Silvia Barretto's Page

How did you hear about Open World Café?

through our friendship with Joao Caldas

About Me:

Beekeeping led into organic gardening,which led into natural birth which led into anthroposophical medicine , into organic food, into environmentalism, into organic production, into social justice, into parenting as first priority, into global communication and interaction, into urgency for transformation of our planet and our human principles. All this happened both joyfully and painfully inside myself to now cracking into a blending with the outside world.

About my business:

Our principles anchored at Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza after we inherited the farm from my father. We grow organic coffee, bananas, vegetables and other fruits. We make cheese, plant trees and host yoga retreats, different kinds of awareness retreats, family and friends reunions and vacations. We welcome volunteers and host study trips with university professors and students.

What I want:

To find the lively productive and profitable way of taking care of people and nature in a way that is excellent for everyone involved in the process. To find a way which allows nature to recover, people to recover, relationships to heal, profitable dignified life for all involved, value of the work to be recognized by society, a balanced distribution of efforts and values.

What I´m doing about it:

I am working nonstop for the recovery of nature, for studying solutions, for the recovery of people, for the well being of my three children, for making a bridge between the two countries I live in - the United States and Brazil, so that when I move to the farm in one and a half years I will be prepared to bring the project to full fruition.

For me, Leadership is . . .

A leader is not someone who says "follow me" but someone who follows his/her deepest inner voice, recognizing his/her paralyzing fears and daring to face them.

For me, Sustainability is . . .

Sustainability is finding a way of reaching all resources, natural, material, intellectual, emotional, technical, political, spiritual, and enjoying them, while preserving, respecting, protecting, nurturing and helping them grow and multiply for the whole planet.and all beings.

For me, Open World Café is . . .

A happy coincidence, synchronicity, a link for the success of a common goal.

My contribution to Open World Café is . . .

work together for our common goals, through coffee, through awareness and well-being retreats and other ways that we may discover together

My Favourite Quote:

To choose a quote for this situation I opened the book "The Taoist I Ching" at a random page and chose the first saying my eyes rested on:
" It is beneficial to act so as to do great work; this is very auspicious, and blameless" . It is the first yang of hexagram 42 - Increase. :) :)

My favourite movie, and my favourite book

today it is" Slum dog Millionaire"
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
Creating a World Without Poverty by Mohammad Yunus

My passion is . . .

reading and beekeeping

My greatest fear is . . .

dying before I can effectively contribute to the transformation we are all going through and before having inner peace to write.

My website:

http://www.fafbrasil.com