Hi!
I was turned on to permaculture by Trina Paulus, author of "Hope for the Flowers." I earned my Pc Design certificate in 1996 from the good folks at The Farm and at Earthaven (Albert Bates, Peter Bane, et al). Part 1 of the course was at The Farm, Part 2 and the design work was at Earthaven. In 1998-99 I did an organic farming apprenticeship under Shane LaBrake on a 5-acre, 65-member CSA farm.

From 2000-2006 I worked for Philly Green, helping 65 neighborhood groups create community gardens, and co-created the urban agriculture program, City Harvest. In 2006-08, I did formal horticulture training at Longwood Gardens, with the intent of starting Earthwise Landscapes, a sustainable landscaping/permaculture services company.

In January of 2011, I ordained as a priest in zen order Hollow Bones. Our #1 training element is Sacred Stewardship of earth. "You want to talk spirituality? Show me what's in your fridge." I will be using our training vehicle, Mondo Zen, to help eco-activists use meditative mind to more effectively deal with the angst of ecological destruction.

Currently, my main efforts are to make Earthwise Landscapes grow. 2011 was its fourth year, and we now have a strong core team. A lot of our work is ornamental landscaping with native plants, and gradually we are encouraging people to choose edible landscaping and permaculture concepts as well. We really want to be doing more permaculture, and are grateful for the Eastern PA Permaculture Guild for getting the word out so well.