David Shaw is a whole systems designer, naturalist, farmer, educator, and musician. His focus is building connections – with ourselves, with each other, and with nature. David founded Santa Cruz Permaculture, a company dedicated to amplifying regenerative land stewardship, and the UCSC Right Livelihood Center, a partnership with the “Alternative Nobel Prize.” He completed the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at the UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems, and holds an MS in Integrative Eco-Social Design from Gaia University. He is currently a PhD candidate in the UCSC Environmental Studies program, researching successful transnational alternative policy groups and large-scale ecosystem regeneration solutions. In order to meet the challenges of today, he has created a farm and inter-generational learning center that fosters hands-on farm and wilderness skills, cultural competence, social entrepreneurship, and collective action.
