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I've known Nils for years. I met him at an art and wine festival in Marin of all places. He had a booth set up selling his fine art photography. I just loved what he shot. Abstract details of the world around us. Showcasing color and texture and turning the ordinary into the unordinary.

He came over to where I lived at the time and showed a slideshow presentation of more of his work and became instant friends. I think that was around 12 years ago. Crazy. Nils is not only a photographer but an architect. The first lines from his "design philosophy" section of his website illustrate his direction. "I aspire for an architecture that can sooth the soul, while letting the spirit fly. In other words, one that both comforts and enlightens daily life and there-with becomes a refuge from the ordinary."
Don't you want to live, work, be in an environment like that?!

He just spent two weeks at a workshop just outside of Bolinas, CA getting a certificate in Permaculture Design. It's the integration of designing our living space with the natural world around us. It's pretty deep and seems like such a wonderful direction to be moving. Self sustaining properties, working with the environment, living as green as possible.

Nils is on his way to Costa Rica to live and create architecture indefinitely. He stopped here on his way through town and it was so nice to see him. I always enjoy the time we spend together. While here, he told us about a new film that was just released. It's pretty incredible and I can't wait to watch the whole thing. It's viewable through youtube of all places but you can check out their website which is super cool and then just link to the movie.

I'll just give a brief description and then you'll need to check it out for yourself. Yann Arthus-Bertrand shot arial footage from over fifty countries. He shows how we, humans, have and are upsetting the balance of life on this planet in hopes that it's not too late and that we can reverse the trend being created. That by "becoming aware of the full extent of it's spoliation of the Earth's riches" we can change it's patterns of consumption.

I hope this film is seen by a large number of people, especially by people who can help make change happen.


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