JULY 1 2007
AMERICANWAY 43
C U L T I V A T I O N
thing, King uses his real estate offices as a
sort of recruitment center for his various
initiatives, looking to tap into the expertise
of expats whomay be interested in volun-
teering for his or other local causes. “I lis-
ten to people who come in the door, and I
realize that most of the people come down
here for two reasons:Theyare looking for a
purpose, or they’re looking tomakemoney,”
he says. For thosewhowant purpose and a
feelingof doing something important,well,
heusuallyhas some suggestions.
Kingalsoholdsuphisrealestatecompany
as an example of howdevelopment can and
shouldbedone,which isparticularly impor-
tant inanareawith suchapristineand sen-
sitive environment. The projects King and
hiscompanyhavedevelopedhavebeenenvi-
ronmentally conscious: Their buildings are
designed inabioclimaticway so that they’re
cooled naturally, and many also have fea-
tures like solar technology (toprovide pow-
er) and composting toilets (to reducewater
usage). And they have been constructed in
areas that don’t require valuable forestland
to be cut down. King says other developers
in the area have followed his lead. “I have
been able to effect some changes,” he says.
“Not everywhere, but in someplaces.”
Today, though, King has become some-
thing of a victim of his own success. Now
that word has spread, particularly in the
Ngobe Indian community, about the op-
portunities he has provided, he is being
solicited for help from all sides. “I have a
lot of people askingme to help, and I just
tell them I don’t have themanpower or the
finances to help all of them,” he says. “I’m
having toworkon a small piece, and I’ll try
tobranchout as I can.”
As he tries to expand his good projects,
King lets something one of the Ngobe In-
dians told him guide what he does. “If you
come andbelieve everythingbelongs to you
and are taking everything, we don’t like
you,”he recalls themansaying. “If youcome
and youbecome part of the community, we
likeyoua lot.”That’s exactlywhathe’sdone,
according to Vicki Grafentin, a former art
professorwho has assistedKingwith some
of his efforts. She says, “Don, although very
much a behind-the-scenes player, I think,
is becoming known as a resource for the
larger community.”
ChRIs WARREN
is a Los Angeles–based freelancer who also
writes for the
LosAngeles TimesMagazine
and
Forbes
.
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