The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia

Growing up in rural Northern Idaho much of my childhood revolved around snow capped mountains, abundant wildlife and dense forests. That chapter of my life would later be juxtaposed with the dense urban environment of Houston, Texas. Such extremes would come to define much of my youth and equip me with the unique lenses through which I now see the world.

I was introduced to the concept of permaculture in 1999 while I was still working in the IT industry, still seeking a more natural lifestyle. Permaculture quickly became a driving passion that helped to guide and shape almost every decision made from that moment on.

Still living in Houston, I became frustrated by the lack of permaculture resources nearby yet continued to pursue my passion of ecologically intuitive design. A road trip in 2003 took me across twelve states looking for more fertile ground to root myself. Finally, I ended up landing not too far from where I started and, ecologically speaking, half way back to my childhood in the mountains of Idaho.

Today I live in Austin, Texas where I enjoy the best of both worlds, rural and urban. In 2006 I joined Wheatsville Co-op and spent the next several years managing the retail food co-op's grocery department. In 2007 I was asked to join the Co-op's Board of Directors where I saw the Co-op through bylaws and policy revision and a 1.5 million dollar expansion project that has since nearly doubled sales.

During the summer of 2010, with the help of several other dedicated community organizers in and around Austin, Community Cultivators was born. Community Cultivators has, in only a single year, brought together several grassroots organizations and hardworking volunteers to transform communities all across Central Texas through permaculture and a connection with food, art and each other.

After completing my internship with the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia in Dec 2011, I'm headed to Korat, Thailand for a year to transfer a conventional Thai farm into an example of profitable permaculture and help teach PDC courses.

Starting in summer of 2013 I will be seeking permaculture aid work throughout Central Asia, India or Africa. I'm particularly interested in helping in harsh, dryland environments. Please feel free to contact me if you are involved in permaculture aid work projects in these areas.