I grew up on an 82 acre property over looking the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. After purchasing the land in the early ninties, we went to work building sheds for storage, a garage to live in and fences for our horses. Over the next 10 years our family developed the land and dabbled in many hobby farming projects such as raising orphaned cows, vegetable gardens, running 50 head of cattle, fattening up pigs and building our home. My childhood gave me a taste of what it could be like to live off the land.

I went to university in 2003 and quickly forgot about the multitude of skills and knowledge I gathered working next to my family. I graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta. I spent the next 5 years of my life traveling and teaching in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It was during this time I was introduced to WWOOFing and then permaculture. BAM! I was sold. All those memories of our family farm came flooding back.

I am currently living in Addis Ababa, a developing city that is a cohesive mix of the modern and traditional way of life. Donkeys, sheep, goats and chickens all regularly cross my path on the way to work. I have been blessed with a garden and have tackled growing a variety of food in this sub-tropical alpine environment. The backyard garden is expanding to include my neighbours.

I am interested in expanding my knowledge and nurturing relationships with others who are interested in the educational side of permaculture, especially for the younger generations. I am interested in working with local schools to develop more school gardens that involve the students families and the community.