Sandra Bartram
We call our eight-acre property in British Columbia's Gulf Islands "Poco Cielo", the Spanish translation for "Little Heaven". This name perfectly describes our natural refuge. We plan on leaving most of it as intact forest, which we are happily sharing with native plants and animals. While we have the option of joining the electrical grid, we are choosing to live-off grid and as environmentally sustainable as possible. We are new to the practicing of permaculture principles, but we have planted a variety of fruit trees and berries and plan on learning much more. I am currently running a green (and getting greener) home-based business transforming recycled fabrics, linens and flatware into heirloom treasures and jewelry. We have constructed the buildings on our property using recycled materials where possible.

In 2003 I met Cheri, and we immediately developed a deep connection, a friendship that will last a lifetime. I hold a Bachelor of Education Degree with a concentration in Language Arts and have many years of experience editing academic papers. Cheri has just finished her Bachelor of Science Degree, and together we are writing articles based on a wide variety of topics related to environmental sustainability and permaculture. In addition to our article-writing we are launching a writing service for anyone wishing to share experiences and are either too shy or too busy to write. Information on our special project WASP (Women Advancing Sustainable Permaculture) can be found attached to the post. If you know of someone we could feature in this series and would be interested in being interviewed, please submit a comment on our post about WASP or contact us at

Cheri-Lynn McCabe BSc. ([email protected])
Sandra Bartram BEd. ([email protected])