A long-time businessman and former opera singer, Joe shifted to research out of his concerns for the environment and became a cultural ecologist specializing in water management issues of rural villages in SE Asia. His research focuses on the impact of variable weather on irrigation practices of small communities in the mountains of Sichuan province, China. He has consulted to various government agencies and state-owned companies in China on tourism-related development. He is a lecturer and invited scholar at Sichuan Agricultural University (2016-2017); his publications include an article on water conflict resolution and a book on sustainable living (co-editor). Joe’s education includes an M.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Chinese environmental history, Chinese cultural ecology and Chinese traditional water management) from Portland State University. He is currently apprenticed to a Chinese Dao (Tao) Master in Chengdu, China; he maintains residences in Chengdu and in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
