** This is pretty out of date, I left the academic gig and am piecing together other things, especially coaching and counseling work, with an emphasis on sustainability and social change careers and more generally how to navigate a world in crisis; also service work in support of immigrants and asylum seekers.

ABOUT ME

i live in Massachusetts-in the western part of the state, where it's green and hilly and beautiful. I teach environmental studies to graduate students--social ecology, political ecology, environmental history, a little policy but that's kind of boring. I'm also working on less-academic, more popular writing on environment and social justice, and even fiddling with some creative personal stuff these days. My dog is Woody. I like to garden. And do things outside. And read. And talk with fun and interesting people. And take pictures. I haven't really traveled all that much. Have been to Pakistan to help out after the earthquake in '06 and visit friends, and Mexico several times. I seem to be wanting to do a lengthy bike tour, probably in spain, maybe france, too--hopefully next spring.

PHILOSOPHY

I am rarely at a loss for words, but am stumped trying to put this into a little box.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am just starting out here. I've just had one cs experience, in vancouver, and would like to try some more in an upcoming trip to spain in dec/jan. Happy to host others here.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

See above.

Interests

environment. social justice. politics. buddhism. gardening and farming. exploring. all sorts of outdoor sports: hiking, camping, paddling, sailing, biking.

if you want to learn a little more about me, you can see my cv by googling daniel somers smith cv.
it's pretty stodgy and professional, but hopefully not completely boring. :-)

• dogs
• writing
• environment
• gardening
• politics
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• sailing
• buddhist
• sports
• boxing
• ecology
• environmental studies
• history
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

well, yes, these are good. favorite authors are philip roth, john steinbeck, annie proux John irving, arundhatti roy like different kinds of music: rock, jazz, folk, a little classical. different kinds of movies, too many to list.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

hmm. i've known some really amazing people, especially some older people with both wisdom and energy who've shown me how much fun life can be right on through if you have the right attitude and some spunk. i've known some pretty cool dogs, too. i've seen some very nice places but, honestly, the places pale in comparison to who you share them with, don't they?

Teach, Learn, Share

well, i can teach some environmental science and lots of social theory, but that doesn't often come in too handy. except maybe the env. science part, and I'm a passing naturalist and can teach winter camping and stuff like that. i've done a lot of landscaping and gardening work, always happy to help with that. i can do just a little bit of carpentry and would love to learn more.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I actually live in Leverett now, not Deerfield, just a few feet north of Amherst, but cannot for the life of me see how to change my location here.

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