I learned about permaculture from my high school science teacher and really started honing my skills by a 2-year internship at the Bullocks Permaculture Homestead 2002-2004. Fascination about urban sustainability took me to Seattle and guided me to lead the web/modern creation of the Seattle Permaculture Guild, until I left the city years later. As people knew me as organizer for the Guild, and liked my 'start from basics/visual/hands-on' approach to Permaculture, I was asked to co-teach more and more classes and Permaculture Design Courses. I took a Teacher Training and the focus shifted from me guest teaching at courses to colleagues joining my courses where I was lead teaching. When PINA started I joined there, and have a Diploma in Site Design, and a Diploma in Education, so have vetting and peer review for myself as a designer and permaculture educator.

Currently, my work is two-pronged:
One is just the site. My home is at Stardust Market Garden, a small CSA certified Organic (soon to be with Real Organic Project too) that supplies local homes, restaurants, and small stores with foods that grow well in this area with my no-pesticide low-irrigation polyculture methods. I had the realization last summer that my customers start off with lettuce in spring but by midsummer I have them eating basically a perennial-leaf-foods salad! I also sell dried herbs, ie I weed my paths, dehydrate what's useful, and can sell it as teas. I have rooms available to host visitors and interns

My online permaculture work is mostly with Oregon State University right now, being a grader for their PDC-PRO 6 month permaculture course, as well as a mentor in the Permaculture Women's Guild PDC. I'm also a Field Advisor for Starhawk's Regenerative Land Management program and for PINA's diploma program (in other words, beyond PDC trainings).

Yep, I do site designs, but I'd rather mentor you through the design process (either in a course or less formal) so that your observations and analysis of the site lead to the best design.

I can also lead teach, organize, or guest speak at Permaculture Design Courses, all under the PINA umbrella. So if you want to host one at your site, let's talk, and the students who finish it will an excellent, rigorous training.

There is always spaces in the courses I lead for some BIPOC students to join for free, and there's always work-trade options for many roles. I also don't charge my time for much of the mentoring I do above if it's for BIPOC leaders, as I want to see them at the front of many permaculture classrooms and privileged, white, people like me less in the front.

Food Forest Workshop at Wild Thyme Farm

Spend a weekend at a dynamic permaculture site learning the tricks of the trade!