The Living Earth Curriculum examines the mythology of technology, and ten ancestral technologies found in mountains, forests, deserts and wetland ecosystems across the globe.

The Lo—TEK Institute emerged from a passion for education and a reverence for nature, catalyzed by the philosophies presented in Julia Watson’s first book Lo—TEK Design by Radical Indigenism. Simultaneously, Melissa Hunter Gurney was introducing Lo—TEK in high school classrooms as a base for a philosophical shift across the secondary sphere, as well as integrating it into the land advocacy work she was involved in as co-founder of Black Land Ownership. When Melissa reached out to Julia in the hopes of creating a solidified curriculum for schools, Julia was already searching for collaborators. They aligned on their shared vision of co-creating a body of educational work that fostered climate and environmental literacy for scholars worldwide. This outreach initiated a two year passion project, culminating in a progressive digital curriculum based on Lo—TEK. The curriculum reignites dismissed voices, documents Indigenous practices, and profiles nature based technologies, through interdisciplinary research, land-based learning, hands-on practices, and phenomena-based projects.

In 2023, their collaboration birthed the Lo—TEK Living Earth Curricula, which quickly became a space for discussion and expansion. In 2024, The Living Earth Curriculum, which is the first digital database, will be; integrated into a Canadian green schools certification process through a collaboration with EcoSchools Canada; used for professional development by international architecture and engineering organizations, and adopted by independent high schools.

Inspired by the success of the Living Earth Curriculum, Julia and Melissa solidified their partnership with the launch of the Lo—TEK Institute, to be shortly followed by a second curriculum from the upcoming sequel, Lo—TEK Water. The Living Water Curriculum will be released in 2026 as the Institute continues to expand its living education platform.