Doug Fine: Author, Journalist, Adventurer, Goat-Herder
Personal website of author Doug Fine
Doug at work in one of his many offices
A
fter being raised on Dominoes Pizza and Brady Bunch re-runs, Doug Fine’s method of journalistic investigation was to strap on a backpack and travel to five continents; to the nooks where the world’s monied media venues weren’t sending their people. These venues tended to be delighted to have a whippersnapper beam back colorful dispatches for poorly-remunerated publication as long as he didn’t identify himself as an employee of said venues. Complicated insurance ramifications for torture treatment might ensue.
As a young freelancer, Fine reported in this manner for the Washington Post, Salon, U.S. News and World Report, Sierra, Wired, Outside, National Public Radio, and other venues from little-visited jungle war zones like Burma, Rwanda, Laos, Guatemala and Tajikistan. He became a world-class adventure writer and investigative journalist, writing culturally-insightful and funny dispatches. One of these, about democracy efforts in Burma, was read into the U.S. Congressional Record.
During this time, his 20s, Fine recognized that he lived on an actual planet, and that he felt most alive while living and loving in wild ecosystems. Following this impulse in contradiction to all the suburban values with which he was raised (which can be summarized as, “if you’re not going to be a doctor, you can at least be a lawyer”), he moved to extreme rural Alaska to see if a former suburbanite could survive away from Costco. Happiness and self-awareness were the goals. This resulted in his award-nominated first book, Not Really An Alaskan Mountain Man, a wildly-humorous and meaningful adventure narrative, which is now in its third printing.
Realizing that living in sync with his ecosystem is indeed where his own inspiration and personal happiness reside, Fine for his second book decided to embark on a “Hypocrisy Reduction Project,” to see if he could truly live a sustainable lifestyle, rather than borrowing from Babylon to live in an ecological Zion. He moved to an obscure valley in Southern New Mexico to write Farewell, My Subaru, to quite simply see if a Digital Age Human can live without Petroleum but without giving up any of his Digital Age Comforts. His conclusion? He can, once he figures out how to keep the coyotes from eating his chickens, his solar panels from electrocuting him, and his vegetable oil truck exhaust from giving him a bad case of the munchies (it smells like Kung Pao chicken).
Farewell, My Subaru has been translated into Chinese, Korean, and other languages, and has earned Fine an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Fine now travels around the world speaking about his sustainability realizations and is a regular contributor of adventure and investigative features to National Public Radio. Despite all the accolades, he still milks his goats one teat at a time like all former suburbanite, neo-Rugged Individualist Organic Cowboys.
He enjoys drumming, spirit dancing, distance running, backpacking, rafting and kayaking, meditation, golf, singing at the top of his lungs, the art of conversation, the art of silence, and Frisbee on the beach.
Wagering on what Fine’s next book will be about is now a significant part of the economies of Liechtenstein and Paraguay.
26 Responses:
April 16th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Dear Doug:
Just heard your interview on KFOG ~ what a great way to start my day 
Thanks for doing what you do! I can very much relate to your search for living in a harmonious way with the natural world. - Can’t wait to read your books.
Currently, I’m doing time at a University in Los Angeles, but moved to Topanga Canyon (surely one of the most rural envrions of L.A.) Here I take nature walks, horseback ride, collect lavender, purple sage, and more. Just yesterday I hiked to Zuniga Pond where a rare turtle species was found. So, for the time being these little turtles have helpd raise awareness and funds for their preservation and the surrounding land.
My life’s road has taken a beautiful slow turn in a remarkably busy time and space. Now, I just hope and pray that we can prevent Topanga State Park and 47 other CA State parks from closing. If you are interested in lending your support and can find the time in between goat feedings, farming, and book tours please check out this site: http://www.savestateparks.org/
Thanks!
Happy Trails,
~ Victoria ~
p.s. You look familiar - what year’s were you at Stanford? Did you ever hang out at Synergy?
April 25th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
MY God! You are one BEAUTIFUL man!! I just saw you on Leno - truly inspired.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
I was saw you on the tonight show tonight. I heard Jay saying you lived in rural New Mexico and that you had no electricity. I looked at my husband and said, “He must live on the rez!” My husband is from Mexican Springs, New Mexico. on the Navajo reservation and there are many people there who do not have electricity or running water, but it isn’t by choice. I am hoping the the Navajo Nation will start exploring solar and wind power. There is plenty of both of those resources out there. I’m looking forward to reading your book.
Amy
April 25th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Have you been to Taos (north & west of Taos, really) to see the Earthship houses there? I own some land just west of the gorge and want to build an Earthship house there someday and live “off the grid” as much as I can.
I’ll go buy and read your books and get started on that goal…
April 27th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Justed viewed CNN and was stunned to see what you have done. I plan to sell my car and buy a diesel truck, not that I have been expose to the veggie oil movement. Keep doing what you do, if it weren’t for you, people like me would have no idea what we could do. You are a model! Nice Goats!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Living in Monticello, NM (former ghost town in the mountains near Truth or Consequences).
Nice ideas, images, and thoughts on your site, Doug.
Steve
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Dear Doug,
Just thought I’d give you a heads up and let you know your book is the sole topic of one of my Environmental Geography papers for college.
I truly enjoyed reading every word you wrote, and am also enjoying writing about what you wrote. Funny how that works out so nicely
Hope the Pan Sisters are doing well,
Chelsea
May 4th, 2008 at 4:47 am
I grew up in NM and spent my entire childhood yearning to leave it. At 18 I did. Now I live in the East Coast Megalopolis and can’t wait to go back West! How ironic. You’re living the life we all want, Doug, and inspiring others to do the same. I hope you make the history books.
May 18th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Thanks for the thoughtful, funny, challenging stuff here. Congrats on the cute goat-kids and many blessings for the human kid, apparently soon to arrive. Those human-kids are a blast; I got me one of them five years ago, and she’s my light and joy.
Wish I’d caught your recent talk in Portland, OR (I’m in Salem). You see, I’ve got this great Subaru (”Puff the Magic Wagon”), and I’m not sure that I’m ready to say goodbye.
Very pleased to get a sense of what you’ve been up to since long ago and far away.
- from a fellow attendee of The Ward
May 29th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Hi Doug !
Sawyou on the Jay Leno showand what caught my ear was you left your Subaru and left for “Mexico!” hah I have been living in Mexico for the last 1 1/2 years, and spent 7 years in “New Mexico”. My fiancee’s brother is very active in Greenpeace and treating mother Earth as safely as possible. I am sure you and Raul could talk about many things. His backgrouns is Environmental Science and works for the Green Party of the Mexican Government in Mexico City. Hope you don’t mind, but I started a “Go Green with Doug Fine” group on Facebook, promoting your thoughts and outlooks.
Great interview and hope to see ya someday down the short road we live on.
Regards,
Rick
May 29th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Hi Doug,
Saw you on Leno last night and found you quite entertaining. As a fellow NM resident I was also very pleased that you represented this wonderfully kooky state so very well. So many out there think we are a different country, but you served your state well. Also kudos to you for all you do to live well and live green. You are truly an inspiration for us all!
Best to you and yours!
May 31st, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Doug:
I saw you on Leno the other night, picked up your book at my local Barnes & Noble last night at 8 and finshed it by 12 Noon today. It’s life changing. Now I have to find a way to get out of this rental in the Kansas City northern suburbs and into a spot with room for a self-sustaining garden and solar panels.
Thanks. Dan
June 28th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Great read. Thanks for the laughter and inspiration. Hoping to get off the grid myself
July 15th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Loved the book! I can just see you feeding the chickens or working on your garden with your baby in a sling/carrier.
September 15th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Doug -
Read your book for English class and loved it. Definitely better than any “real” textbook we could’ve had. It’s good to know there are real people living real lives experimenting with carbon-neutrality.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Really enjoyed your book. Going to get my sister a copy as she is interested in moving from LA area to New Mexico.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Heard you speak in Fort Worth at TCU and had to check out your site, and put a link from my blog site. I’m amazed at how nobody in sunny Texas seems to be interested in using solar panels.
BTW, Irvine Calif went solar in the 70’s, have you been there? I wonder how those solar homes have endured. Did home owners go back and convert them back to gas heating/AC or are they still solar?
November 13th, 2008 at 7:10 am
That’s really noteworthy about Irvine — I didn’t know that and it sounds like a history worth looking into. I’m particularly interested in how 30-year-old panels hold up both materially and in terms of efficiency.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Hi Doug,
I couldn’t put down Farewell my Subaru the other day and now it’s finished.
Thanks for caring about “things”, I had sometimes felt part of a too tiny group of the somewhat literate and slightly skilled. (I had freelanced for the LA Times)
I live off of solar and gravity catchment (and borrow neighb’s solar hot water heater and catchment for now) on the Big Island. Bought organic fair trade sheets & blankets…bought the lead-free computer monitor. Do the vegan thing but buy free-range and organic meaties for the kitties. I wish you milked goats here. Wish your book wasn’t over.
February 24th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Keep it going Doug. Glad to see a kindred spirit out there. Happiness prevails.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:54 am
[...] Funky Butte Ranch, sustainability Last night I went to the Chicago Cultural Center to see writer Doug Fine speak about his experiences in living locally and sustainably over the past few years. In his book, [...]
April 4th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Doug,
I just finished listening to Farewell, My Subaru on CD. As a Jewish boy from the NYC suburbs myself I must say you have inspired me. While I don’t have any plans to move to the southwest and start ranching, I am looking into converting a car to run on vegetable oil and look into solar. It won’t get me completely off the grid, but if I can cut my carbon footprint even a little, I will have you to thank.
April 21st, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Reading your book and enjoying it. Nice work on going green, you’re an inspiration.
May 7th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
gettin my first 5 chickens this monday… in the suburbs 50×50′ garden plus 10×20 hop bed ya gotta grow the beer!!
May 12th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Dear Doug,
I have a son called Doug Fine. He (1) raises goats and chickens, (2) shaves and cuts his hair because his day job is with Smith Barney in Minneapolis and (3) graduated from NM State University in Las Cruces. Stanger yet there is a “family” resemblance in your photos. He is as much of a free spirit as practical with two children and a mortgage on his mini farm north of Minneapolis. Doug’s father Dick