Will Szal

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Will Szal has been transforming culture from dull brittle homogeny into vibrant resilient diversity since 1990, when he entered the planet. Will is based in New England [through the past, present, and future].

Rather than being a disconnected individual, Will interprets his place in this universe more from his community experiences. As people get to know him, they often describe him as having attributes of a child and a sage simultaneously. He does not view his perspective as a liability, but rather attributes these qualities to the loving environment in which be was brought up. Much of the development that individuals normally need to pass through their lifetimes was already completed by others in Will's community before he was born and shared with him as he entered this world. Let's take a look at that community. 

A spiritual community in North Central Massachusetts following a tradition called the Gurdjieff Work attracted Will's parents to move there before he was born. The Work aims to balance our physical, emotional, and intellectual centers through practical experiential techniques. Their non-profit, the Miller's River Educational Cooperative [MREC], founded the grade school in 1989. This is the school that Will attended in his youth. This school, the Village School, places a large emphasis on art, music, and nature. Another set of family friends founded an organization called the Farm School at the same time. Between the Farm School and Will's two best friends' families, he spent a lot of time on small farms and in the woods during his childhood. When it come to politics, Will is strongly independent, despite growing up in a slightly more conservative family. 

The projects with which Will is involved are constantly evolving. He works at intersections – between food systems, permaculture [holistic systems design], finance, media, education – and is most interested in the social landscape. He is passionate about shifting culture to bring human and environmental relationships into our dependencies; he appreciates tight feedback loops. For those of you who appreciate labels, Will:

• serves as a Community Member on the Board of Trustees at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts [PVPA] – where he graduated from high school in 2008
• serves on the Steering Committee of PVGrows, a collaborative network dedicated to enhancing the ecological and economic sustainability and vitality of the Pioneer Valley food system
• is a lifelong fellow with StartingBloc, and incubator for social entrepreneurs
• is a certified permaculture teacher through Dave Jacke
• is a graduate of the Practical Farm Training Program at the Farm School in small-scale sustainable agriculture and homesteading
• is on the core team of a couple different startups at and given time

When he is not actively engaged in planetary regeneration, Will can be found mountain biking, snowboarding, playing music, shooting photos, or connecting deeply with friends, old and new. As a deep ecologist, he appreciates all components of the universe, but especially small children.