Urban Mindfulness Lab

“Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

The Urban Mindfulness Lab (UML) explores the potential of bringing mindfulness practice to sustainable urban community development. UML seeks to promote the transition from an ego-centric to an eco-centric city.

UML is presently taking the form of an occasional blog chronicling experiences in mindful urban living.

UML was created in 2018 by Daniel Dermitzel, an educator, community builder and organic farmer with a lifelong interest in peace-making and sustainability. Daniel has lived half of his life in Germany and the other in the USA, becoming familiar with urban challenges in each. He holds a bachelors degree in journalism and a graduate degree in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. Daniel has started and managed several organic farms and co-founded a non-profit urban agriculture organization. He has also taught sustainable planning and design at the University of Missouri.

Daniel is a student of mindfulness under Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in whose monastery, Plum Village, he has lived and worked for two years. He is an ordained member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing. Daniel’s goal is to encourage change at the heart level, to facilitate conversations that build bridges and to help bring understanding to a world of conflict. More information about Daniel is at www.danieldermitzel.com.