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Sam Smith

Insurrectionary ecologist and local-universe problem-solver

Coffee Bean

Open-Source Infrastructure Development

Coffee Bean

Ecological Design Consulting For Tiny Homes and Vehicles

Coffee Bean

Generation of Disruptively USeful Information

My passion is developing low-cost, easy-to-build infrastructure that allows people to harness the natural flows of resources and energy present in all ecosystems and enables humans to meet their needs for food, water, shelter, energy, information, and waste processing without ecological damage. All of my ecological design work is open-source, and you can support that work by becoming a Patron. I also do custom infrastructure design consulting and 3D modeling for tiny homes, vehicle conversions, and off-grid land projects on a case by case basis. If you’d like my help on a project, or would just like to make contact, get in touch by filling out the form below!

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Here are some Things I’ve done:

“Overview” – 2019

“Overview” is an hour long music video that goes through the history of the Universe, from the big bang to present.

Recycled Plastic 3D Printer

I’ve been developing an open-source, easy-to-build large-format 3D printer designed to print directly from recycled plastic flakes instead of filament.

Metabolizer – 2018-Present

Metabolizer is an experimental waste-to-energy system and recycling center powered by waste biomass. It can literally “eat” trash, and use the energy it contains to shred and recycle plastics, produce liquid fuels, and generate electricity.

The Magic Tool Bus – 2018-Present

The Magic Tool Bus is a 25-ft former TRIMET shuttle bus that we have converted into a mobile maker lab and off-grid tiny home. It is an exploration in off-grid mobile infrastructure, with solar power, heat, water, and lots and lots of tools.

Precious Plastic Machine Building – 2017-Present

Precious Plastic is a movement to design and distribute open-source, small-scale plastic recycling machines. In 2017 I built the PP shredder, and more recently I’ve been developing a 3D printer that prints directly from recycled plastic flakes.

Portland POD Initiative – 2016

The Portland POD Initiative was an open design challenge put on by a coalition of organizations and advocacy groups to develop a series of low-cost sleeping pod designs to be used as the basis for villages as a response to the houselessness crisis.

Entrainment – 2016

Entrainment is an interactive exploration of the phenomenon of heartbeat entrainment. By visualizing heartbeats as pulses of light and vibration, Entrainment challenges participants to see if they can sync their heartbeats with one another.

Communiversity 2014-2015

From 2014-2015 we ran an experimental community-based experiential education program. Participants crafted community projects of their choice and were supported with by a community of mentors and weekly check-ins and goal-setting sessions.

Community Supported Everything- 2012-2015

Community Supported Everything was a community organization, meeting hub, and project incubator, focused on facilitating community projects by holding space and connecting people with the support and resources for their projects.

Occupy Tomorrow 2011-2012

After the Occupy Portland camp was evicted in November 2011, we organized a series of community events that brought neighbors together to discuss issues of community, ecology, economy, non-violent resistance, and mutual aid.

Lonely Dinosaur T-shirts -2008-2016

After graduating college, I co-founded a t-shirt screenprinting and design business. We made and sold organic cotton t-shirts online and at Portland Saturday Market from 2007 until 2016, when we closed the business to pursue new things.

Colorado College – 2004-2008

I graduated from Colorado College in 2008 with a B.A. in English with a Film Track. The focus of my film track and thesis work was in documentary filmmaking.