The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia

I came to PC while serving with an American Indian organization in Boulder, CO. I ran a project to encourage AI's and tribes to support a return to their traditional agriculture as a path back to their traditions, language, culture, and self-reliance/self-image. It turned out that PC and NA-Ag are close, close cousins. We helped fund/start-up PC Courses in the Pueblos of NM/USA and in the Lakota country in SD/USA. Geoff Lawton joined us in teaching a PC on the Rosebud/Pine Ridge Reservations in SD/USA in 1995. Both efforts have become NA Permaculture Centers.

I took a PDC course in the highlands of Guatemala in 1995 with Geoff Lawton, sponsored by Mayan friend, Roni Lec. We moved to Austin, TX, USA in 1997 and I began to teach PDC modules with Patricia Allison of the Earthaven Eco-Village in NC/USA. After 2-plus years as a teaching apprentice, I started teaching 2-day Intros, then 7-day Fundamentals, and finally, 10-12-day PDC's as the Lead Instructor with APG, the Austin Permaculture Guild.

Currently, I do PC Design & Landscape consulting work on urban/suburban and farm/ranch. I am fortunate to be the Lead Instructor for APG-PDC's in Austin, TX and Martha's Vineyard, a small island off the MA-USA coast. We recently started teaching a 3-weekend PDC in Dallas, TX. Our students are mostly urban/suburban and our course features each student doing their own design on a property of their choice. We do mostly weekend courses as opposed to residentail.

Life is good - the courses are fun and rewarding - our graduates are great and involved in various projects - we feel that we are making PC progress as we start the "decent economy" - wish it were more and faster, but we are moving.