Vision
We envision humanity thriving and realizing its vast potential for increasing life expression. We live in fellowship with each other, with Nature, and with the Divine Spirit that animates all life. Home is the circadian center of daily life, and we live, work, play, rest, celebrate and grieve in the midst of the rich tapestry of relationships, occupations, ages, skills and living structures that provide the foundation for whole human development. Days are spent living our Gifts in service to one another and the Web of Life, resulting in an abundance of clean air, clean water, clean energy, nutrient dense food, and deep, rich soils by which the wealth of each generation is measured. The human environment is organized by the natural patterns of flowing water as it meanders and cascades through farms and neighborhoods thrumming with palpable life force energy – the hum of insects and the harmonies of birdsong creating a vibrant soundtrack accompanying the symphony of life happening in these places. Buildings, streets and pedestrian arcades are alive with growing things and covered in infinite shades of green – a riotous celebration of human creativity and life force that creates a deep feeling of peace, joy, love and belonging in all who experience life in and around them.
Beliefs
It’s time for a new story of how we can be on this earth – one born of place and grounded by our connection to it.
At 7th Generation Design, we believe that:
- Every individual carries within them the spark of Divine Creation – Every individual has a Gift unique to their being that is needed by their fellow man and the larger Web of Life.
- Self-Ownership is the foundation of a peaceful Culture – Each individual is sovereign, with an unalienable right to bodily integrity and the products of their own appropriative labor. To be recognized as a Sovereign Individual requires recognition of every other individual’s sovereignty unto themselves. To recognize the sovereignty of all individuals is to engage only in voluntary association and interaction. So it is that Peace, the most prosperous state of being for both the Individual and the group, is realized.
- Freedom is essential to individual well being – The path to individual freedom is in adopting ever greater responsibility for one’s own existence. Freedom cannot be granted – it must be grasped and exercised through conscious choice at an individual level if it is to exist at all.
- The Natural World is innately sufficient – Human beings are Nature. We belong to this planet, it is our home, and it provides everything we need to thrive and prosper. We are both participants in and designers of the ecology that provides for us, and we can choose by way of our being to create abundance for all life to continue and multiply.
- As we are within, so we are without – The environment we create on the outside is a direct reflection of our inner environment. The degree to which we are able to love ourselves and be spiritually connected to our truth is directly proportional to our ability to think long term (beyond the Self) and thus create multi-generational abundance, prosperity and beauty.
- People empowered to do for themselves are more resilient – The individual who is confident of their capability to provide for their own needs and those of their dependents is happier, healthier, and has more to contribute to their fellow man.
- We need each other – Our greatest leverage in creating a life and culture that reflects our deepest values are the people with whom we are in relationship. Humans are hardwired for innovation through collaboration. When a group of empowered individuals holds a shared vision, the synergies that result are exponentially greater than the sum of their individual contributions.
- Connection to place begets stewardship of it – When people know and interact with the ecology that sustains their daily existence they take care of it.
Mission
7th Generation Design exists to build bridges from the currently dominant yet rapidly collapsing paradigm of constant growth characterized by linear, extractive processes to one rooted in cyclical processes where regenerative lifeways are the the norm.
At 7th Generation Design we…
- Teach people the hard skills and thinking processes required in order to create their own regenerative life support ecosystems to provide for themselves, their loved ones, and their descendants for seven generations hence.
- Inhabit a paradigm that provides the three necessary ingredients to create a meaningful life – community, identity and purpose.
- Community rooted in place and connection to the ecology that sustains it;
- Individual Identity as belonging to that place and the people that call it home;
- Individual and shared group purpose of being needed by that place, its people, and one’s future descendants. Living in gratitude to one’s ancestors for what they have left us, and in service to one’s descendants through the world they will inherit from us.
- Design resilient human habitats that harmonize with natural patterns to leverage appropriate technology and regenerative processes to create multi-generational abundance, prosperity and beauty.
- Heal damaged and dysfunctional landscapes and restore functional ecologies that provide an abundance of pure water, nutrient-dense food, renewable energy and materials, beauty and connection.
- Grow self-replicating, regenerative life support ecosystems that yield more freedom in time, health, wealth and spirit for the humans that inhabit them.
Team Bios
Our background is in the soil and the things that live from it. Following over a decade of study and several years of intensive market gardening, systems design and consulting, the 7th Gen team coalesced in 2018, bringing our combined skill sets and experience in permaculture, agroforestry, plant propagation, mechanical engineering, off-grid energy, regenerative systems design and holistic human health together in service to our community and the land we call home.
Casey Pfeifer
With over a decade of entrepreneurial experience running businesses in holistic health and fitness and regenerative agriculture, Casey brings a DIY spirit and years of hands-on experience across a multitude of domains together in service of regeneration. He loves growing trees, finding better ways to do things, being horizontal in hammocks and asking questions.
- Education:
- B.S. in Biological Sciences – UCSB ’08
- Too many PDCs and courses to count 🙂
- Professional History:
- Co-founder / gym owner at Innate Fitness in Santa Barbara, CA (2008 – 2015)
- Market gardener / landscape designer at Casitas Valley Farm in Carpinteria, CA (2015 – 2018)
- Whole systems design and implementation, 7th Generation Design (2018 – present)
- Passions: working with earth and water, knitting with rocks, designing, growing trees, lifting heavy objects for fun, building with natural materials, teaching and learning, creating freedom, cryptocurrency, daydreaming in hammocks
- Nicknames: Oscar, Sunshine, C-Pfeif!, “brother” or “bro” in any language 🙂
Wes Cooke
With a background in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly SLO and having worked in the energy efficiency field for nearly a decade, Wes brings his technical design expertise and infectious enthusiasm for zero waste living to the 7th Gen table. When he’s not parenting his little one, he can be found in the local surf lineups – just ask for the “Mexican Food Dude”.
- Education:
- M.S. in Mechanical Engineering – Cal Poly SLO ’09
- Permaculture Design Certificate from Casitas Valley Farm
- Courses about water harvesting, erosion control, shelter construction, and more.
- Professional History:
- Energy efficiency engineer at Abraxas Energy Consulting (2008-2015)
- Whole systems design, implementation, and education at Resilience Revival Design (2015-2018)
- Whole systems design, implementation, and education at 7th Generation Design (2018-present)
- Passions: building community, systems thinking and design, California native and Mediterranean plants, sleeping in tents and under the stars, wood-fired cooking, off-grid energy systems, surfing, beach gatherings
- Nicknames: Papito, Papa, Mexican Food Dude, Westancho
Process
We believe every human being and every human environment can be an agent of regeneration.
The systems we design and implement go far beyond simply taking less from the environment, or slowing the damage. Instead, regenerative systems actually create more abundance and potential for life to flourish. Humans are nature. We can be healers and regenerators of the landscapes in which we dwell. We have but to change our mindset to do it.
At 7th Generation Design we utilize a design process that 1) methodically moves from broad patterns to granular details to ensure context specificity and 2) continually iterates and adjusts based on reciprocal feedback to create a self-informing design. This steers us toward designing systems that leverage and harmonize with the natural energies present in your landscape and away from imposing systems that combat those same energies. The focus is on designing for maximum synergy and minimum friction – this saves you money, time and energy and creates a system of systems that provides for itself and you and your family’s needs all while improving ecological function of the land base. This is seventh generation design.
The framework we use to guide our design process is called SADIMEA (read about it in detail HERE).
Survey – Analysis – Design – Implementation – Maintenance – Evaluation – Adjustment
SADIMEA is…
- Cyclical instead of linear: the process constantly loops back on itself, integrating feedback that indicates making a change in baseline assumptions, and thus informing future choices and decisions.
- Functions-Driven: Elements within your design are chosen after necessary functions are mapped out and integrated with one another.
- Context-Specific vs. Imposed: SADIMEA generates choices that are grounded by the unique characteristics of the land, the climate and you. It steers us away from “shiny things” that sound or look cool, and focuses on place-based solutions.
