Prior to founding the Indian Lake Community Lake Association, Carl traveled and volunteered in many countries including Haiti, Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Kenya, South Africa, Guatemala, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. He strove to expand his awareness of inequalities regarding basic human rights, such as access to clean water, nutritious food, and a healthy living environment. This experience led directly to the development of the Community Teaching Garden Literacy Project (CTGLP). The vision of the CTGLP is to create a “Living Laboratory” learning environment that produces advocates and global citizens who will engage in food and social justice, locally and globally.