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	<em>Today, there are over 4,000 Au Sable alumni around the world doing great things to serve and protect our precious natural world. Profiles in Stewardship shares the significant accomplishments, enduring effort, and lasting effectiveness of Au Sable alumni as they seek to do God&#39;s work in the world. We hope these stories create a space for mutual admiration, common purpose, and collective achievement among all those doing creation care. &nbsp;In two words, true community. To learn more, read Executive Director Fred Van Dyke&#39;s <a href="/news_and_resources/blog/introducing_profiles_in_stewardship_by_fred_van_dyke_executive_director#.UX6fYrU3uSo">introduction to this blog series</a>.</em></p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}breederland2013.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 250px; float: right;" /></p>
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	Today Mark Breederland, now a resident of Traverse City, Michigan, works full time serving and protecting God&rsquo;s earth as an Educator in the Michigan Sea Grant College Program. Thirty-three years ago, in 1980, he first visited the Au Sable Institute as a student in Taylor University&rsquo;s (Indiana) Introduction to Environmental Science Education, taught by Au Sable founder Harold Synder, then on the faculty of Taylor. He returned in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986, enjoying Au Sable as a student, a maintenance worker, and again as a Taylor student in the Senior Capstone class, which was then held in January (in Mark&rsquo;s case, January 1984) at Au Sable&rsquo;s Great Lakes campus. Through all the years, education, experience and accomplishments, between then and now, Mark has never forgotten what he learned at Au Sable, how it prepared him to be a steward of God&rsquo;s creation, and how it changed his life in both professional and personal ways. As our first Profile In Stewardship, we asked Mark about his current work and its connection to Au Sable.</p>
