Director Introduction - Kait!

Howdy, fellow D.R.E.E.M.ers!

Allow me to introduce myself… Kaitzilla here! I just want to start off by saying “Thanks for reading!” I can hardly express how grateful & blessed I feel to officially take part in this wonderful organization. There are many exciting endeavors & educational experiences to look forward to, & I delight in having opportunities to share them with the world! One of the first, but biggest, lessons I learned from being inducted has to do with what it takes to be a D.R.E.E.M.er. Originally, I thought it would take some sort of meditative ascension, or that I would have to suddenly & immediately become a flawless human [a complete contradiction]. However, I began to realize that qualities that simply made me me also made me a D.R.E.E.M.er! Passion, pluck, and perhaps even my perkiness all add keys to the instrument that is myself. Of course, many instruments must come together to make dynamic music. 

On Oct. 5, 2010, Ashley Munday and I [Kait Vettel] were awarded our certificates of induction, and we officially became directors of D.R.E.E.M. Reality! We felt especially thrilled because of the love and energy poured into our certificates. They were lovingly hand- crafted from recycled [and reused] brown paper bags and decorated with love & intention, plus lots of flowers! The certificates serve as beautiful visual reminders of the commitment we have made to ourselves, this organization, our community, as well as the whole environment!

Due to fortunate happenstance, Ashley and I were recently able to join D.R.E.E.M. Reality president and vice-president [Melinda & Danielle Phoenix, respectively] for a week during their Hawaiian Research Project. Hawaii is a stunning, majestic place to visit. Many people already know that. However, I had no idea what amazing examples of sustainability the Big Island has to offer. For starters, there is hardly any trash to throw out. Even public areas in the bigger cities offer recycling bins, compost receptacles, and sometimes even paper compost! Due to the limited space and fertile soil, Hawaii has to be extremely conscious of how often landfills/dumps get used. Imagine how much of a difference we could make here on the mainland if we simply adopted more of these simple waste reduction techniques! The notion is not as distant as it sounds. Even fast food companies where you live make efforts toward sustainability. Many fast food containers, such as cups, lids, and even the plastic nacho trays at your local Taco Bell are recyclable. The swirling triangle of arrows has become a widely recognizable symbol, and I urge everyone to take note of just how many products bear that symbol! This is our ever-important first step: Awareness. Next, let’s start encouraging these fast food places to provide customers with recycling bins in the stores! They have made the effort to use recycled materials, it’s up to us to complete the cycle. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt if they made it easier on us!

On another sustainability note, the town of Hawi, where Ashley and I stayed during the majority of our Hawaii visit, gets its energy from wind power! The vast fields of massive windmills are majestic, and awe-inspiring. The city took responsibility for its residents. Which brings up a good point: what about individuals visiting or living in Hawaii? There are many amazing work-exchange programs in Hawaii for visitors. It is an incredible way to experience the heart of Hawaii, while simultaneously giving something back to the land. Aside from the eco-villages, farms, and intentional communities on the big island that tend land & farm their own food, average families living there also grow food. During our stay, we were lucky enough to share in many amazing dining experiences with many of the ingredients being picked just before preparation. Nothing short of inspiring; clearly gardening is no longer only for large-scale, mass production farmers! In our work-a-day world, it’s often easy to get caught up in convenience, as opposed to procuring our own food. I myself am often guilty of ignoring where my food comes from. I encourage everyone reading this to find out what foods grow easily in your climate, and get planting! You’ll be sold once you taste the food you pick fresh. Plus, getting your hands dirty and working directly with the earth & soil can be a powerfully spiritual and fulfilling experience. I felt elated, accomplished, & on top of the world after rescuing a mango tree from parasitic vines! I bet the mango tree felt pretty good, too! When you feel that good [and the earth does too!], nothing can get you down.

Though sometimes overlooked, the spiritual, emotional, and communal experiences we share as people are just as vital to sustainable living as environmental considerations. After all, if you do not feel emotionally or spiritually fulfilled, then you yourself do not share the ability to sustain healthy living! The earth is not the only thing that needs help. Our souls need to utilize tools of sustainability as well. For example, one of the most unique and fascinating experiences I had during our time on the island came from our fortunate involvement in what is known as a Dream-In. An exercise where each participant sets intention into one’s dreams before bed, so as to better absorb the messages within them after awakening. The next morning, the sense of spiritual community that we each search for made known that it exists already in our subconscious during the sharing of the dreams. Many people, whether they knew one another or not, shared similar dream symbols and emotions during the night. Also, about half the group awoke at the same time [before the chimes to wake up went off]. It made me realize that there may be nothing so powerfully universal, yet seemingly impossible to fully understand, as the act of dreaming. Whether one thinks of a dream as a seemingly random assortment of images perceived during sleep, or the waking desire that fuels our very existence, dreams power us all.

D.R.E.E.M. on!

<3 Kait

PS- An extra thanks to those of you who actually sat through this long-winded introduction! <3