Lawrence Gottschamer Jr.

We plant macadamia trees for indigenous communities in Guatemala, planting hundreds of thousands of trees in the last 25 years. We are called the Valhalla Experimental Station and we deal in sustainable agriculture and environmental issues. We use no pesticides or fungicides of any kind.

What we do serves the whole world. One macadamia tree can absorb over 60 cubic feet of CO2 everyday changing it into oxygen. The same tree can liberate over 55 gallons of water in the form of vapor into the air daily.

When I was a child, my mother was walking me down Haight Street in San Francisco. I will never forget how this car came by laying down a smoke screen, and I thought to myself “They´re going to mess up all the air on the planet!” Ever since then, I have been very interested in environmental issues and the preservation of our ecosystem.

The macadamia nut is a very powerful natural medicine thanks to its natural oil content. I was the first to introduce macadamia oil as a cosmetic and medicinal ingredient. In that sense, everything you hear today about the properties of macadamia oil was started here with us.

The macadamia tree is a sustainable food source for the people in the indigenous forest. One of our participants, Miguel Juarez, has a macadamia orchard and, as a private sector entrepreneur, sells his macadamia nut production to his community members. He has also sold several thousand macadamia trees to other people to plant. The macadamia trees generate an income for Miguel’s family and well being for his community.

The amount of experience amassed on the journey to old age is invaluable. Every time an old person dies, it’s like burning a book. By virtue of that experience, every day you get better. The secret is not to separate your work and your play. I am in my 76th year now and I enjoy playing more than ever. I believe that is the key to longevity and good health.