ABOUT USSEND is supporting stewardship programs and projects that are helping to create healthy vibrant communities. We are actively seeking Nature Based Solutions (NBS) to todays pressing environmental and human health challenges. Some of those solutions are to advance knowledge and education that leads to skills (jobs) and economic development in support of Natures unique ability to course correct and heal life of Earth.
Our intention is to partner with those who see the need to scale restoration of nature's ecosystem services. All natural systems have the unique inherent ability to self organize, clean and heal their environment. Partnering with Nature through applying the emerging understanding of nature based solutions increases natures capacity to heal and restore earth's ecosystems. Working together cooperatively in teams applying NBS we will scale our ability to provide energy efficient, lower cost and actual real workable solutions to solve humanity's existential crisis's that we are all facing. We envision full employment of societies human and technical resources to restore degraded farm and forest lands, our streams, rivers , lakes and oceans. Whenever we help nature accomplish these objectives we are realizing an abundant return on our investments. Including but not limited to; peace and stability between nations, vast improvements in human and ecosystem health including but not limited to; clean water, healthy nutritious food crops, energy efficient climate ready healthy communities, elimination of brownfields and polluted waterways, return to healthy production our nations farmlands, restoration of marine ecosystems, etc. All providing a more secure future for ourselves and our children's children. SEND was created in Southeast Michigan. It was here that was the birthplace of the assembly line that accelerated the footprint of our transportation architecture. We have a history of manufacturing prowess and capacity that has truly altered the Earth with increasing speed and efficiencies. However, the price paid for unsustainable development has brought us climate change and species extinction. Many of those practices that Henry Ford developed supported family farms and their communities, his efforts led to the creation of public educational systems that further improved knowledge skills that further improved life for many people throughout the world. At SEND we endeavor to help reestablish our communities through the application of regenerative farming and forestry practices and to build local circular sustaining economies through reestablishing renewably derived agricultural inputs into our manufacturing processes. Thereby helping to replace fossil fuels and other extractive and polluting raw materials. We are in search of others who believe that it is possible to reverse engineer how we arrived at this juncture. For there is a tremendous amount of value lost to past inefficiencies that needs to be restored. |
PURPOSELife has existed because of sustained energy exchanges that take place throughout the universe. The health of our world is challenged by how humans have misused and disrupted nature’s energy systems. We intend to help change how society uses energy.
MISSION
At SEND we endeavor to create and support stewardship programs and projects that are helping to restore our natural energy systems while helping to create healthy vibrant communities.
VISIONWe see unlimited opportunities for humanity to reinvent itself through the regeneration of our natural systems that support life on Earth. SEND will help to develop projects and programs that manifest this potential within the watersheds and bioregion of Southeast Michigan. We will freely share our findings and help others to establish similar solutions unique to their environment. |
SEND Board of Directors
JAMES W. BATES
FOUNDER
Jim’s interests have been rooted deeply in the crafts of the skilled trades for over 45 years.Having worked on the installations of numerous renewable energy systems up to a 150 KW solar PV systems. Jim firmly believes though, that the greatest renewable energy is that of the creative spirit. That energy exists within the soul of every living being and it longs for an opportunity to share it’s gifts.. This conviction has led him to use his craft to help build a safer and more secure world in ways that aligns and encourages community involvement and personal growth.
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CHAD MONFREDA
DEVELOPER
Chad holds a Ph.D. in the Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology from Arizona State University and a M.S. in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. He has held teaching and research appointments at the University of Michigan and Princeton University, where he has worked on a range of sustainability issues, including global food systems, conservation policy, and climate governance. Chad currently serves as SEND’s Treasurer and the Director of Operations at Common Good Washtenaw, a cooperative currency bringing economic democracy to Ann Arbor and surrounding communities.
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JOET REOMA
DEVELOPER
Joet is a volunteer faculty, consultant and ecosystem-designer in these areas: the MSU Ext Master Gardener Program, the Washtenaw County Master Composter Certificate Program, the Compost Education Center (CEC) of Project Grow Community Gardens, Urban Permaculture Design, and academic programs in Population Ecology. He has volunteered in the American Red Cross and in the Community Emergency Response Team. His motto is Garden Deeply - to build both soil and community health at same time. He focuses on community gardening as a learning platform to teach youth personal and family resilience, ecosystem gardening, and environmental stewardship.
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T. C. CollinsT.C. Collins is educated as a culinary artist who has now devoted his career to sustainable gardening, food growing and teaching the community about sustainable organic gardening and developed the first regional program to teach people about the history that Nature and her plants played a major
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David BenjaminDavid Benjamin is a design Architect, consultant on buildings and built cultural heritage conservation and a built environment researcher, focused on the cultural aspects of cultural landscapes and sustainable innovation for the construction industry. He is a registered
architect with the Norwegian Society of Architects since 1986 with completed projects and project designs in Norway, The Bahamas and the US. Dr. Benjamin’s focus for his Ph.D was on the relationship between ecology, cultural landscapes and architecture in pre-historic Scandinavia. Further, he was a Research Council Norway Postdoctoral Fellow in sustainable innovation research and teaching work at OSLOMet during 2010, under the direction of Professor Karl-Georg Høyer, for the transformation of five construction industry partners to integrate the Passivhaus Standard into their value chains. He continues to publish in scholarly journals, conference proceedings, and edited books on the cultural and environmental aspects of architecture and the built environment since 1992. He also continues to design and facilitate different design and organizational transformation stakeholder work, including design charrettes from 1992, based on his training as a Charrette Planner from the National Charrette Institute, most recently for the charitable NGO Sustainable Energy Delivery, in S.E. Michigan. |
steven egglestonBio coming soon!
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