The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia

“What I stand for is what I stand on.” —Wendell Berry

After finishing a Masters program in Museum Education, I found myself wondering how I could best put my knowledge of experiential education in the service of all life.

Learning is any experience that results in a change in behavior. As a student at John F. Kennedy University, I came to understand that learning happens in the interactions among people and between people and their environments. It is catalyzed by a feeling of excitement and engagement. A prerequisite to learning is a feeling that this experience matters. We have evolved to discard most extraneous stimuli in favor of the one or two that could mean food, connection, or danger. Neurobiologically, we are not primed for learning until we recognize something in our present experience that meets a fundamental need.

How do we bring the knowledge of the dangers of ecosystemic disruption due to global climate change, food scarcity, and oil dependence to ordinary people like ourselves in such a way that it produces a real change in behavior?

I decided to study permaculture because I believe that permaculture offers a system of thinking about the problems we face as a species and member of the global community of species that can empower us to come up with real solutions. And I decided to enter sustainable agriculture because I believe the ability to feed ourselves, in the United States and the industrialized world, is threatened because of a lack of farmers and a lack of foresight. I’m applying my study of experiential education to these fields.

I have taught introductory courses for college students and "crash courses" for homeowners, but have not yet offered a certificate course. I practice as a permaculture design consultant, and I also design and evaluate learning encounters between people and our natural world.

You are welcome to learn more about my projects at my personal site, http://kerrplunk.org