The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia

Lisa Fernandes is the organizer and founding member of Portland Maine Permaculture (www.portlandmainepermaculture.com) and has been a student of permaculture and green design since 1992. She is a certified permaculture designer, team trainer and group facilitator and owned a training & consulting business for several years. She studied political science at Boston College and then environmental studies at The Evergreen State College while designing & implementing municipal waste reduction & recycling programs with a focus on organic waste recycling. Lisa is a gardener, certified Master Composter and has studied medicinal plants for nearly twenty years. She has worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors and currently brings her varied experience to developing & delivering sustainability and resilience-building events and permaculture designs for the local community.

She currently serves on the Cape Farm Alliance and provides staff support to the Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine (ELFC). She is a proud member of the Portland Food Coop (Member-Owner #11) and the Slow Food Portland Convivium. She works closely with and has been a student of Charles & Julia Yelton, international permaculture designers and teachers. Lisa serves on the board of the Permaculture Institute of the Northeast (PINE), helped launch The Pattern Factory design studio at Newforest Institute and is the principle permaculture designer in Resilient Homes, a solar hot water and permaculture design company.

Lisa and her family are actively working to convert their 1/3 acre property into a demonstration site for resilient and sustainable "post-carbon" living.

http://about.me/lisa.m.fernandes