The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia

Hi, I'm a 20 year old graphic design student that has lived most of my life in Cairns. I became aware of our impact on the environment through an energy efficiency program I participated in at the age of 11. Thanks to that I developed an environmental conscious and through the years have always looked for ways to tread lightly. My passion for the natural environment remains strong and as of recent I've developed an interest in edible gardening and it's potential to help feed my family.

I came across permaculture by accident through a search for eco design books at my local university. There I came across David Holmgren's book on 'Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability'. So permaculture in a cliche way found me and saved me from feeling helpless with the state of the world. A lot of the time you hear about what we're doing wrong in terms of harming the planet and ways to cut back or who to blame. Permaculture I see as a way of living and acting in a positive way and still achieving a sort of abundance through food productivity, a passive lifestyle and having a positive impact on the environment. I also like the idea of self-reliance.

As I'm still quite new to it I've got a lot to learn about permaculture, I intend to save up and take on a PDC course next year. In the meantime I've read up as much on permaculture through books and videos as I can and have taken on attempting to transform the backyard of the house my family rents (owner is a family friend) into a productive permaculture garden. My overall goal is to buy some land and create a permaculture demonstration site and use it as a potential education facility. I'd also love to travel and teach people about permaculture or do some aid work.