Dylan Wilbar, PCGS Student
PCGS student Dylan Wilbar won first prize and $1,000 in the Sustainability Pitch Competition that was organized by USF's Muma College of Business Nault Center for Entrepreneurship competition on Oct. 20. His winning Spiral Farms project derived from his classwork on a potential Agro and eco-tourism destination near Orlando.
Wilbar, a Virginia native whose concentration is sustainable tourism, said the original idea stemmed from his work with GIVE Volunteers in Thailand and Hawaii, and other farms he has worked on in Nicaragua and Ecuador.
His goal for Spiral Farms, he said, is to develop a place where people can come and stay with their families to enjoy the nearby beaches of Florida, surfing lessons, educational classes about food, nutrition, plant identification, sustainable energy, agro-forestry, garden-to-table harvesting and cooking classes, and permaculture design, as well as have a safe and fun place to enjoy the abundance of nature. "The community has always been a priority in constructing this idea," Wilbar said.
"The main ideas of this farm are to educate and rebuild connections between people and the environment to widen perspectives on potential harmonious living strategies," Wilbar said. "Many people are looking for alternative travel trips where they learn something unique and have an experience that makes them want to spend more time in their community participating in solutions to our world's many problems."