Zachary Keenan

What is your name, where are you from, and what do you do?

Zachary Keenan from Cardiff, CA. I am the Operations Manager / Marketing Director for Kandui Villas, a luxury surf resort in the Playgrounds area of the Mentawai Islands.

What drew you to Indosole?

I am super stoked to be working with Indosole, as a company that has taken a conscious approach to their production methods, assisting them in their goal of removing the motorcycle tires from the landfills to use as the soles of their shoes, while simultaneously not creating more new plastic soles to be used for new shoes. The ability to turn what would otherwise be a waste product and to bring it back into the loop, to reduce, reuse, and recycle products already created to minimize their negative impacts allows Indosole to model their production methods after Nature, where there is no such thing as waste, only resources for other aspects of production.

Give us a short history of your surf career/love affair?

My first international trip was to Bali with the US Team for the World Grommet Titles, and it forever changed the path of my life. From that point on I wanted to travel and surf and experience as much of the world as I could, and I am grateful surfing allowed me this opportunity. I was fortunate to make a living competing in various ASP and Airshow events for close to 15 years, while being able to travel all over the globe for events and photo trips. I have manifested my dreams, and now find myself in Indonesia most of the year living on a tropical island resort paradise surrounded by some of the best waves in the world, while only a quick trip away I can spend time visiting with my good friends on Bali.

Favorite Wave?

My favorite wave is the best right in the world, which happens to be a 5 minute boat ride from where I live at Kandui Villas.

You are also a Raw food Enthusiast, when did you start the raw food enthusiasm?

I have been on a primarily raw vegan diet for over 9 years now, when I was introduced to it by my friend Erik.

Give us a short synopsis of Raw food and why it is such a staple in your life

A raw vegan diet celebrates life by eating only living whole foods. This maintains the vitality of the enzymes, which is the life force in all living things. Eating living raw foods provides an abundance of vital life force energy allowing me to thrive at my highest potential.

Favorite Raw food

Durian.

Favorite meal

Kale salad with my garlic tahini vinaigrette dressing, some cold-pressed organic juice, and some raw chocolate for dessert

Favorite Raw food restaurant on the planet? Or a couple

Alchemy, and The Seeds Of Life, in Ubud, Bali, and Au Lac in Southern California

Your path seems so solid in terms of sustainability and awareness of the issues that face us both in health and susutainable growth, in terms of what we buy and how we live. Was there a turning point for you?

Conscious living has been a life-long process, just paying attention and learning as much as I can, which has enabled me to be able to incorporate everything into a holistic perspective. My parents always taught me to treat others how I wanted to be treated, and I just carried that perspective not only to everyone on the planet now, but to future generations as well. I believe in spreading positive energy, and that our actions today should always positively impact not only the planet as a whole, but the future inhabitants of our planet as well. Surfing has definitely been the catalyst, as being so closely aligned with Nature and its dynamic energy made me want to honor and respect the integrity of it’s process, and do whatever I could to support it. Eating healthy is just a natural extension of that appreciation for Nature, and especially as an athlete I really notice how amazing I feel when I provide my body quality nourishment. Yoga has been a perfect synergy to incorporate all of those elements into a holistic lifestyle, balancing my body from the physical strain imposed by surfing, training my mind to be centered and calm, along with choosing a healthy diet to honor life and truly maximize my potential, all of these aspects compliment each other through a yogic lifestyle. I have had a number of influential teachers, with one quote that has stood out most in my mind: “Use Nature as a model.” What Nature has developed over billions of years into a state of balance and equilibrium should attempt to be followed by those of us who have been around less than a couple hundred years, as it has obviously achieved a structure that is sustainable, while most of the time humans attempt to impose their own short-sighted ego in a failed effort to alter and control natural processes. Honoring Nature by structuring systems in alignment with its principles will create more sustainable
systems. I graduated with Honors in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz where I learned an incredible amount of valuable info, and I am really excited about all of the knowledge I have acquired regarding permaculture and sustainable agricultural systems, especially production of diverse food forests for homes, creating an abundance of healthy vital nourishment locally for families and
communities. Anyone interested in learning more can always research permaculture, yoga, and raw living foods for enlightening info. All of our actions have impacts, and I choose to make mine positive ones. Honoring and supporting Nature just makes sense to me.

What kind of music are you blasting these days -give us some insight on some

good tunes with good vibes?
I always enjoy some good old school reggae, Bob Marley, Barrington Levy, Hugh
Mundell, and Black Uhuru just to name a few, but I also enjoy a variety of music from
alternative rock to some of the new electronic dance remixes my friends have been
jamming, anything with some positive vibes and good energy keeps me inspired.

Where can we follow along? @zacharykeenan?

Yes, my instagram is @zacharykeenan and my facebook, along with
www.zacharykeenan.com

Any shout outs you want?

I just want to say thank you to everyone that I have met along my journey, who
have all provided inspiration in some form to keep me aligned with my path in the
hope that I may in turn inspire others as well. Love and Light!