Who is behind the Landon Rock Project? It is my husband Andrés and me, Sophia. We met in 2007 in London, England through our mutual friend – my flatmate and Andrés’ colleague. At that time I wouldn’t consider either of us to be very ‘eco-conscious.’ I remember being very critical about ‘organic’ foods and their authenticity, I did not give a second thought about carbon emissions when jumping on a plane to go discover another European city, and I don’t think I even really recycled. Ironically, for those people who think that we are anti-technology and are chosing a ‘backwards’ lifestyle, I credit the Internet for inspiring us to see things differently in the world, so much so that as you know by now – we have adjusted our lives to be able to live more in harmony with nature.
Andrés was born and raised in Maracaibo, Venezuela. From what I hear, he was always known to be very inquisitive, curious and motivated and it seems those qualities have only become stronger with time. He enjoyed taking apart numerous mechanical devices and then putting them back together again – just to understand how they really worked. He was also a handyman from an early age, helping to fix various household fixtures whenever his single mom needed him to, even helping with the landscaping. His favourite childhood memories must be those from his years as a boy scout. In fact, a lot of what he learned as a scout is applied on a regular basis to what we do today. From constructing temporary, yet solid shelters and structures to building the most efficient campfire BBQs you could imagine. He can also talk for hours about knots and give demonstrations too.
At twenty years old, he moved to London, England where he saw snow for the first time. The purpose of the move was to learn english, to take advantage of the better life a European country could offer, to travel, explore and have some fun of course. He is a third generation Polish citizen and therefore qualified for a European Union passport. He started his London life as a bar hand/bus boy, not speaking a word of english. After four years he was fluent and worked his way up to bar manager at an upscale cocktail bar in High St. Kensington. However, by this time he started to get those old urges to work and build things with his hands as he did when he was a child. So he moved into the renovation and building industry and also became certified in domestic electrical work. Plus, he also met me around this time.
I was born and raised in Stoney Creek, Ontario. I was shy and quiet. I enjoyed cooking and baking from very early, helping out in the kitchen when ever I could. My serious and pragmatic nature led me to study accounting at the University of Ottawa. At that time I envisioned myself becoming a hot-shot corporate CEO, marching around in stiletto heels and pencil skirts in any famous metropolis. Good friends convinced me to move to London, England as soon as I finished my studies in Ottawa. I also hold an EU passport as I am also, coincidentally of Polish decent, so there was no trouble for me to make this move. After six fun-filled years, I had managed to make my way into the finance department of a prestigous wine distribution company as the Accounts Assistant, taking advantage of the five week holiday allowance to travel all around Europe, and making some unforgettable friendships. Oh ya, and I met and got married to the love of my life.
I’d say things started to change for us – meaning the way we think, eat, shop, and live in general – not long before our wedding in 2010. I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, we stumbled upon permaculture, we watched The Story of Stuff, the Zeitgeist movies, and other things like that. Revelations started to flow and we started to think about seriously moving out of the big city, buying some land and starting some little off-grid, eco project. My wonderful and kind manager at the time was aware of my growing interests in an ‘alternative’ life and asked if I’d ever heard of WWOOF. I said “excuse me?” And that’s when the big door opened after so many windows had been letting so much light in. So we planned a five month adventure around the British Isles by bicycle, visiting different locations to volunteer via the WWOOF network. We knew we weren’t going to settle in England because land is scarce, expensive, and the climate was getting on our nerves. However, due to personal circumstances we could not leave the UK straight away but were eager to start ‘wwoofing’ to challenge ourselves and to learn to see if it was really possible to do what we were envisioning. We officially quit our jobs in April 2012 and embarked on this journey which I have documented in this Youtube video.
At twenty years old, he moved to London, England where he saw snow for the first time. The purpose of the move was to learn english, to take advantage of the better life a European country could offer, to travel, explore and have some fun of course. He is a third generation Polish citizen and therefore qualified for a European Union passport. He started his London life as a bar hand/bus boy, not speaking a word of english. After four years he was fluent and worked his way up to bar manager at an upscale cocktail bar in High St. Kensington. However, by this time he started to get those old urges to work and build things with his hands as he did when he was a child. So he moved into the renovation and building industry and also became certified in domestic electrical work. Plus, he also met me around this time.
I was born and raised in Stoney Creek, Ontario. I was shy and quiet. I enjoyed cooking and baking from very early, helping out in the kitchen when ever I could. My serious and pragmatic nature led me to study accounting at the University of Ottawa. At that time I envisioned myself becoming a hot-shot corporate CEO, marching around in stiletto heels and pencil skirts in any famous metropolis. Good friends convinced me to move to London, England as soon as I finished my studies in Ottawa. I also hold an EU passport as I am also, coincidentally of Polish decent, so there was no trouble for me to make this move. After six fun-filled years, I had managed to make my way into the finance department of a prestigous wine distribution company as the Accounts Assistant, taking advantage of the five week holiday allowance to travel all around Europe, and making some unforgettable friendships. Oh ya, and I met and got married to the love of my life.
I’d say things started to change for us – meaning the way we think, eat, shop, and live in general – not long before our wedding in 2010. I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, we stumbled upon permaculture, we watched The Story of Stuff, the Zeitgeist movies, and other things like that. Revelations started to flow and we started to think about seriously moving out of the big city, buying some land and starting some little off-grid, eco project. My wonderful and kind manager at the time was aware of my growing interests in an ‘alternative’ life and asked if I’d ever heard of WWOOF. I said “excuse me?” And that’s when the big door opened after so many windows had been letting so much light in. So we planned a five month adventure around the British Isles by bicycle, visiting different locations to volunteer via the WWOOF network. We knew we weren’t going to settle in England because land is scarce, expensive, and the climate was getting on our nerves. However, due to personal circumstances we could not leave the UK straight away but were eager to start ‘wwoofing’ to challenge ourselves and to learn to see if it was really possible to do what we were envisioning. We officially quit our jobs in April 2012 and embarked on this journey which I have documented in this Youtube video.
After our cycling journey in the UK we moved to Canada in December 2012 and decided to stay here due to the vastness of the land, the relatively cheaper cost, and in spite of the cold winters, we enjoy the changing of the seasons. We find the extreme fluctuations keep us on our toes and challenged especially when it comes to creating off-grid utility systems that will work year round. June 28, 2013 we became owners of a 61 acre plot of land in Bancroft, Ontario.
Fate seemed to draw us to Bancroft. Andrés by chance found online the first Earthship in Ontario was built in Bancroft. So we drove up one day when we were bored to have a look at the town. We drove straight to the real estate agent’s office. There we met our agent who helped us land the deal for our property. The area still feels pure – untainted by neither urban pollution nor industrial farming. In fact, it is not farming land at all. It is situated right on the Canadian Shield after all. However, this does not deter us from our organic farming intentions as we are not aiming to become conventional mass-producing farmers of veggie, grain, or meat products. To see what we specifically intend to do please read on through the site. We hope you enjoy and thanks for visiting!
