Founded in September of 2005, we began hosting monthly visioning potlucks. Our core is a group of passionate people dedicated to creating thriving livable cities based on healthy social, environmental and technological principles. In our research we draw on the expertise of local leaders in diverse areas presenting them and the topics we care about to the public. In doing so we foster community, educate ourselves and build a bridge between the cutting edge and the mainstream.
Aside from hosting monthly gatherings, attending information sessions and networking, we are also working on several progressive projects, both long and short-term all based on sustainability and building thriving nurturing environments.
The Core team is:
Colin Trunkey
Colin has been a master building for 20+ years. A strong desire for community and sustainable building practices led him to design a large structure encompassing one city block. His vision is large and he is continually searching for people in similar areas of expertise to help bring his vision into reality.
Colin is also the Venue coordinator for The Oracle Gatherings; Founding member of Sustainabilaville, a Burning Man theme camp focused on educating people on ways to live lightly on our planet.
Franklin Markowitz
In 1968 Franklin left the engineering field and established Earth River Records. In 1985 having built Earth River Records into a small chain, he sold them to his competitors and moved his family to upstate New York, where he established a retreat center on 269 acres of land. In 1988 he was granted 501C3 religious status by the state of New York by creating a brand new religion called the Gnostic Temple for the new millennium.
In 1992 Franklin was hired as the General Manager for Klamath Blue Green Algae. Taking this company from the brink of bankruptcy to operating in the black within 2 years.
Franklin currently teaches a wide variety of classes including a form of Reiki originally taught by Niki Scully, EDGU spinal manipulation, chakra balancing technique, and massage. He also facilitates ecstatic dance in the northwest, and most recently contributed to and edited Drunk with Wonder a book by Steve Ryles.
Kristin Van Huysen
Creator of The WELLsville Veterans Project—a program designed to provide transitional housing, healing, and occupational opportunities for men and women returning from contemporary combat. Midwife, alternative health care practitioner, activist, honored mother of four superb beings.
“My intention is to make the world a kinder place, to laugh often, and to remember to honor the divine in all things, every day!”
Maryann Schumacher
A few years after her children were grown and had left home, Maryann began searching for a new focus in her life. Exploring healing modalities she discovered an affinity for Pilates, and became a certified teacher in 1998. Her introduction of Cranio-Sacral therapy added an emotional element to the physical healing of Pilates. Maryann has studied with Robert Tennyson Stevens the creator of Mastery Systems. She incorporates these teachings into her healing work, as well as co-facilitating weekly conscious language study classes in Seattle. She is currently on the board of The WELLsville veterans project, a program designed to provide transitional housing, healing, and occupational opportunities for men and women returning from contemporary combat.
In 2005 she returned to dance, a passion in her younger years, as a way of freeing her spirit through movement. This led her to Ecstatic Dance in Seattle, where she is an active member of the community. She continues her spiritual studies with the intent to create a new modality combining all that she has learned, in her journey towards service and a love based way of life.
Morgan Markowitz
Morgan began facilitating and coordinating events at the age of 14 with the Peace Weavers, an intentional community in upstate New York. He is, a co-founder and director of DenCity Research; Owner and Creator of MORE-GAIN business consulting, facilitation and event production; Managing Director of the Oracle Gatherings, a multi-media arts organization bringing awareness to a new culture focused on dance; Director of Operations at Pure Space, which provides flexible facilities and infrastructure for health practitioners to create successful business practices: Outreach/Volunteer coordinator The Freemont Arts Council.
Morgan is also on the board of the Northwest Intentional Communities Association (NICA), The WELLSville veterans project, and a founding member of the Madrona Bio-diesel coop.
Nina von Feldmann
Nina is an artist, healer and visionary communitarian. She brings the divine feminine to any project she is involved with. Currently operating Blue Lotus Natural Skincare, a small environmentally responsible naturopathic skincare studio. She passionately researches and educates the public about health and wellness alternatives and the toxic nature of the synthetics and beauty industries. She is a clothing designer, working on an all organic sustainably produced clothing line, a co-founder of DenCity Research group, on the board of directors for the WELLsville Veterans Project, and Oracle Gatherings' coordinator for Communiversity as well as the director of ceremonies.
She lives to dance, loves consciousness expanding opportunities, studies herbalism, nutrition and metaphysics. She strives to make the world a better place one person, one dream, one action at a time.
Paul Wheaton
Paul is a Certified Master Gardener and a Certified Permaculture Designer. He currently lives in a house with six other people in the Green Lake neighborhood. Paul works as a software developer and manages on on-line community. He longs for the day to return to the farm – complete with a large intentional community.
