Rachel Zegerius, Environmental Educator and Advocate
Name: Rachel Zegerius
Occupation: Program Director, Circle Pines Center
Place of Residence: Beautiful Barry County, Michigan
Background and Personal History: Rachel’s life’s work in environmentalism has fueled a spirit of activism since she can remember. From walking out of her biology lab in solidarity with chicken embryos, to organizing her neighborhood’s demands for clean drinking water and designation of a superfund site, to feeding direct activists, tree-sitting in the old growth forests of Oregon, she strives to put her talents and skills to use for the greatest good. Today, Rachel is deeply involved in the anti-fracking movement in Michigan, working with others to protect the state’s most precious public lands from industrialization, to prevent commodification of invaluable groundwater resources and to preserve the character of rural communities.
Rachel lives out this grand social experiment in a small intentional community, on 300 acres of a once-farmed, now-forested landscape. This community homestead is situated amidst the rocky hills, eskers and kettle lakes of glacial terminal moraine in Southwest Michigan. Rachel practically lives on raw milk, and helps tend a small dairy goat herd, as well as three free-loading Cayuga ducks. It is in this community that Rachel pursues her epic journey in pursuit of health — mental, physical and spiritual. And it is here, at Circle Pines Center, where she is in service to hold a sacred space so that others can also seek health through communing with nature, eating well and cooperating with one another.
Current Projects: Rachel is the Program Director at Circle Pines Center in Delton, Mich., where she designs and implements programs under the umbrella of the mission to teach peace, social justice, environmental stewardship and cooperation. Through work and play, Rachel helps maintain and promote an environment where activists, engaged citizens and youth can restore and renew their passions while making connections with one another. This year, CPC celebrates 75 years of cooperation!
Rachel is also an acting board member of Michigan Land Air Water Defense, a non-profit organization working within the legal system to protect the public trust of land and water in Michigan. Learn more at www.MLAWD.org.
More Places to Find Rachel on the Web:
