DESIGN WORK
PROJECTS
The Coop Garden:
A sustainable student lunch program in the Marshall Islands.
Co-founder, Gardener, Teacher
I had the privilege of leading the transformation of a small plot of land on campus into the Coop Garden at Majuro Cooperative School in the Marshall Islands. This dynamic project worked to establish a sustainable food source for student lunches that could also serve as an engaging educational site for students. By integrating agricultural and forestry techniques in nearby tropical climates, we aimed to create a diversified, productive and ecologically thriving land-use system that would endure far beyond our time on the islands.
After our first year in the garden, we were recognized with a prestigious $20K grant from the Pacific Conservation Trust in New Zealand. Our efforts also earned us the Ambassadors Garden Prize from the US Embassy. This project is a testament to my commitment to research and design aimed at nurturing sustainability and enriching communities.
The Apothecary Kitchen:
A community space for botanical wellness in Detroit
Co-founder
The Detroit Chapter of Herbalists Without Borders began in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Informed by a community survey, we created a free apothecary kits of medicine made together from our collective gardens to promote self and community care.
Our ongoing efforts have included skill-sharing events, enabling knowledge exchange and large-batch herbal medicine production based on local, native plant seasonality and availability. The apothecary now offers tinctures, salves, oxymels, hydrosols, oil infusions, honey infusions, bulk dried herbs, and a seed library, all accessible for free or by donation to Detroit residents.
Our next endeavor, the Apothecary Kitchen, is a food-safe facility with open hours for Detroit's herbalists to process herbs. As part of this intercultural, volunteer-run organization, we are dedicated to promoting health justice, ensuring affordable access to natural and botanical health and wellness for all.
SECRETEXTS:
A mindfulness practice for deep listening.
Founder, Poet, Designer, Yoga & Meditation Instructor
SECRETEXTS are microdoses of poetry for conscious, cosmic living, born out of reverence for the earth and a desire to expand our capacity for love and empower the creative voice within each of us. An act of deep listening and playful-word foraging, SECRETEXTS’ offerings continue to expand from the digital sphere into the forms of mindfulness practices, scented meditation candles, journals, archival prints, books, and newspaper zines.