Abundance. Collaboration. Empowerment. Sustainability.
OUR ROOTS
In 2010, Michael Hensel traveled to Cambodia and his perception of the world was never the same.
As part of an Impact Trip – a vacation with time spent in service to others or the environment – Michael visited a local orphanage in Phnom Penh. Being witness to nearly 100 children going about their lives with smiles on their faces despite the daily hardship of searching for food among mountains of trash, he was deeply moved.
Feeling privileged to have essential resources so easily accessible in his life, Michael began to question what he could do to help needy communities like this one.
While visiting the world’s largest spiritual site, Angkor Wat, he was surrounded by the beauty of the ancient temples.
Being mindful of his desire to help the underprivileged, he experienced an epiphany that changed his life. In a profound awakening in the middle of the night, he discovered his calling:
Find a sustainable solution to improve the standard of living for children suffering from the lack of essential resources like food and water. It was paramount to identify a resource saving technique that empowered both schools and whole communities to pay the knowledge forward.
Upon returning to the United States, Michael made it his mission to educate himself about gardening and other food production processes. Experts helped to identify aquaponics as the most sustainable solution due to a closed-loop ecosystem and the diverse outputs including healthy fruits and vegetables.
Koya Project was born as a vehicle for Michael’s passion to improve the lives of all the remarkable people he encountered while traveling the world. It was crucial to be active in spreading powerful knowledge that supports eliminating world hunger.
Koya Project Students (left-to-right): Dain, Vanita & Sokunteary
OUR PILLARS
ABUNDANCE
Whether it’s introducing sustainable food production, resource-saving techniques or long-term education, we explore a diverse range of solutions to ensure our impact is geared toward future generations.
“The key to abundance is meeting limited circumstances with unlimited thoughts.”
― Marianne Williamson
EMPOWERMENT
By empowering whole communities consisting of children in critical development stages, to the adults in need, our focus on paying the knowledge forward is key to leaving a lasting impression on the world.
“When you educate one person you can change a life, when you educate many you can change the world.”
― Shai Reshef
COLLABORATION
We’re not in the mindset of changing the world by ourselves. It’s paramount that we surround ourselves with ego-less partners and change-makers who only wish to innovate, achieve and evolve together for the greater good.
“Collaboration is vital to sustain what we call profound or really deep change, because without it, organizations are just overwhelmed by the forces of the status quo.”
― Peter Senge
SUSTAINABILITY
Nature-inspired aquaponics technology is nothing new. Ancient practices from Central Mexico and Southeast Asia have shaped our adaptation to modern applications, and our strive to make this closed-loop ecosystem fully sustainable from inputs to outputs.
“Deep inside, we still have a longing to be reconnected with the nature that shaped our imagination.”
― Janine Benyus