Our Team

Our Mission

To help family and friends go to wild spaces in highly functional camping vans 

Via Verde Vans (VVV) LLC is a van conversion company, beginning with a Mercedes Sprinter Cargo Van and handcrafting it into a multi-use camping van with seating and sleeping for up to five people.

We founded Via Verde Vans when we started looking to buy a Sprinter camping van ourselves. We couldn’t find a van to meet our needs.

  • Most camping vans only had integrated seatbelts and sleeping for two people – not families with kids and grandparents
  • Other van conversion companies were aimed for young couples living year round in their vans, or older retired couples who wanted luxury interiors.
  • Most van conversion companies are located on the West Coast and charge over $180,000 for the components we wanted on our van (like solar energy and an indoor shower/toilet)
  • Few of the existing van conversion companies are explicitly “green” or eco-friendly, or intentionally use light weight materials to maximize fuel economy. 
  • Most camping vans have “fixed” interiors. We wanted to make sure our camping vans had removable beds and components so that they could be used year round for hauling kids to sporting events, for work or event organizing.
Our family at Yellowstone National Park

Today we are a family making family camping vans and writing about getting outdoors with family groups. 

 

We say “family groups” because families come in all sizes and shapes, and it can mean 4 close friends, 4 people that live together, or a family with one or more parents and kids.

Using the very best products with the highest safety ratings, we have put together a team of experts to work with us to build camping vans.

Extensive research informs every aspect of our camping vans and blogs  – from the floorplan, to the choice of refrigerator, to the size of our solar panels, to the electric needs for cooking Mac and Cheese in an Instant Pot in the van.

Our website aims to be a resource for anyone considering van camping.

Who are we?

Bill and Lisa own and lead the Via Verde Vans team which includes designers, certified welders, plumbers, electricians, solar experts and other van specialists.

 

Our family has worked as program administrators, professors, researchers and writers in the field of conflict resolution and peacebuilding for 30 years. We have started our own programs, supported global movements, led study abroad programs, and worked as a team for many years. We bring the values of caring for people and the planet to our work.

 

Bill manages multiple staff and is skilled in complex logistics in directing a global peacebuilding institute.  He owned and lived out of a VW van earlier in his life.  He has worked as a carpenter and designed and built home projects with the tools and equipment needed to build out a camper van.

 

Lisa is a professor of peacebuilding and has written ten books on how to prevent violent conflict. As an artist and web designer, Lisa researches and writes the VVV blog, with a focus on van sustainability, beauty and function, sourcing innovative materials and interior design. Lisa grew up camping with her family in VW vans. As the youngest of three children, her family of five camped in vans across Europe and North America for 4-6 weeks at a time. This gave her a deep appreciation for van life, and how to design a van fully functional for families.

 

Getting outdoors is important to us. We’ve been camping in national parks all over the world for five decades. When we had kids, we took  them camping every summer to magnificent National Parks like Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, the Everglades, Big Bend, and the Grand Canyon. These trips are the best memories of our lives. 

Lisa's family camping in a Volkswagen Van

Our Core Values

  • Help families enjoy wilderness
  • Design a beautiful and comfortable floorplan for four people
  • Use materials that are sustainable, durable, and affordable
  • Curate the best ideas and products for green family camping vans

About Our Logo

Our logo is a road going out to the mountains, with the symbol of the seed of life.  In our family travels across North America, the Middle East and Europe, we have come across this symbol over and over. You can find the Seed of Life symbol on ancient pyramids in Egypt, on the central table of ancient temples and religious buildings in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions.

Going to the wilderness by an ocean or lake, up in the mountains, out in the desert, or in a green valley is like returning to a place that can offer us perspective on our lives. Seeds are genetic material that hold the blueprints for building life. Seeds can lie dormant for decades before bursting into life.

Imagine sitting around a campfire, looking at the stars, and breathing clean air after a day of hiking, biking, or swimming outdoors.  That is what we mean when we say “go to the green!”  Re-fresh. Re-wild. Re-new. Re-connect. Relax.