Our team has grown more than double since last year and since we’ll be out in community more connecting with folks, we want to make sure you know who you’re talking to.
Moving onto our next Meet the Team segment, we’d love to introduce you to Ali Lo’Piccolo. She is one of our Food Forest Managers and provides support to our Grants Department. We asked her some questions so we could learn more about her interests and who she is.
Please introduce yourself.
Daughter, sister, friend. I lived half of my life in Boston and half in Atlanta before moving to Arizona in 2020 to pursue a Master’s degree in Sustainability. Through the time I spent in my program I grew to love Phoenix and I stayed!
What kind of hobbies do you have?
Hiking, dancing, playing basketball, running, reading, writing, spending time with friends and exploring new places.
How do you practice self-care and wellness?
Whenever I need to reset and ground myself I escape to the trees - I grew up surrounded by forests and they have always offered a refuge for me. I’m also passionate about the relationship between people and the environment, so my self-care and wellness tactics are all centered around using what we have available to us through the wonder and artistry of the natural world.
How has your family lineage impacted the way you navigate the world, or the way you do your work?
Interestingly, since I have started farming, I find myself reflecting on my family lineage more than ever. My grandparents and great grandparents had land and grew crops; however, in the shift to industrialized agriculture, they rented or sold out their land to be used by larger entities. At that time, the negative repercussions of these decisions weren’t yet clear, but I believe that if they were, their story and decisions would have looked different. The value in protecting the integrity of our food system is far beyond anything we can quantify. My passion is to steward the resources we have in a way that honors the land and the people on it.
How do you show up for your community?
I’m going to answer this question in a way that might sound silly, but I show up for my community by showing up. Through my own observation, I’ve noticed that our lives have evolved in a way that allows for distance and disengagement to be far too attainable within the context of our relationships. We underestimate the impact of presence, when oftentimes the simple act of showing up is the greatest thing we can do.
What do you appreciate about the collective?
So many things! If I had to pick one, the thing I appreciate most about the Collective is that every task is tied to a relationship - whether it be personal, professional, individual or corporate - there is a purpose and a name behind everything that is done, and that is beautiful.
What is a strength or positive quality of yours that you bring to the collective?
The Collective has more moving parts than any organization I’ve ever been a part of - and when I joined the team, my role was reflective of that. I hold several, very different responsibilities under the umbrella of my position; however, balancing tasks in this way is something I enjoy and have always been confident in. I like the opportunity to switch gears and in an environment like the Collective, I think that adds value and stability to an ever changing dynamic.
What do you look forward to in the work with the collective?
It’s beautiful to watch the abstractness of dreams come to fruition in a tangible way - I really look forward to seeing the vision of the Wellness Center & Food Forest unfold and I am grateful to lend a hand in supporting this process.
What book are you currently reading? (It can be an audio book). Or what podcast do you often like listening to?
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
“How fungi make our worlds, change our minds and shape our futures”
It’s about fungi and mycelium lol
Thank you Ali for sharing about yourself. We’re so happy to have you be a part of the Collective!
To read Ali’s full bio, visit our About Us page here.