DAVE HUTCHINS
Biomimicry Institute program manager,
Community Bike Shop founder
Butte, Montana
On the global level, I work with some of the world’s brightest scientists, engineers, designers and artists and try to inspire them to look to nature for solutions — reconnecting to the living world and to each other to build a more sustainable and resilient future. On the regional level, I live at the headwaters of the Columbia River, in a landscape devastated by our insatiable demand for copper. I’ve conducted research on technologies for removing metals from infected waters, and I’ve looked at how we can empower communities to gain agency in cleanup decision-making. But the most gratifying and impactful work I do is at the hyperlocal level. I run a community bike shop in my neighborhood, where we give away bikes to those in need — mostly youth. It’s amazing to see the autonomy, mobility, freedom and empowerment that comes along with the simple offer of a bicycle and the skills to maintain it.
Alex Kim is a Montana-based photographer and the director of a nonprofit called Here Montana. He is passionate about supporting communities through his work. Instagram: @atkpics
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This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline ‘The most gratifying and impactful work I do is at the hyperlocal level’.
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