Action! Mystique! Science! Environmentalism! Sustainable Settings!
All of this can be found in a new, science-fiction novel, “Viriditas: The Great Healing is Within Our Power”, from author and educator Aaron William Perry.
Perry grew up in both New York and Colorado, and has been an avid environmentalist his whole life — even in high school he helped found an environmental club and did extensive work with Amnesty International.
During graduate school at the University of Colorado, Perry had his first encounter with Carbondale’s Sustainable Settings while taking a class for sustainable architecture. Straight out of grad school, Perry returned to work for Sustainable Settings. He arrived just in time for their move to the Thompson Creek Ranch. He helped them with agricultural planning and facilities development. To this day, Perry frequently visits the ranch as an ally to their cause.
“By harvesting nature’s intelligence and providing a whole-systems learning center, Sustainable Settings has educated thousands of people, from school-aged children through to graduate students and adults of all walks and ages,” Perry told The Sopris Sun. “Moreover, as the biodynamic ‘mothership’ of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region, Susty has inspired hundreds of young farmers and regenerative land stewards to engage in profound ecosystem restoration and health reclamation work all around our region.”
“Susty,” aka Sustainable Settings, has been a huge inspiration for Perry, who has continued his environmental work with RECYCOIL and SOURCE Local Foods, companies that focus on creating a low-carbon future with sustainable food systems.
Aaron Perry’s latest environmentalist endeavor is his novel, “Viriditas”. This visionary, eco-thriller blends science and spiritualism with mystery and action.
The novel follows Bridgette Sophia, a brilliant computer scientist in New York City who is developing artificial intelligence that can potentially save the world from environmental disaster. She is forced to flee New York, ditch her technology and go off the grid. She ends up in the Colorado Rockies, traveling through places like Boulder, Aspen and eventually to Carbondale and the Sustainable Settings ranch.
Through her journey, Bridgette Sophia learns about stewardship, spirituality and even receives an unprecedented revelation from Mother Earth herself. The story of “Viriditas” takes a sharp turn, from science-fiction into a visionary statement about our shared destiny in these momentous times.
“This book has a very special meaning for all of us alive in these times,” said Perry. “It provides an opening up of a doorway for us to understand how real the possibility for the rapid healing of our world is.”
“Viriditas” goes beyond the typical sci-fi clichés — its aim is to educate and inspire people to help heal the world. It doesn’t just sound the alarm that climate change is a major problem, it offers a path toward fixing that problem. The protagonist is meant to learn along with the reader that our modern technology can be combined with more holistic lessons of stewardship and sustainability.
One of the ideas that Perry tries to convey is that modern technology isn’t in opposition to more traditional ideas of sustainability; they can actually work together. He hopes that in the near future the synthesis of modern technology, stewardship and natural and indigenous wisdom will create the systems necessary to heal the world.
Perry hopes that “Viriditas” will have a lasting impact, and that this story can positively impact generations to come. “When we make that commitment to stewardship and sustainability, we are taught and we are invited to consider the next several generations,” said Perry. “With that in mind, telling this story is not only for ourselves in the present, but it is a story that I hope will be carried through to generations in the future.”
Along with its profound message, “Viriditas” is a fun and engrossing read. Throughout its pages, the reader will encounter ciphers and messages that can be decoded; there are even some on the front cover. Aaron Perry was sure to make this epic story about healing into a fun action-thriller that will keep the reader engaged and inspired.
For persons interested in the book, Sustainable Settings will host an event this Saturday, Aug. 20, at 6:30 p.m. where Perry will read excerpts, answer questions and sign copies. This will be followed by a sound healing event at the ranch.
You can visit www.viriditasbook.com and www.yonearth.org for more information.
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