ABOUT USSEND is supporting stewardship programs and projects that are helping to create healthy vibrant communities. through development of a circular economy. We are motivated by the need for full employment of natural and human resources to help repair and restore natural energy systems that support clean air, water, food security and a stable climate.
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 agro – forestry and to reestablish renewable agricultural inputs into our manufacturing processes 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 Master Gardener, Master Composter, a population ecologist, and a community gardener. His goal is to Garden Deeply to build soil health and include community partners. He focuses on community gardening as a teaching platform to learn food literacy, regenerative agriculture, environmental stewardship, STEAM education, community emergency preparedness, and designing ecosystems. More at https://mcommunity.umich.edu/#profile:joet
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MARK WAGNON
DEVELOPER
Mark has a deep background in whole systems architecture, permaculture, community building, and regenerative design. Mark brings over 30 years of leadership and work experience in systems and network architecture at major IT companies, including Sony and EarthLink. A strong proponent of community building, he is the co-creator of the Conscious Café Ann Arbor and a dedicated advocate of public banks, community-based currencies, and ‘people-based’ solutions as alternatives to the fragile, unbalanced economic model we have today. Mark is a Conscious Evolution Strategist and Extreme Generalist.
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TC Collins T.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 part of the Underground Railroad making our suburban to urban landscapes safe and healthy contributors to regional livability. Takunia Collins’ story is truly one of nature, hope and
perseverance paying off in dividends for himself, after experiencing health challenges, all of which has made him into a determined champion of youth efficacy and community sustainability. His main vehicle for this work is his own Ypsilanti based farm and training place, the non-profit Willow Run Acres. |
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. |
Jesse TackBio coming soon!
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