We are super excited to introduce you to Gabi White, our Customer Service / Administrative Assistant. Gabi was born in Elmira, New York and grew up in this small town, climbing trees, running through hilly trails, eating from the garden. Gabi credits this upbringing with giving her nature as refuge and spirit guide, along with her teacher mother and engineer father.
Gabi moved to Asheville (and will soon be moving to Madison County) about 4 years ago with a desire to learn about sustainability in all forms and be around people with knowledge. Gabi’s home is small, energy efficient, sealed and insulated and heated by a rocket mass heater and she shares a mole killing cat with her great neighbor friend Marston.
Deeply grateful for the opportunity to receive an education at Corning Community College, Gabi received her A.S. here and was able to explore theatre, philosophy and previously unavailable subjects with an incredible team of teachers, coaches and staff. From here, Gabi went on to intern with Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts. Transformed yet again, Gabi ultimately went on to finish her Bachelors at Ithaca College, receiving a degree in Communications/ Scriptwriting. The Air Force ROTC was a part of Gabi’s life a plan for achieving educational goals as well as an opportunity to participate in the institution, affecting change from the inside. Much was learned as a result of being deployed to the theater of war in Iraq as a military officer, including leadership, followship and humility. Other highlights for education have been off-grid communities, Non-Violent Communication training, permaculture design as well as natural building and primitive skills.
As you can see, Gabi is a powerhouse and her month at Sundance has inspired all of us. Gabi is inspired to work in the renewable energy field by:
- The nuts and bolts of climate change, which are pretty simple. The use and abuse by the world of energy is causing the temperature to rise, catastrophic pollution and dwindling healthy air, water, land and ecosystems.
- The Government/ People have not yet willingly chosen to reduce use of energy and battle multinational corporations and government policy (subsidies) who/ that are responsible for our forced use of dirty fossil fuels.
- Working for Sundance is empowering, allowing Gabi’s desire to live on a healthy planet with healthy people into action.
Let’s check out what Gabi has to say in response to “the list:”
3 words that best describe you: Willful, Playful, and Supportive
Currently in CD player: Album from regional storyteller Donald Davis
Reading right now: Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein
Favorite scent: whatever incenses Dave Hollister is burning in his office
Favorite pastime or hobby: I love dancing with kids at the drum circle
Favorite meal: I love a meal where I know where all the ingredients are from, I have to say, I have been given high praise for my woodchuck pot pie.
Favorite Word: Salve
Least favorite word: Gab – folks associate it with my name, I shudder at the association with idle chatter – that is the last thing I would ever want to be engaged in.
Last movie watched: Holy Hell
Person or Philosophy most admired: I have a big place in my heart for true farmers- those full of stories, knowledge, and know how… and in Asheville; the farmer I admire is Bill Whipple. He is a storyteller, a fix-it-man, a genius, a fruit guru, a West Virginian, a teacher of the next generations. He has fought for the next generations and the sustainable minded to keep edible parks in the city of Asheville, even while the city cuts them down one by one as I write this. He also makes a fruitcake that will make you cry and tiny violins called “whipplesticks”. The man can brand.
Favorite quote: From a yoga bathroom in Anchorage, Alaska – “you are loved and supported on this journey.”
Inspiration to share with others: I like to share with fellow activists, when it gets really hard, “Don’t get mad, get puppets.”
