to have quality content for the rest of the year (and beyond). My time back in California/North America has been enlightening too, to say the least, despite the emotional rollercoaster and slump I had experienced. Through the tougher moments do we have the ability to expand and grow more than ever. I trust that all of that was a necessary set of lessons in life for me to become a better version of myself. 

In this past year, a high majority of you have stayed on as patrons, pitching in $1-64 month after month. That has provided me so, so much more than financial support. It has shown me that my friends and network not only watch what I do/post/create, but value it so that they would tip me time and time again to keep me moving forward. 

I remember feeling a bit down by the lack of interactions here on the patreon platform, but the truth is as I hear back from a number of you via direct messages, most of you are simply glad to be able to support ME. That. Is. Immense. That trust you've instilled in me goes far beyond the $250-300 USD I get each month. You are the ones who I feel understands exchange in a deeper manner that transcends simply the monetary amount, but the value generated, the ripple effects our actions have, and especially when paired and amplified with other purpose-driven organizations, businesses, and individuals with a wider reach and impact. While I cannot give you all back a ROI (return on investment) that is quantifiable besides the discount off my prints, I do believe that we've shown ourselves some of the infinite ways to exchange out of value and impact for one another. 

I want to keep this going and grow it steadily. I am in it for the long haul, and hope that you'll keep hanging on for the ride alongside me and so many others as well. As with before and always, if you have a question, drop me a line/comment anytime! Also, if your financial situation has changed and you no longer than pitch in X dollars, please please unsubscribe and take care of your own self first. Absolutely no hard feelings. 

PS: I thought about getting all fancy and filming a heartfelt video and editing it all together, but the truth is, 24 hours in a day isn't enough and I seriously have a full plate to tackle with already. This paragraph comes with gratitude straight from my heart. <3  

Good news you probably didn't hear about 

Future Crunch is one of a handful of newsletters I happily subscribe to. I love that they exist. I actually enjoy AND look forward to receiving these fortnightly packages of good news and incredible happenings from around the world that really inspire me and I would otherwise not hear or learn about. There is a lot noise and negativity out there, and I know for a fact that I sometimes too get inundated by the enormity and heaviness of domestic and global happenings. This is the opposite. Not even kidding, it's one of the only newsletter I'd recommend that you subscribe to. I just became their patron on patreon, too. We're putting money in the hands of the good folks. 

I thought it'd be of value to include their internet findings onto my monthly newsletter: 

• The UK's astonishing coal free run continues - 13 days and counting. The National Grid says the country has not switched on its coal plants since 18th of May.
  

• Algeria and Argentina have officially eliminated malaria. That means there are now 38 countries free from one of humanity's most devastating killers. CNN
  

• The AIHW says that more people are surviving cancer in Australia than ever before. Since 1989, the mortality rate has dropped by 32% for men and by 21% for women.
  

• The WHO has officially decided to remove 'gender identity disorder' from its list of mental illnesses. Welcome to the 21st century folks. CBS
  

• A majority in Brazil's Supreme Court has voted in favour of criminalising homophobia and transphobia, making them the equivalent of racism. BBC
  

• New research says US states that legalised marijuana have experienced a remarkable decline in serious injury from domestic violence. C'mon 'Straya. Green State
  

• Staggering numbers of whales are being sighted off the shores of New York. Cleaner waters have caused a 540% increase in numbers in just eight years. Newsweek
  

• The United Kingdom has become the first major G7 economy to commit to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. BBC
  

• Germany produced 47% of its electricity from clean sources in the first five months of 2019, putting it well ahead of its 2025 targets. Renew Economy
  

• ​The number of people killed in wars around the world has reached it lowest level in seven years, and battle fatalities have fallen by 43% since 2014. PRIO
  

• In a landmark victory for Africa's LGBTQI+ activists, Botswana's High Court has decriminalized homesexuality, overturning a colonial-era law. Independent
  

• In Rwanda, 95% of babies are now receiving vaccinations for rubella, measles and polio, and it's also on track to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer. CNN
  

• Inspired by the EU, Canada has announced it will phase out harmful single use plastics, such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws, by 2021. HuffPo
  

• Vietnamese authorities have banned herbicides containing glyphosate after it was discovered that the substance causes cancer. Asia Times
  

• Canada has banned whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity, as well as the trade, possession, capture and breeding of cetaceans. NPR
  

• An area nearly twice the size of England will become a 'blue belt' of protected waters after the government created 41 new marine conservation zones. Guardian

I acknowledge there are still countless atrocities happening around the world, but this - all of this - helps me to stay balanced on what is GOOD and well on our beautiful planet. There is much, much work to be done folks. We're just getting started. 

The latest #subtledream scoop

Been posting much more to Stories rather than posts, as many things happening of late are fun to share for the moment and temporarily. 

Since the last (solstice) post, I've traveled to the lovely town of Sebastopol in northern California where I reunited with a number of lovely faces and humans of Conscious Impact and had a round of meaningful discussions about our ongoing work and future of the organization and community. I also got to see sights all around the region with new and old friends, deepening my familiarity of my home state and appreciation for its immense natural beauty in all lights and forms. 

Off to a rolling start is a week and a half to (finally) be mostly stationary to work and manifest plans, travels, and projects in the coming months. What a blessing to have my friend's home to live and work out of! 

I have 3 major ongoing projects currently - 1.) Conscious Impact (our big video + social media support), 2.) my friends Yushin & Andy's wedding video, and also 3.) a video for Illumination Learning Studio in Seattle. I am constantly learning to better prioritize and time manage, and I most certainly am correlating my ability to concentrate by staying put at a homebase rather than setting up and packing again every couple of days. These remaining 6 days will be pivotal in testing and challenging my ability to deliver well and more efficiently than ever. 

Future travels and work, revamped (of course)

Remember that semi-chaotic schedule of summer and autumn happenings? This past week or so has seen a massive revamp and additions. 

Here's the notable projects (already) coming down the pipe:

See those aerial shots above a garden? That's the Beacon Food Forest that I've written about on my main patreon page. They are 2 of the very first high-resolution aerial shots of the community-powered project right outside downtown Seattle. Beacon Food Forest is essentially my Conscious Impact-equivalent in the Pacific Northwest region. The humans involved in it are incredible, we grow food, and we want everyone (and other living beings) to take part, eat out of it, and enjoy its harvest as well as other benefits. I shot a whole album of photos which can be seen here. I'll be shooting even more stills and will be able to participate in a few events of this permaculture-inspired, open-harvest community garden in the next couple months! Your support is making this possible. Love. 

Perhaps even more importantly - there has been serious discussions with Orion about my return to Nepal for Conscious Impact's season 5. Much like last year's vision of kickstarting season 4 with the crew, I would go back in a similar time frame with the financial support of you all and be able to shoot/edit/cook/serve/build/play to keep the every flowing stream of content going. I feel strongly supported by you all and many friends + clients who have hired or booked me for recent and future work in allowing me to take volunteer work like this. Together, you have really made me a photo and videographer for good, and damn am I feeling ultra-blessed right this moment typing it out on the laptop you crowdfunded for me too. Shall keep you all posted as soon as I have more clarity. 

Inspiring podcasts

Got 2 podcasts all this month. I've gotten some sweet feedback on my podcast and video recs so I definitely wish to keep sharing. 

Both of these really speak to me, and hope they would with you, too. Give them a proper listen when you are walking, driving, sitting, being still, have the ability to listen and soak in great wisdom as well as transformative perspectives from these lovely humans. 

"The Inner Landscape of Beauty" with John O'Donohue with Krista Tippa on On Being (52:04)

"Transforming Attachment + Expectation in Relationships" with Guy Finley with David Newell on Inner Truth (55:41)

Motivating video

"The Fear Of Being Fully Alive" by Jason Silva (4:31)

I've been following Jason Silva and his amazing productions of positivity and self-reflection and improvement for years. He is one of my 17 recipients of my monthly patreon support, because I believe he's raising our collective human awareness with many others to a level I'd like us to continue to uplift, together. 

Some stills from the past couple weeks

(1st and 2nd) From our Conscious Impact retreat and discussions

(3rd to 7th) Taking a friend visiting from Ghana around San Francisco and Sonoma county for a lot of "firsts"

(last 2) Remember my mentioning on the solstice newsletter about working out of an ocean-view mobile office that is the passenger seat of my car? These are from that very day.

With immense gratitude,

Jonathan

The patron-only version contains content that have been omitted from this public version. If you feel so inclined to check out why I do what I do and how I keep on going, feel free to check out my patreon page.

June (Solstice) Post - Spring into Summer!

Happy solstice!

This month I’ve decided to post publicly my monthly newsletter written previously only for my supporters on patreon. Patreon is a platform that gets content creators like yours truly paid with a subscription model. Since launching it last year, it has been transformative in my ability to be more bold, more consistent (something I’m still actively working on), and connect deeper with a number of my closest supporters while having a small but vital financial safety net in months I don’t take on much (if any) paid work.

I have been feeling that what I write could be of value to more people who are connected to me on social media and browse my site. If you’re curious what this patreon thing is, I invite you to spend a few minutes watching the video and reading https://patreon.com/subtledream. In becoming a supporter (patron), you get exclusive content AND discounts off prints that you can purchase on my site!

Here's what I've got for you all on this (late) newsletter: 

• Vipassana

• June donation

• Featured work

• What the coming months hold

• Garbage pickup

• Inspirational videos

• Favorite podcasts

Vipassana 

Hi everyone. I'm back. Back in society for 20 days already actually. 

As many of you know, I went into a 10-day vipassana silent meditation from the end of May to early June. It was my first time. It entailed dozens upon dozens of hours sitting perfectly still, calm and perfectly quiet, feeling the bodily sensations, realizing oneself, shedding old cravings and aversions, and reprogramming the mind to think and operate more harmoniously internally and externally. Feeling. All the feels. Full spectrum. 
Some really pleasant, wonderful experiences and realizations came up, and plenty of unresolved issues and trauma from the past did, too. I sat with them, day in and day out, objectively, and trying not to judge myself nor the sensations. I came to a better understanding of myself in a way I had never felt before. The micro and macro experiences are profound, to say the very least. 

I'm hugely grateful for the time, the place, the rigid structure to form discipline (something I desperately lack in some departments), and for all the love and support I've gotten from friends coming into this session to re-emerge with a solid mental foundation in which to build my new life chapter onto. After the 10 days, I found myself quieter, slower, more appreciative of the gifts already present in my life, and being able to focus on one task (or person) better. Countless micro adjustments that have made a rather large and positive shift. One of my friends remarked in response to a voice message I had left her that I am now talking at a slower pace, less rushed, and more mindful with the words that I use. I chuckled, and wholeheartedly agree. 

Renewed, and ready to face life to make it meaningful, and beautiful. 

(Re)donation 

At the end of my 10-day meditation at the vipassana center, all of the participants are given the opportunity to give a dāna (Pali and Sanskrit word for the virtue of generosity/charity or any form of giving). I thought that a good way to contribute for this transformative experience would be to subtract my fixed costs (mentioned in previous newsletters) from the net amount received for June. The math came out to $110.05 USD, rounding up to $111. I specifically made it out to the "pagoda fund" at the Northwest Vipassana Center. They are currently building a new structure with 41 meditation cells with a second hall underneath a beautifully-designed pagoda. I feel great about redirecting your financial support to me towards the center, as the vipassana sitting provided shelter, nourishment, care, and most importantly - tools and techniques that have since provided me mental clarity, the ability to reconcile the past, live presently, as well as to sustain my happiness to keep creating a life of meaning and purpose. Truly it has been an invaluable gift. 

In the future, my intention to continue the dāna is to be a server for a 5 or 10-day session - that is, I would be cooking, cleaning, and doing background work and preparations in holding that space for new as well as returning students as I now am. I feel that it would be a great way to give back further while be able to refresh the meditation practice and be reminded of a number of the philosophies. As with any other month, thank you, thank you, especially for those of you who contribute on my patreon. It means a whole lot to me, and know that each dollar goes to positively affect others who bring value to my life. 

Featured work 

Back when I was living and working in New Zealand, one of my favorite collaborations and projects was with Food Resilience Network/Edible Canterbury, who's mission is to create a regenerative food future for all, and together with their Community Manager Michael Reynolds, who is also a dear friend sharing many similar values and motivations of permaculture, community, and collaboration, we made this organizational video happen - in part thanks to your support in the very first couple months of my patreon launching. Their newly-done site features photos that I took between 2017 and 2018, and check it out here: https://ediblecanterbury.org.nz/

What the coming months hold 

In a nutshell: 

• Conscious Impact annual retreat

• Conscious Impact video work

• Road trip back to the PNW

• Weddings

• New Patreon video, and other new content

• Search of a new home and community (or at least plant the seeds)

At the time of my finishing this post in the passenger seat of my little car overlooking the ocean in the Presidio in San Francisco, the odometer reads 3182 miles (5120 km) since I departed Los Angeles 6 weeks back on May 8th. Last weekend was my high school friend's wedding at a beautiful setting in the coastal hills. I thoroughly enjoyed capturing the special day on film (vs. stills) while seeing several high school connections, some I haven't seen since we graduated. I've got 2 more weddings booked for later this year - Sep 1 and Oct 5 - and they will both be in the Seattle region. The focus now is shifted to organizing and begin editing for the wedding that just and also for the school I filmed for in Seattle a couple weeks ago. It's a busy time on the road, but I am incredibly happy to be able to take this creative work with me while on the road and be able to explore old and new spots and see some dear friends. I've packed in my car a work desk, a large monitor for editing, and as a number of you already know too a solar panel and electric generator to charge and power all of my devices with renewable energy. Woohoo! 

So, tomorrow afternoon is the start of our Conscious Impact annual retreat. 6 of us will converge just north of the Bay Area, while a few will call in from various locations to tune in and provide their input throughout our multi-day discussions. I am hugely excited by this. The amount of work and progress made since I left Nepal in November last year has been monumental, and I cannot wait to hear more directly from the core team, discuss what went well and what could be improved going forward, and also lay some ground work for season (year) 5 and beyond. After the retreat and discussions, I will stay with Orion, one of the co-founders, to continue working on video projects together. We've both been anticipating this since earlier this year, and now that I am in a significantly better headspace and feeling healthy inside and out, I have confidence we'll make this time really productive. More to come. 

At some point in July, I will return to the Pacific Northwest for most of summer. I intend on staying with friends or helping them (and really, myself) housesit while they are out of town and work out of Seattle and my car if out in the woods (recall: solar panels, desk, and camping gear!) while spending much-welcomed time in the wild places all around the beautiful region. I will continue live frugally off what I have and will earn with recent and upcoming photo and video gigs along with the support I get from all of you. Many hours will be spent for Conscious Impact work, and I foresee myself investing some time once more with the Beacon Food Forest to shoot and create some content too. It's pretty amazing to make this a reality when just a little over a year I wrote down and published the original vision back in Australia at the time of the patreon launch. Live simply, support the value and community-driven organizations dear to my heart with my craft, and amplify our reach and positive impact together. 

While in Scandinavia and more recently on this new chapter of life, I've been jazzed up by so many great ideas that I feel almost overwhelmed! There are so many stories and topics I wish to write about, and countless video ideas I want to execute. Where to begin? This will require some consolidation followed by action. This much is clear though - a new patreon video is in order. The launch video has served its purpose in getting my platform off the ground and for all of you to watch and understand who I am and what I stand for. The narrative has evolved - I feel that I am leaving the scarcity mindset behind steadily and embracing a brighter paradigm that has already manifested in countless ways in my life. Conversations with a number of you have also helped me pivot and consider moving forward. I do apologize for the late delivery on the postcards as well as other perks that haven't been (fully) fulfilled. As mentioned in the patreon writeup, this is an experimental platform and the hope is that we are all learning from the progress while not being attached to certain outcomes. I feel responsible for anyone feeling they aren't getting their monetary support, and if that's the case (and as always), I welcome feedback from you, whether positive or negative. On the flip side, I hope a number of you have been seeing patron-only Stories on Instagram, and remember that they can all be viewed via the Highlights bubble on my profile available only to you. 

I recall very clearly as I returned to the Pacific Northwest mid-May the feeling of coming home. The lush greens, the precipitation, elements, dense forests, snow-capped peaks that sharply contrasts with the blue or moody skies, glacier-fed rivers, wild foraging, less humans and pollution, closer access to trails and wild places, and the prevalent culture of local + seasonal foods - all of that and so much more. As I walked silently along the forested-trail at the vipassana center on day 2 or 3, I said in my mind and later in a whisper, "it feels so good to be home." Perhaps this is the year I dedicate time and energy into finding a new home for me there. A homebase, one where I invest into and could return year after year to grow and cultivate it along with others who share deep values with. We shall see. The travels, the curiosity, and the exploration, locally and globally, won't stop - oh no, certainly not. 

What will life look like this autumn and beyond? A few ideas are circling in my head, and I am alright not being attached to any one of them, or even others I haven't considered. I will welcome what I consciously create in the present moment and whatever comes of it simply is. 

Garbage pickup

Every month I've been picking up dozens of pieces of garbage from beaches, parks, urban streets, rivers, and everywhere else humans have sadly made our mark on the environment. Inorganic, non-biodegradable waste causes not only an eyesore, but has deep, negative effects on the ecology and in particular to birds and sea creatures. We are ALL responsible for the state of our oceans and beaches, as we are the very consumers and we vote with our dollars everyday. Do you want the oceans to have more plastics than fish? I know my answer well. 

I have seen bays and ports in several regions where the floating garbage is so dense that the surface of the water cannot be seen, and although it pains me to know this truth, it is from this very appalling phenomenon that I somehow draw inspiration - that because we caused it out of ignorance, we can also reverse it out of awareness. I am but one person, and truly a few dozen every month for the rest of my life isn't gonna make a dent on the macro level. I do this on Patreon and social media blatantly because at least for my humble little audience on the internet it comes into the foreground of peoples' minds, even if it's for 10 seconds. It allows for there to be a space for commentary and discussion. You guys aren't literally hiring me to do garbage pickup, but as a gesture of gratitude and also because it is simply the right thing to do - the $2/month makes it an exchange that I feel at least is more fun. 

I've been posting pics of garbage pickup on Instagram stories - it's less time-consuming for me and as mentioned, that way more people can see it. 

Favorite inspirational videos

• Matt D'avella "Why Most People are Unhappy" (4:03)

• Carl Sagan, "A Universe Not Made For Us" (8:58)

If there is just one or two things you'll watch or listen to, make it the Carl Sagan and/or Matt D'avella videos. 

Favorite podcasts 

I could easily share 10 more, but for your sake as well as mine I had to keep this list shorter, haha. Like recent months, I've been hard on the podcast game. I have found it is one of the best ways to fill the gaps of time to keep my brain not only stimulated but expanding on philosophies, new ideas, and knowledge by wise people with much to offer and share. With all the recent hours driving, this has been absolutely transformative in upgrading my brain while being able to stay awake and enjoy the journey even more. They are a bit on the long side, but trust me, they are worth the listen. 

• Eric Zimmer "Feeding Your Good Wolf" on 'Inner Truth' with David Newell (57:52)

• Yuval Harari (author of Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century) "Why Boredom is Good For You" on 'On Purpose' with Jay Shetty (01:04:31)

• Alyson Noele Sagala, poet, traveller, and youth program coordinator for Conscious Impact, on Inside The Ride with Emil Walker (42:25)

Huge huge once more thanks to my 45 supporters who contribute monthly to make my pro-bono work and support possible for organizations and individuals who place people and planet before profits first. Read more about that here and see if you’d be keen to pitch in, too. You can get (massive) discounts off prints off my site if you do!

Jonathan

PS: the patreon-published version contains exclusive photos and some announcements not found anywhere else. Hey, I’ve gotta hook up my patrons first and foremost, alright?

Podcast feat. Allen Gula, co-founder of Conscious Impact

I just got a heads up this morning of this wonderful interview featuring Allen Gula, a good friend, brother, and co-founder of Conscious Impact. It was recorded by Emil Walker, a filmmaker and creative from the UK who hosts the podcast series "Inside the Ride" and was recently a volunteer at Conscious Impact. Being in the states now, I didn't get a chance to meet Emil, but thanks to Allen and the team on the ground in Nepal, I recently got connected with him to collaborate on a short film that Emil is putting together for our project and community. I most certainly will share the film with you all once he releases it online. 

I feel reinvigorated by Allen's words and strong sense of purpose and commitment in this great conversation. Allen has been a friend since 2012 and he's one of the main reasons I moved to Seattle in 2014 and got involved with Conscious Impact and going to Nepal multiple times since 2015. I'll always have him to thank for my profound experiences, lessons, and tremendous growth internally and externally as a result of our friendship and the magnetism he has provided me and many others in bettering ourselves, being of service to one another and to the world.  

You can tune into this 46-minute podcast via your favorite apps, and here are some direct links: 

• Apple podcast

• Stitcher 

• Podbean 

• Castbox 

Feature on LA Yoga

I've got a little golden nugget of a read for you all :)

"This was a conversation with Jonathan Lee, longtime volunteer and media coordinator extraordinaire at Conscious Impact. Conscious Impact is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to sustainable development in Sindhupalchok, Nepal. And it is where I was heading just a month following my training.

This conversation was before we had even met in person, when we were connected only through the social sphere prior to my arrival at camp. His words woke me up, not only because he was so nonchalant with something I was hesitant to share so early in a friendship, but because I knew it meant he had experienced life to be that same kind of magic. The kind that inspires people to live with more intention and purpose, knowing we’re all interconnected."

Full piece here.

Grateful for Andy Vantrease in beautifully articulating her experiences and words along with my photos from our time in Nepal to an audience on LA YOGA Magazine that I wouldn't otherwise have the ability to reach.