Episode description

Living in Costa Rica close to the beach in a tropical paradise is a dream many people have, but seldom pursue. That's not the case for Justin Dolan, the visionary and developer behind St. Michael's Sustainable Community.

Justin's story is nothing short of incredible. After sustaining a debilitating injury while on the job as a police officer, Justin turned to real estate as a path forward. First it was buying a cheap property he could afford in order to build a wheelchair ramp and fix up the rest of the place, to then repeating the process of buy-renovate-live-sell in order to build up a nest egg.

From there he bought a 100-acre defunct golf course property in Costa Rica. The transformation that has happened personally and to the property is nothing short of amazing. Justin found a deep love for permaculture, green building, and ecology and began to build houses and the soil while cultivating an impressive range of edible and medicinal plant species.

The golf course had to go since they are notorious sites of ecological disaster. Justin instead opted for a less destructive recreational sport, disc golf, which he found integrated in nicely with the overall property.

A permaculture country club with a pool, nurseries and gardens, food forests, and an eco-village is truly a one-of-a-kind real estate projects in the world. Tune in for this fascinating episode and check out Justin's work!

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This podcast isn’t just about ideas—it’s about action. From these conversations, two organizations have emerged to bring regenerative real estate to life:

Latitude Regenerative Real Estate is the world’s first regenerative-focused real estate brokerage, dedicated to aligning values-driven buyers and sellers. With a strong presence in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes regions, Latitude also supports purpose-driven developments across North America through strategic marketing and branding services. If you're looking to buy, sell, or amplify a regenerative project, Latitude is your trusted partner.

Hamlet Capital is an investment and development firm committed to building resilient communities rooted in working farms. If you’re developing an agrihood or conservation community, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can turn visionary ideas into thriving, place-based investments.