Sarah Arredondo

Sara Arredondo

Field Guide

Joined Open Sky: May 2009
In Wilderness Therapy since: 2009

Interview with Sara

July 2009

Q. If you were able to meet anyone (living or dead), who would it be and why?

A. Given the opportunity, I would love to sit down with the Buddha or Permaculture founder Bill Mollison. With the Buddha, I would seek to initiate the experiencing of a deeper and more subtle reality that exists beyond this individual perception of the dualistic existence. With Permaculture founder Bill Mollison, I would want to spend a day on his farm in Australia, learning about how he cultivated the self-sustaining plant and home systems that have inspired millions of people around the world. It would be so incredible to meet these two people who have given me so much inspiration and helped fuel my passion for living, learning, exploring, and teaching.

Q. What are a few of the defining moments in your life and why?

A. One of the most powerful moments in my life occurred when I realized that my life purpose is intimately linked to helping others re-connect with the inherent cycles of life that are found in nature. This awareness has opened the door for countless opportunities and experiences, and it has allowed the deepening of my own connection to the natural cycles of the world around me. This recognition has also fueled my passion for learning more about how Native peoples have related to their environments throughout history, and how we can adapt this way of relating to modern day living.

Q. Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?

A. This is a hard question for me to answer, because my inspirations have been many, and there is no one in particular whom I can pinpoint as having had more influence than everyone else. This is a huge part of what I feel is the beauty of diversity in the human experience, this being open to others' gifts and being able to share my own.

Q. What are your unique gifts and/or experiences that help our students?

A. I come from a holistic background that includes a long history of organic food, yoga, meditation, and naturopathic medicine. I communicate well with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and have the gift of being able to help others to feel comfortable in their own skin. I am also a very compassionate and empathetic listener, and I love helping people engage in the evolutionary journey of re-connecting with their personal sense of Truth. I also have a deep reverence for nature, and I have found her systems to be powerful reflectors of a deep and meaningful human experience that I encourage others to share in.


Professional Experience

Regenerative Design Institute
Permaculture Design Certificate

GreenOptions.com
Bay Area Sustainability Writer

Antenna Group
Public Relations CleanTech Account Associate

Peter Engel Architect
Marketing Associate

Plumstead Natural Foods
Customer Assistant and Cashier

Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado
Associate Chair, Board Member, Volunteer

Violence Prevention Coalition
Grant Reviewer, Editor

George School
Resident Assistant, Peer Group Leader


Education

BS, Marketing
Emerson College, Boston, Massachusetts

Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
Herbal Therapeutics and Constitutional Evaluation

Wilderness First Responder (WFR)