Becoming is.

The evolution of a brand. The experience of being.

Green Religion begins with awareness. As natural as breathing.

Long before human beings developed language, beliefs, or religion, the living world existed. We were never separate from it.

Through progress, invention, and failure, humanity has continually reinvented how we live within nature. We call it evolution. But are we always moving forward?

Green Religion invites us to become more aware of our place in that evolution. To observe, question, appreciate, and participate. Not through prescribed beliefs, but through our own experiences of being alive.

My own relationship with nature began long before Green Religion had a name.

In the mid-1970s, my mother gathered seashells, small pieces of driftwood, and beach glass along the beaches of Southampton, New York. She arranged them in glass curio boxes at Collage, her women's clothing boutique on Jobs Lane. I remember her picking up a seashell and placing it in my hand.

A simple gesture. An act of observation, generosity, and grace. Something ordinary becoming meaningful through attention.

Growing up in Southampton, my connection to nature also meant getting my hands dirty. As a young landscaper, I worked with soil, plants, and the changing seasons. There was physical labor, practical problem-solving, and plenty to learn by doing.

When I moved to Miami in 1995, the landscape changed. Tropical foliage, coastal ecosystems, and an entirely different growing environment opened new possibilities. My curiosity continued through gardening, art, design, and an evolving creative practice.

In September 2026, traveling through Ireland's ancient landscapes, I experienced a remarkable sense of belonging. Among stone, wind, open skies, and silence, I felt completely present. Not searching for answers. Simply living.

Something was taking shape, although I had yet to give it a name.

Returning to Miami, I continued preparing for Intertidal States, a group exhibition already in development. My drawings and installation work were underway.

For more than 25 years, I've sought out Royal Poinciana trees and their remarkable seedpods, along with the Sea Grape leaves found beneath Miami's coastal canopy. Gathering and working with these organic materials has long been part of my artistic practice.

For the exhibition, I returned to my harvested collection of Sea Grape leaves in the studio and gathered fresh leaves along the coast. The Royal Poinciana seedpods took on another expression as I scratched words into their surfaces.

Was. Is. Will Be.

Three expressions of time, carried by natural materials undergoing their own transformations.

As I worked, the memory of my mother's seashell returned. The connection between observing, gathering, creating, and sharing felt increasingly clear.

And somewhere within these experiences, is. found its place.

Two letters and a period.

Green Religion's brand signature.

Not born in a single moment or place, but emerging through memory, travel, observation, and artistic practice.

Since launching greenreligion.com, my life has become more eco-spirited. I am increasingly aware of my inner integrity, learning to pause, breathe, appreciate, and participate. Rather than searching for answers to everything, I am allowing the nature of things, including my own nature, to help guide the questions I ask.

Nature gives. We receive.

Receiving also means paying attention, recognizing what is offered, and considering what we give back.

That awareness extends to our changing climate. Green Religion embraces Climate AWEARness, recognizing that appreciation and responsibility belong together. We can question our habits, reconsider what we consume, and make more thoughtful choices without allowing fear to define our relationship with the planet.

Green Religion is becoming, too.

I find myself doing what I love while learning from other creatives and makers, exchanging ideas, and opening new opportunities for collaboration and mentorship. What began as a personal vision is becoming a growing invitation to participate.

Through art, design, objects, and shared experiences, Green Religion welcomes different beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of connecting with the outdoors. Our common ground is not a particular faith, but the living world we share.

is. gives this evolving relationship a simple expression.

We are here. We belong. We participate.

And we are still becoming. 

John DeFaro
Founder & Creative Director, Green Religion