David Shaw
Title | Continuing Lecturer at Kresge College Common Ground Center |
Division | Undergraduate Education |
Department | Kresge College, Anthropology Department |
Phone | 831-502-8487 |
Web Site | Common Ground Center Right Livelihood College The World Cafe My Profile on Linked In |
Office | Kresge 170 |
Campus Mail Stop | Kresge College |
Kresge College, 1156 High St. Santa Cruz, CA 95064 |

Research Interests
Agroecology; Permaculture Design; Human rights; Tri-lateral Sustainable Development; Dialogue; Participatory processes in the classroom, with emphasis on The World Cafe and Open Space Technology; Intergenerational collaboration; Sustainability; Urban gardens; Community resilience.
Biography, Education and Training
David Shaw is a Continuing Lecturer at Kresge College, Coordinator of the Common Ground Center, and Coordinator of the UCSC Right Livelihood College (known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'). His courses focus on ecological sustainability, collaborative learning, social justice, and economic prosperity. David has been teaching at UC Santa Cruz since 2004, and in 2012 founded the Kresge College Common Ground Center, offering a suite of programs for social justice, economic resilience, and ecological sustainability. He coordinates Environmental Studies internships in coordination with the UCSC college gardens and Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems.
David is a Permaculture designer and educator with his company, Santa Cruz Permaculture, and the Regenerative Design Institute. David is also an active member of the global World Cafe Stewardship Council, a group dedicated to hosting inter-generational dialogue on questions that matter. David holds a MS in Integrative Eco Social Design from Gaia University, and continues his community based action-research on the theory and practice of social justice and sustainability. In order to meet the challenges of today, he is creating an urban farm and inter-generational learning center that fosters hands-on farm and wilderness skills, cultural competence, entrepreneurial spirit, conversational leadership, and collective action. He lives happily and humbly on a 2-acre homestead in Santa Cruz.
- Kresge College, Lecturer (2008-Present)
- Kresge College Common Ground Center - Co-Director (2012-Present)
- Right Livelihood College - Program Coordinator (2013-Present)
- World Cafe Community Foundation - Stewardship Council Member (2015-Present)
- Program In Community & Agroecology - Program Coordinator (2015-2017)
- Santa Cruz Permaculture - Principle (2016-Present)
- M.S. Integrative Ecosocial Design, Gaia University (2008)
- Certificate in Ecological Horticulture, UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (2005)
- B.A. Community Studies and Social Ecology, With Honors, UC Santa Cruz (2004)
Selected Publications
Howard, P., Galarneau, T., Perez, J., & Shaw, D. (2005). Integrating Open Space Technology and Dynamic Facilitation. Participatory Learning and Action, 53, 68–73.
Selected Presentations
Learning as if Whole Systems Mattered: Permaculture in Schools and Universities (Ecological Farming Conference, 2015)
We Are Wiser Together: Igniting Possibilities through Intergenerational Partnerships (Bioneers Conference 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
Courses Taught
Anthropology 110-I: Cultures of Social Justice and SustainabilityKresge 71: The World Cafe - The Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter
Kresge 161: Permaculture and Whole Systems Design
Kresge 65A: Food and Community; Kresge 63: Kresge Garden Coop; Kresge 64: Tools for World Changers
Kresge 72 & 172: Collaborative Learning for The Great Turning and Nature Connection
Kresge 73 & 173: Collaborative Learning for Sustainable Communities and Reclaiming the Commons
Kresge 74 & 174: Collaborative Learning for Permaculture Skills and Transition Towns
College Nine 70: College Nine and Ten Community Garden
Oakes 63: Oakes Food, Community, and Culture; Stevenson 16: Stevenson Community Garden
Community Studies 42W: Appropriate Technology for Local Self-Reliance