30+ years of teaching & field work
About Us
Michael Alcazar — Educator, designer, and integrator of living systems.
Michael is a Master Educator, permaculturist, artist, designer, builder, outdoor experiential facilitator, fundamental movement specialist, and U.S. Army veteran. With 30+ years in teaching, facilitation, and coaching, plus deep ecological field experience from Alaska salmon fisheries to urban agriculture, he helps people and communities align people, planet, and prosperity.
Systems Designer
Lead Integrated Systems Designer at IN ACTION; former UpDIG farm manager & designer.
Experiential education
Founder of GLUE: Green Lab Urban Education — hands-on learning for all ages.
1500+ hrs
of urban agriculture and sustainability service learning
5+ biomes
Grasslands, rangelands, woodlands, riparian, alpine
Community-first
Background & Approach
He integrates traditional ecological wisdom from his indigenous ancestral lineage with contemporary systems design to create practical, low tech solutions. His work spans education, land stewardship, and integrated systems that demonstrate measurable ecological and social outcomes.
Michael served as UpDIG’s Integrated Systems Designer and Farm Manager, and now leads integrated systems design at IN ACTION. Through GLUE (Green Lab Urban Education), he engages learners of all ages to examine and redesign their relationship with food systems and urban sustainability. “May our handprints exceed our footprints.”
Projects and collaborations include Denver community gardens, urban land restoration, the Oglala Lakota Cultural and Economic Revitalization Initiative (OLCERI) at Pine Ridge, riparian and high plains restoration, sustainability policy, initiatives with the Black Mesa Band of Navajo in Arizona, and 1 Million Trees campaigns in Haiti and Colorado.
"May our handprints exceed our footprints"
Let’s build regenerative systems together.
Work with IN ACTION on education, design, and integrated solutions across Colorado and beyond.