The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia

My name is Benja Blake, I was born in the USA and raised in Mozambique, Portugal, and the USA by US evangelical christian missionaries. Having lived in some of the poorest areas on Earth I was exposed to other cultures and social realities from a very young age which led me to leave the US and mainstream religion for good after completing school to go to live in Korea teaching english, and to the Amazon in Peru teaching english for a living and doing translation for humanitarian groups to jungle villages. It was in the Amazon I saw first hand how wonderful nature can be and yet how fast it can all be destroyed with the wrong practices. After living in St Thomas USVI for almost a year working I decided to come to Uni in Sydney. After a year of International Business I learnt enough to know I wanted to be part of the solution to the worlds problems not the cause.

I came across permaculture after looking into self sustainability for possible eco projects in the Peruvian Amazon and Mozambique and alternatives to monopoly farming sold by Monsanto. I shortly came across information on the web about Bill Mollison and Rosemary Morrow. A friend of mine mentioned he was going to do ,and has since completed, the full course at PRI and from then on it has been doing what I can to renovate our home to a permaculture friendly property.

I am very keen to learn as much as I can about permaculture and its applications. Once I have the finances to do so I am eager to complete my official training. My hope is to implement Permaculture into a non religious humanitarian outreach helping developed and non developed countries see an alternative to current social structures.
I am also keen on urban or council permaculture development and educating those with smaller spaces how some principles can still be used and foster a community effort. Possibilities such as urban orchards has has been done in north sydney using otherwise wasted nature strips and usage of edible plants and ecosystem beneficials in city and townscapes. I also would love to redevelop abandoned farmland/deforested property into revitalised bountiful land that benefits humans and all creatures as well as the soil itself. The list goes on and on.

I Love this Planet , I Love Nature, I love Humanity

I see such positive and fantastic possibilities for the future if we all pitch in, educate, and lead by example.

Paz, Amor, e Felicidade