Designers Of Paradise With Erik Van Lennep

It started with the wisdom of a four-year-old and has led to a quest to support and spawn regenerative communities.  In this conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik Van Lennep real estate investor and community designer, Chad Thiessen explains how his relationship with his son directed him on his current path, where he came from, and what he's learning along the way. Chad describes his experiences - good and bad - in real estate development and how he's realized he wants to build regenerative communities, places for healing. He distinguishes his ideas from eco-villages and how to work in other countries yet avoid colonialization. He emphasizes the importance of scaffolding to support learning and money as a tool. 

Crann Mór, from Gaelic, means "Big Tree" and Kevin Maher, founder of CrannMor Advisors is thinking big about trees. Partnering with permaculture designer and author Mark Shepard to create CrannMor Advisors, Kevin helps farmers be more successful financially while also improving the ecosystem with an emphasis on agroforestry. In this conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep, Kevin explains how they are looking for early adopters willing to a longer term perspective on "return" that will enable investment in tree crops.

More than 25 years ago, Jeff Goebel started working with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to help improve finances from their timber management program. Over time,

Sara Wolcott is a healer, minister, artist, and storyteller. She (and a turkey) joined Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep for a conversation that touched on giving and receiving, Reiki, the process of regeneration, healing, and the search for the divine. They discussed the tension between urgency for action and the need for listening; […]

“It is sticky and attracts particulates” is how Bruce Kania of Floating Island International explains the biofilm that serves as the glue for the floating islands his company produces. Bruce, during his conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep, describes why these recycled-plastic based islands are beneficial and how they work. Kania talks […]

“Imagine how different our planet would look if we were teaching children whole systems”. This is how Kiwi, soil siren, author, and Regenerative Agriculture Coach, Nicole Masters explains transformative thinking in a far-ranging interview with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep. Nicole is founder of Integrity Soils and author of the book For the […]

It has been about a year since Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep spoke with communication specialist and self-described herbal plant provocateur, Melissa Ruckmick. In this episode they discuss the connection between healing ourselves, healing civilization, and healing the planet. They talk about the potential for herbs and non-hallucinogenic plants to address chronic issues […]

“What is the change we need to get to?” For this episode of Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep catches up with old friend and long time colleague, Duncan Crowley. An Irish architect by training, “slow tourism” is just one aspect of the ‘learn-and-do’ journey which has (so far) taken him from Ireland to […]

Regenerative soil practices are starting to attract more mainstream attention, and hold real promise for restoring the natural capacity for land to moderate water content and quality, store excess carbon and improve local human economies. Progress is being made farm-by-farm, and this is great news. But to match the rate and scale of ecological disruption […]

Compare a pile of flour to a loaf of bread and you will begin to see the difference between dirt and healthy soil. How do you move from flour to bread or dirt to soil? Add microbes. There is plenty of life (including that metaphor) in the conversation between Designers of Paradise host Erik van […]

How does loss of coastal vegetation drive disappearance of summer rains? Can restoring the forest on as small a parcel as 10 x 10 km bring back the rain to an area it has fled? Climate change is as much about soil moisture and land use as it is about CO2. How do we deal […]