Green Choreographers Initiative: Permaculture Collaborator Andrew Faust

Andrew Faust of the Center for BioRegional Living shared with us an exciting array of new perspectives during his time here at DX. He came here to collaborate with NYC choreographer Jill Sigman during her recent residency housed within the DX Green Choreographer’s Initiative.

To start, he provided us with a survey of human evolution commencing with the big bang. From there he demonstrated how empirical evidence and research illustrate the direct relationship between human evolution and the state of the planet. This is the crux of his work in permaculture: design which maintains a natural and healthy relationship with the environment.

Our present society is drastically more complex than it was when humans originally evolved. These days, technology and design battle the earth to win resources for the sake of human comfort. Andrew argues that living sustainably does not mean sacrificing comfort. His work studies the environment and integrates the goals/needs of humans into the existing rhythm of nature. At the heart of it, permaculture designs are unique to the aspects of the particular place. Rather than drafting a plan and forcing the land to fit specific parameters, Andrew identifies a plan that maximizes what is already there. His process capitalizes on low tech solutions. Rather than manufacturing new energy efficient machines for things like heat, the design of a building can use the ever-present and free energy from the sun. Native vegetation can help moderate the temperature of  living spaces with little to know maintenance.

Faust left us with an extensive reading list for those interested in learning more about evolution, permaculture, sustainable food, holistic health, and design. Happy learning!

1491 by Charles Mann


The Wildlife of Our Bodies by Robert Dunn


Motherothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy


Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human by Richard Wrangham

“In Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham argues that our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. Once our hominid ancestors began cooking, the human digestive tract shrank and the brain grew; and pair bonding, marriage, the household, and even the sexual division of labor emerged. A pathbreaking theory of human evolution, Catching Fire will fascinate anyone interested in our ancient origins or our modern eating habits. “







About Corina Dalzell