Wildheart.

  Table of Contents
Mission

Vision
About

Dervaes Institute
Outreach Program
Web Statistics
Funding
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Mission


A revolution to change nothing less than the world. It is time to move beyond the unsustainable, unfulfilling, mainstream culture. We need to research WHOLE solutions, doing more than reduce, reuse and recycle, going beyond the fragmented and narrow bandages which postpone but don’t alter.



The ultimate goal is to live as simply as possible in harmony with nature and ourselves. A back-to-basic lifestyle that will re-establish us to the land, healing the disconnection of our lives and leading to the restoration of the earth. 

 
One of our missions is to educate individuals and families to integrate sustainable living practices and methods into their daily lives. Our focus is on: organic gardening, permaculture, solar cooking, composting and other back-to-basic, sustainable technologies and practices relating to the home environment.
 

Vision
 
Nothing less than a revolution is required in order for man to achieve the realization of his human potential.  The future will be one of tremendous struggle because the world has been held captive.  It is time to rise up to break out of this bondage.  VICTORY can only be won by those armed with "plowshares."  When the land is liberated, the people will be; when the people are liberated the nation will be.  And, one nation--truly, fully liberated will lead the world to real freedom!
 
We will use our hands as weapons of mass creation.  With this natural choice the gates will be opened to return to the garden.  And, so this is a call to begin to go back to the old ways and continue until nature has been restored to its original state.  Nothing less will do!
 
About

Founded by Jules Dervaes (Dur-VAYS) in 2001, Path to Freedom
is a grassroots, family operated, viable urban homesteading project
established to promote a simpler and more fulfilling lifestyle and
reduce one family's "footprint" on the earth's dwindling resources.
Since the mid 1980s, all five members of the Dervaes family have
steadily worked at transforming their ordinary city lot in Pasadena,
California, into an organic permaculture garden supplying them with
food all year round. They also run a successful business, Dervaes Gardens<img src="http://www.pathtofreedom.com/images/bullets/arrow.gif" alt="Read More" />,
providing salad greens to local restaurants. This helps them fund their
purchases of solar panels, energy efficient appliances, and biodiesel
processor to further decrease their homestead's reliance on the earth’s
non-renewable resources.
What is unique and makes PathtoFreedom.com<img src="http://www.pathtofreedom.com/images/bullets/arrow.gif" alt="Read More" />
different from other sustainable living sites on the Internet? The
Dervaes family isn’t just writing about the latest eco-practices or
products that should be incorporated into their lives. Instead, they
are sharing with you the changes and steps to sustainability they
already have implemented in their lifestyle. 
Furthermore, you, the readers, can "visit" the family daily at their
journal and witness their first-hand accounts of struggles and joys,
defeats and successes, as they journey along the path to
self-sufficiency to accomplish more.
It is the family’s hope and desire to live by example as they strive
to become earth stewards on a journey towards a sustainable world. 
"This project evolved from our commitment and conviction to live a simple, self-sufficient and holistic lifestyle," says Jules Dervaes, founder, "It
is an entire life's journey and we have many more miles to go--the
journey is by no means over! We are proving that we can attain our goal
if we advance in stages whatever the circumstances. Our hope is that by
documenting our personal experiences we can offer encouragement to
those who are on the same journey towards a simple, self-sufficient
lifestyle whether they are in the city or country."
 

Dervaes Institute
Through the Dervaes Institute<img src="http://www.pathtofreedom.com/images/bullets/arrow.gif" alt="Read More" /> founded in 2006 as a legacy for his father, Jules Dervaes and his family's mission is to expand Path to Freedom's
worldwide outreach program, which will provide sustainable solutions in
the present and for future generations, honoring the legacy of Jules Dervaes, Sr. 
 
Outreach Program

PathtoFreedom.com<img src="http://www.pathtofreedom.com/images/bullets/arrow.gif" alt="Read More" />
is designed, created, operated, and maintained and by members of the
Dervaes family. The family operates the website as a non-commercial,
home-based effort with no commercial advertising. They are committed to
maintaining this site as an ad and commercial free sanctuary.

We do not make any profit from this venture - we only seek to educate and inform.
 This site documents the daily struggles and triumphs and seasonal activities of Path to Freedom with additional links and resources about environmental issues and sustainable living. Recently, Path to Freedom has been open to the public for tours and educational workshops.
 In addition, the Dervaes family participates in a number of events
and festivals. The project is slowly becoming legendary worldwide and
has attracted local and national media attention, including television,
magazine, and newspaper coverage.
 
Web Statistics

The website continues to grow. As of 2006, the site receives over
75,000 unique visitors a month/3,000,000 hits from over 100 countries.



Funding
 While Path to Freedom's urban homestead has enjoyed widespread recognition, only the earth stewardship outreach activities of Path to Freedom receive outside tax deductible funding through the Dervaes Institute<img src="http://www.pathtofreedom.com/images/bullets/arrow.gif" alt="Read More" />  Path to Freedom itself strives to be a true, working homestead model not just a showcase. 

Path to Freedom strives to be a true, working homestead model not  just a showcase.
 Projects that the Dervaes family have undertaken in the past and
plan to accomplish in the future are self funded with the earnings of
their produce business and savings. 
  The homestead operates a viable home business.  Path to Freedom does not depend on tours, teaching, writing books, lectures, memberships, grants, donations or consulting fees.