An Introduction to Michael Pilarski, Convenor of the Global Earth Repair Conference
Michael Pilarski started Friends of the Trees Society in 1978 and has been studying earth repair ever since. His hands-on experience includes agriculture, permaculture, agroforestry, medicinal herb growing, wildcrafting, horticulture, orcharding, seed collection, nursery sales, and tree planting. He is a writer, educator and gathering organizer.
A history of Michael Pilarski’s involvement in earth repair and related disciplines.
* Involvement in the organic agriculture movement since 1972. I have been farming and/or gardening most years since 1972. Co-founder of Tilth in 1974. Tilth has been a leader in the Northwest’s organic agriculture movement ever since.
* Founder and Director of Friends of the Trees Society since 1978. I was inspired by Richard St. Barbe Baker (Men of the Trees) to start Friends of the Trees Society. I am still following in his footsteps.
* Founded and ran the Travelers Earth Repair Network from 1990 to 1999. During those years TERN amassed over 400 hosts worldwide and worked with over 500 travelers.
* Conducted tree sales and plant exchanges in over 30 towns and cities in the Pacific Northwest with over 180,000 trees and shrubs distributed since 1978.
* Produced and published the 1988 International Green Front Report which reported on a host of earth repair topics including a “Reference Guide to Sustainable Land Use in Arid & Semi-Arid Lands”.
* Co-organized the Restoration Forestry Conference, November 9-11, 1990 at the Lost Valley Center, Dexter, Oregon.
* Produced and published the Third World Resource Guide in 1993 for people working in the Global South. It reviews 425 organizations, 95 periodicals and over 275 other useful references.
* Edited the book Restoration Forestry, an International Guide to Sustainable Forestry Practices. Published in 1994. 592 pages. The most up-to-date and comprehensive book on the topic at the time.
* Co-organized the Inland Northwest Restoration Conference at the University of Washington, Pullman in 2005.
* Started and ran Friends of the Trees Seed Service (1978 to 1988) which specialized in seed of medicinal plants and native plants of eastern Washington. The retail seed business ended in 1988 but I continue to put out a wholesale seed list annually.
* Starting in 1988, Michael has taught 40 permaculture design courses in Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wisconsin, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Hawaii, Kauai, Molokai, Belize and Nepal.
* Organized over 100 major events since 1974 involving over 100,000 people on topics such as herbal medicine, barter fairs, agriculture, permaculture, agroforestry, restoration, and others.
* Taught hundreds of workshops on these and related topics to thousands of people over the years starting in 1972.
* As a result of all these activities I am part of multiple networks of friends, people and organizations. I am embedded in these grass-roots movements.
~ Michael Pilarski, Friends of the Trees Society
Some of Michael Pilarski’s talents:
Talent # 1) A deep understanding of the hands-on, practical work it would take to repair the Earth’s damaged ecosystems. Particularly the terrestrial ecosystems. Ecological restoration, erosion control, soil building, reforestation, biodiversity regeneration, carbon sequestration, and so forth. How to make the world a paradise.
Talent # 2) A deep knowledge of how to grow enough food to feed all the world’s people a nutritious and diverse diet, focused on local production. Tropical to boreal climates. Organic, sustainable, ecological, low-external-input-agriculture. I have compiled a list of 1800 temperate zone crops. In 1974, I began my permaculture career in 1982 and have been teaching permaculture design courses since 1988. I know a lot of people in the permaculture movement at international, national and regional levels.
Talent # 3) Complementary health care, particularly in the field of herbal medicine. I have been organizing events focused on natural health care and herbal medicine since 1975. I farm and wildcraft medicinal plants. I have many connections in the herbal medicine movement. Through the deep nature connections fostered through point 1 and the nutritious diet in point 2, combined with herbal (local) medicine and complementary health care, we can achieve a much healthier human race with a drastic reduction in health care expenditures and human suffering. I understand how to sustainably produce the herbs needed to do this.
Talent # 4) Cheerleader, circles, collective singing and dancing. I have helped facilitate thousands of circles, large and small. I have taken a two-year Dances of Universal Peace dance training. Co-founder of the gathering Singing Alive, now in its 11th year.
Talent # 5) Connection with the intelligences of nature. Working with devas and nature spirits for earth balancing and regeneration. Popularly called the fairy realm. Since 1978 I have been studying, writing, teaching and organizing on this topic. I started the Fairy & Human Relations Congress in 2001 and it has happened annually since. We bring together some of the leading lights in the world of fairy communication. These have included Peter Tompkins, Dorothy McLean, David Spangler, Robert J. Stewart, Caitlin Matthews and over 100 other presenters. I keep abreast of the English-language books and authors on this topic.
Each person has a unique combination of talents. It is easy to find experts in talents 1, 2, 3 and 4. It is a lot harder to find experts in talent 5. There aren’t many of us who combine a deep understanding of all five of these talents at the global level. And, oh yes, I am humble too.
