Michael Joshin Thiele lived and practiced at Green Gulch Farm for eight years and received Lay Ordination in 2001. He is leading an innovative and multidimensional approach within the biodynamic apiculture movement, and teaches in the United States and abroad.
He is founder and president of Gaia Bees (gaiabees.com) and is researching new dimensions of apiculture in a sociocultural, agricultural, and spiritual context. In the last decade, Michael has been involved with the creation of honeybee sanctuaries and refuges as a means of protection and education. The most recent project is the Honeybee Sanctuary and Refuge at Green Gulch Farm. In 2013, he worked as a biodynamic consultant for the USDA in the Dominican Republic, and more recently he presented his work at Harvard University. His work is documented in various national and international magazines, books, and film documentaries (Queen of the Sun). He lives with his family in California, USA.