Maxi Adelstein

Participant in Eco 5

My name is Maxi Adelstein and I was part of Eco 5. I was one of the youngest ever Eco participants at the time. Eco was a gap year for me between High School and College. This was the first time I ever lived by myself and it was definitely a new experience on many levels.

My mom was born in Israel, and I had been many times before for vacation over various summers. Eco was really life changing for me at the time. Not only did I gain so much independence, but I also learned that I could have friends from all ages and walks of life. That realization still is very valuable to me. I really absorbed the knowledge in front of me and soaked in all of the classes and hands on work. I can’t even count how many times my perspective was challenged in enlightening ways.

I grew up in Baltimore City, and it is where I live now. Living in rural Israel gave me a fresh appreciation for nature, unlike what I grew up experiencing. The biggest thing I took from Eco Israel was the realization that I could learn so much from others around me and have so much of my own to teach and share.

Since then, I have lived in different parts of the Appalachian south gardening, taking classes and homesteading. Right now I am part of an urban farm collective in Baltimore City that spreads awareness on food security, participates in free food giveaways and supports the anarchist community in Baltimore. The collective is called “Baltimore Free Farm” and is work checking out on Facebook or google. We run a program called Food not bombs, offer free workshops and host punk shows.

There is a lot of really refreshing work happening here and I am stoked about being a permaculture teacher here. I also manage my own landscaping business in the city, which rules.