Fruit Tree Tour 2010
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Meet the Crew

School Program | 2008 Schedule | Community Plantings
Meet the Fleet | Testimonials | Invite the Tour

Adrian

Adrian has been living in various communities from Central America, to upstate New York and all the way to California. Everywhere he goes he brings the high vibes through his various musical skills and earth hands. He also has a lot of experience working with youth through Holistic Institutes.

Annapurna

Annapurna finished a degree in Photography from Parsons School of Design in New York City and headed for the green hills of the North California Coast. There she lived in a tree-sit village in order to protest the clear cutting of Ancient Redwood Trees. She assisted ’06 Fruit Tree Tour and joined the full tour the next year. Back again in ’08 she helped create the new kitchen bus through skills in carpentry, art, and veggie mechanics. Annapurna performs hip-hop in the Green Theatre piece and uses her photographic eye to collect and edit photos, documenting the wonder that is Fruit Tree Tour. > More Annapurna

Bridget

Bridget (a.k.a. "Ms. B") is a theater artist, educator, and innovative human that is honored to act as director of the Green Theater Performance for the 2009 Fruit Tree Tour. She is grateful for the opportunity to plant seeds for social and environmental justice in the schools and in the world with this project. Most important in her life: family, food, friends, energy, work, redwoods, dancing, adventuring, and riding bikes.

Dan Bean

After stumbling upon the fruit tree tour pilot in 2004, Dan Bean has maintained a special place in his heart for the common vision family. A wide-eyed nomadic traveler, he values creating space for kids to explore their world. He has a background in environmental education, outdoor Ed, similar to Outward Bound, and wilderness therapy; which takes at-risk teens into the wild. His toes are wiggling with anticipation for this year’s tour.

Daver

After growing up in Boulder and getting a BA in Humanities in Durango, Daver began a 10- month motorcycle adventure that has transformed into continuous travel. He seeks to create a healthy existence for the planet, people, and animals by reducing environmental toxins and personal consumption. He currently lives on a permaculture farm in Willits, California with goats, chickens, fruit and nut trees, and yummy organic produce. He reminds himself in tough times that like all things, this too shall pass. Daver digs fruit tree tour.

Faith

Faith Sabatine is on her 2nd tour this year as an import from the great Pacific Northwest. With 8+ years of experience in Permaculture sustainable design, including farming, fruit trees, bee keeping, teaching basketry, and natural plastering, she is excited to apply experience to tree coordinating and stewarding. Currently she is focusing on urban gardening and food forest development, primative skills as well as traditional drum and dance. Choosing to create balance with body, mind and spirit through yoga and meditation, she hopes to inspire youth through laughter and encouragement.

Guisepi

Guisepi's nomadic tendencies have lead him to wander the planet in search of opportunities to learn, teach, and serve. Although he is not actually "on the bus" for Fruit Tree Tour, he is on the Free Tea Party bus, Edna, from which he helps with video editing and graphics for Common Vision, and finds fulfillment in serving free tea to the people. He is best known for his "eyes brow" and has been known to live by the motto "Tea Here Now."

Jack

Jack. This guy is great.

James

James is the chef for the tour. He loves facilitating happiness, and he sees people's tummies as the quickest medium for invigorating moods! A former kayak naturalist, art gallery guard, and proffesional modern dancer, James now spends most of his time surfing the bliss-wave with Vipassana meditation and bread baking. Smile!

Katelin

This is my second year on and tour, and I'm acting as the housing coordinator. I have a B.A. in Environment, Art, and Community from Pitzer College. I'm excited to conjure more conversations of change and continue planting for the future!

Kirby

I love the feeling of support from living in a community with a positive intention towards reconnecting the youth with their roots to the earth. With an interest in education, I’ve found that Fruit Tree Tour provides opportunities to encourage and engage students on a personal level. Planting fruit trees at schools brings me a sense of participation in providing the future generations with a connection to there environment and creating a sense of empowerment and the responsibility to the world around them and their ability to positively affect their community.

Leo Buc

Leo Buc is a multi-talented man who wears many hats. Among his roles are building and stewarding the Common Vision fleet, running alternative energy trainings, teaching drumming on Fruit Tree Tour, and helping to coordinate our large pool of volunteers. As the Alternative Energy Specialist Leo converts our vehicles to run on Straight Vegetable Oil and builds our Solar Electric Systems. Not to mention he's hardworking and good looking guy.

Megan Watson

Connecting with the earth and its healing and empowerment has been lifelong journey for Megan. Currently serving as Common Vision's Projects Director, she manages the enormous number of logistics involved in each of our 6 vehicle and 25 person expeditions. Megan finds paralells between Fruit Tree Tour and her childhood dream of being a migrant farm worker and loves to teach Common Vision course participants how to make positive choices for themselves and the communities they live in.

Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn has been working with Common Vision for six years and currently serves as the Director of Education and Program Development. He has a BA in Sociology and Education from Pomona College. Through Common Vision he helps to draw communities together, to connect students, elders, experts, and teachers, and to network existing positive projects so that they may benefit by cooperating towards one common vision. He has helped develop garden-based educational programs in LA, organized bio-fuel co-ops, taught veggie-fuel workshops, organized four Fruit Tree Tours, and run a small organic farm. He is also a certified yoga teacher and permaculture design teacher.

Miguel

Miguel rocks.

Owen

Committed to sharing and creating inspirations with the youth of this world, Owen is joining Common Vision once again as a videographer to help promote the mission of fruit tree tour. He lives on beautiful Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest and co-leads with his partner Whitney the F.E.A.S.T. program (Farm Education and Sustainability for Teens) connecting teenagers with sustainability skills. He believes in the importance of sharing solutions to socio environmental issues. Owen has an old timey mustache.

Sarah

Growing up in the Washington woods, Sarah has always had a strong connection with the environment. Her first year on the tour, she brings positive light and laughter. She is fired-up for this fruit tree tour journey where she can seamlessly weave in her theater background with her permaculture skills. She has lived on farms in Maui and Mexico and loves picking fruit right off the trees. She currently resides in San Francisco and shares free organic food with the “Mission” community from local gardens with the Free Farm Stand family. She wants to root in compassion and branch out to the young minds of this world.

Pranav

Pranav has always been about respect cooperation and the incorporation of drumming into his every day. A native Floridian Pranav has been volunteering for Fruit Tree Tour since 2005. Pranav is extremely excited about Drum Group this year, as he is helping to reworking the curriculum to incorporate a more universal spectrum of drum technique and rhythm.

Whitney

Whitney grew up in the High Sierras of California and got her B.A. in Environmental Sociology at the Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon. She is the director of the F.E.A.S.T. program on Orcas Island, Washington; a public high school program teaching positive tangible solutions to ecological challenges: Myco-remediation, food preservation, and permaculture design. She brings a passion for reconnecting youth to their sense of place and a sustainable future.

Tour Alumni

Mysty has been Fruit Tree Tour’s biggest fan since she found out about the project two years ago. She keeps herself very busy as the mother of four-year-old Karma Zealous and has finally been able to make enough time to actually come on tour and she is soooo excited. Mysty enjoys making art and poetry, farming, dancing, theatre, and musical expression. She looks forward to bringing these skills on tour and applying them in the Green Theatre performance as well as in working with schools and communities.

April, (aka Sweet Pea) is joyfully returning for her third year on Fruit Tree Tour. Originally from PA, I've been living in Northern California for the last 9 years where I am thriving. As a cook on tour, I am one of the people in charge of feeding the people, and believe me they eat a lot. I also love getting down and dirty planting trees with the youth. I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate our connection with the earth and share my enthusiasm about community, sustainability, and healthy lifestyles.

Eric is here to shine for his first time on Fruit Tree Tour. On a journey to travel the world, he was captivated by the focus and intention of the Common Vision mission, and is now a full force volunteer for Fruit Tree Tour 2009. He is here to thrill the nation!

Brian Flynn: Transplanted to the West Coast in 2006 like a root-bound loquat, Brian gets back on the bus for his fourth year of Fruit Tree Tour. With a
new permaculture design certificate under his belt, Brian returns to tour excited for another year of planting trees, managing sound for the Green Theater, and organizing our internet Mile-a-Thon and Crew Blogs. He is ever grateful for the opportunity to share a message of positivity and interconnectedness with youth across California while traveling in conscious community of inspirational individuals. He was in the process of writing his bio for the website when Leo stepped aboard the bus and spontaneously broke into a song about Brian's life. Luckily we caught some of it on recording. > Listen Here

Christine has a degree in Art, English, and Psychology from U Mass Amherst and is certified in Massage. She has gained experience with children through child care, tutoring, and working at a preschool. Christine has always enjoyed feeding her friends. She especially enjoys feeding the hard working Fruit Tree Tour crew. When she can get away from the kitchen she dances in the Green Theatre Performance and has the great fortune to always get the cutest kids in her tree planting group.

Doug Fuller is back for his 3rd tour and excited to share his skills in making musical instruments out of reused materials and helping children write lyrics about how to improve the world. He is a skilled poet who is the process of finding a publisher for his own recently finished manuscript. Doug is also working on developing a curriculum that will help schools start free music programs. You can contact him for more information at breathefuller@gmail.com.

Jocelyn is on tour for her first year. Her bio is coming really soon. She's great. It'll be worth the wait.

Koral is a 3rd year returning crew member. As a permaculture designer, farmer and true believer in healing through creative expression, she is very grateful for the opportunity to share and create something beautiful with the youth throughout the state. On tour she fills the role of tree steward, soil and donations coordinator and one of many facilitators for tree planting and creative expressing session workshops. Koral@commonvision.org

Lauren was born and raised in NY and made her escape to the west coast after graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in Music and a minor in Environmental Studies. She comes to tour as a certified permaculture designer with a passion for all aspects of food (from growing it, to cooking it, to eating it and the politics behind it), healing the earth, self-expression through the arts and building community. While she isn't cooking food for her super star friends on tour, you can find her helping kids plant fruit trees and play with drums and recycled instruments, rocking out on her trombone, singing some soulful tunes or having silent dance parties. She sends out much love and positive vibrations to the world.

Sandra is returning to Fruit Tree Tour for her 4th journey. On and off the bus, she plays an active roll in musical celebrations of voice, strings, rhythm, and poetry. Currently, she is in love with a cedar-top guitar. Sandra acts as the housing liason of tour. She joins Common Vision to inspire freedom of communication and activate peace on earth.

Siobhan Asgharzadeh lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a massage therapist, community organizer and sustainability advocate. She has a degree in Anthropology and Spanish from the Universtity of New Mexico and is certified in natural theraputics, ecovillage design and permaculture. She is commited to remembering herself as nature.

Stephen England has returned fo his second year of Fruit Tree Tour. Stephen's carpentry, metal work, and mechanic skills crossed with his tireless dedication to service has made him indespensible to the Fruit Tree Tour crew. Stephen rolls to the school an hourbefore each planting to prepare the planting areas and dig holes in the wildly variable soils of the California public schools. The tour just wouldn't work without him.

Tom loves to drive the bus. He is a proud father of two daughters and grandfather to a new baby boy. He has been making drums for 18 years and has a passion for alternative lifestyle choices and energies. He is joining FTT for his first year and is looking forward to helping the connection of all people and races.

I, Becky Bickford, am a dusk lover who enjoys silly activities, full body water submersion, dancing, laughing, and connecting with people and nature. I am stoked for my very first round of Fruit Tree Tour and will be sure to bring my AFA ( Appetite For Adventure) each day.

Blair Philips founded Common Vision in 1999. Seeking to create and be the change he wished to see in the world, Blair set out to create the types of programs in which he had wished to participate while in school. Recognizing there is no end to our learning and awakening, his mission has led him on a journey to study the different facets of sustainability and to help others to foster these same connections for themselves. In addition to receiving a BA in environmental studies (with an emphasis in education and Agroecology) and a permaculture teacher certification, his explorations have resulted in his being well versed in the area of water development. Further, Blair has been observing the connection between ancient cultures, their traditions, and what we currently call sustainability. This unique perspective has led Blair to study in villages of West Africa and has resulted in the propagation of over 7000 trees in Guinea, W.Africa. Currently, Blair is the script-writer for the Fruit Tree Tour Performance, the Artistic Director, and faithful double clutcher of Common Vision’s first bus, “The Lioness”.

ChoQosh Auh-Ho-Oh is a native California Pacific Coast Chumash native who has served as a messenger of Sacred Stories and Wisdom from the Elders of the Chumash, Hopi, and other Califonia traditions. She shares stoires of several native tribes with the tour educators and the students that predict the need to re-establish the balance between techological innovation and sustainable relationship with the Earth She taught Cross Culture Communications at UC Berkeley for 19 years, hosted the award winning radio show “Songs for the Earth/Mending the Sacred Hoop”, and practices as a Native American Herbalist. She is a teacher of The Dance of Life, a very happy grandmother, and is "having a really good time"!

Jah Sun is returning for his second Fruit Tree Tour. He has helped to shape the EcoBeats "Expression Session" workshop. His paintings are featured the murals on both "Bu" and the new kitchen bus. He keeps the crew vibes high and in the words of Dr. Sanderlin, the principal of Carver Elementary School, "DJ Jah Sun is the bomb!"

I, Joe Coberly, am on a mission to teach the youth about human tradition. Music, Farming, sustainably living, and loving are my passions. Gaining all the experience and knowledge I can, I want to start a youth-based project on a big piece of land.

Maggie White is continually grateful for the opportunity to help plant more trees! Her work with Common Vision aligns with her dedication to supporting our human family's connection to our natural world. Since 2005 Maggie has cared for the entire life cycle of the trees on Fruit Tree Tour, from managing the donations and purchasing all of our fruit trees to organizing rootstock and scion for grafting, picking up soil for each planting, and stewarding the 1000 dormant trees while on tour. Maggie has a deep natural capacity for listening and service and has been instrumental in coordinating our ever growing pool of volunteers and keeping supplies on hand for the crew and project. Maggie managed a vegetable and medicinal herb farm in the Sierra Foothills in 2005-06 and has inspired many to grow food in their community.

This is my first year on Fruit Tree Tour and I, Marisa Schneidman, cannot wait to spread the love of fruit trees and local food throughout the land of California. I enjoy creating art, especially from recycled materials, growing food in community gardens and discovering the magic of life and all living beings. Sharing my passion of growing food and spreading ideas of community, respect, cooperation, and love with kids is a dream of mine come true on Fruit Tree Tour. “Much Love!”

I, Senam Gidi, was raised in West Texas. I took my first West African dance class in Santa Cruz California. The love for the dance and the curiosity of the culture eventually led to her traveling to Ghana where she spent nine months volunteering in schools and orphanages. I joyfully look forward to returning to Ghana after Fruit Tree Tour and continuing my education in West African dance and early childhood development while exploring creating an eco-friendly guest house /cultural center. The best moments for me are those found in nature with the innocence of a child.

Sarah LaRock: From the infamous belly of the NYC, Sarah brings her knowledge of permaculture and sustainable living into an educational and artistic format for the kids through poetry and lyricism. As an expression session breakout leader she teaches the kids to voice their dreams and visions of a better world through rhythm and rhyme. Picking up organizational and other important responsibilities, Sarah offers her energy as a hoop structure builder, dish-grid enforcer and all around rabble rouser.

Woody drives bus. Woody plants trees. Woody? Woody. Woody!