Larissa Conte
Larissa is the co-founder and co-director of the Regenerative Youth Project (RYP). Originally born and raised in the suburbs of Maryland and the coast of Massachusetts, Larissa came to the West Coast in 2000 for her undergraduate studies at Stanford University. Following a lifelong love of the natural world, she pursued a B.S. in Earth Systems, an interdisciplinary environmental science and policy program, focusing on ocean science and policy. Her undergraduate studies highlighted the severe impacts some human societies have had on Earth's living systems (including humans) which sparked her curiosity about how we arrived at this point. This curiosity spurred her to design her own Masters degree at Stanford in which she investigated the Cultural Philosophy of Environment in the United States.
Since then she has held the vision of humanity experiencing a cultural paradigm shift to living a story of love and connection, rather than one of disconnect and fear. She's pursued this vision the last 4 years by seeking out and experiencing different tools for cultural healing. Some of those include permaculture, ecovillage design, Non-Violent Communication, yoga, integral theory, local and seasonal diets, meditation, eco- and soulcentric human development, the Transition Town Movement, women's leadership, and the amazing collection of tools encompassed by her experience in the RDNA Essentials ('07-'08) and Cultural Mentoring ('08-'09) programs. By studying various theories and methods and grounding them all in her ever-deepening connection to life, she walks through the world with hope, inspiration, and a clearer integrated vision for change.
She co-created RYP in 2008 with her good friend, Ian MacLaird, using many of the tools she gained in the past four years and her 13 years of experience working with young people. In addition to her work with RYP, she also shares nature connection and avenues for change with people through the world of food. She is the main curriculum designer and instructor for in-home cooking classes emphasizing professional cooking skills and SLOW foods awareness with Operation C.H.E.F. in San Rafael, CA.
When not spending time with amazing young people or calling people into their intuitive cooking knowledge, Larissa loves to laugh, grow food at her home in Bolinas, dance to hip hop music, sail and play soccer, enjoy time with friends and family, and expand her creativity through writing, music, and movement.
