Bordertown

Geoff Lawton is perhaps the world’s most influential Permaculture teacher. He has created a global network of students, activist and Permaculture demonstration centers and has undertaken thousands of of jobs - teaching, consulting, designing and implementing Permaculture design projects. He is the Managing Director of the Permaculture Research Institute.

I met Geoff in 1996 in San Lucas Guatemala, where I took my first PDC. I traveled to Dominical, Costa Rica with Geoff to document Permaculture design and earthworks on Diane Firestone's 150-acre site.

In October 1997 Bill Mollison, upon his retirement, asked Geoff to assume operation of the 147-acre Tagari Farm, which Bill had developed. Geoff worked on that site for three years and established The Permaculture Research Institute as a registered charity and global networking center for Permaculture projects.

I had the opportunity to once again collaborate with Geoff from 1998-2002 on a US Department of Defense funded project to design the commercial reutilization strategy for the 15,000-acre Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant. We assembled a team of 15 partners and students and had tremendous success generating commercial tenancy revenue, hosting a Permaculture Design Certificate Course and hosting a three-day lecture by Bil Mollison.

I had the good fortune of speaking with Geoff during his last visit to Vermont and his message has remained the same. He is optimistic and inspired. He is now teaching thousands of people through his online courses and video series.

Geoff is a fantastic teacher and completely committed to the ethics and principles of Permaculture.

Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

Mark is co-founder and lead designer with Roots To Fruits Ecological Design - an ecological design firm committed to the restoration of local food systems, economies, and ecologies. Mark is a student of gardening, botany, ecology, food systems, herbalism, perennial agriculture and agrecology.

A true generalized specialist, Mark's work spans from forestry and gardening to craft and woodwork. He produces hand carved woodenware through Quercus Wood Craft.

He also writes and teaches about wild edible plants with Eat Here Now, where he works to foster a deep connection to local ecosystems and nature. He lives and works in southeast Michigan.

Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

Trevor Newman is an amateur pomologist, avid gardener, student and teacher of regenerative design and all-around plant geek.

He owns and operates TerraNu Nursery, an edible and useful plant company based in Clarkston, Michigan and he owns and operates an edible landscaping firm called Roots To Fruits Ecological Design. In addition, Trevor is the founder and purveyor of The Fruit Nut a media project dedicated to promoting ecologically sound and economically viable practices.

He is a teacher and lecturer -- and passionately works to raise awareness about locally and ecologically grown food and has been involved for many years in developing southeast Michigan’s local food culture.

Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"
 

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

he Good Foot Project, – “We left everything in Los Angeles and started down the road to sustainability. This is our Story.”

On April 28th, 2013 Anastasia King and JC Jarris began a year-long expedition, by RV, across the USA visiting low-impact organic farms and eco-villages to learn best practices in sustainable farming, construction, energy, water and waste management. This trip is to educate and prepare them for establishing their own sustainable, low-impact, eco-retreat and training center.

Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"
 

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

Mark is the owner of Keyline Vermont, a permaculture design, consulting and education business. As a student of permaculture design since 2000, Mark Krawczyk has explored tree crop and agroforestry systems, coppice forestry, natural building, traditional woodcrafts, community organizing and both small and broad acre site design.

Mark is the co-founder of Burlington Permaculture, where he works as a community educator and organizer. He is the owner/operator of RivenWoodCrafts - a traditional woodcraft and natural construction business.

Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy" 

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

James Maroney is an American Art Dealer and former Organic Dairy Farmer. He has a master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy from the Vermont Law School, and is a passionate advocate for water quality, often focusing his attention on Vermont Dairy.

James puts forth a compelling argument to transition the entire Vermont Diary industry to organic. He also gives us a glimpse into his life as an Art Dealer, and provides a succinct history of the evolution of U.S. Industrial Agriculture.
 
Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

Lisa Mase, of Harmonized Cookery is a whole foods cooking educator, food writer, translator, and herbalist, living between Italy, Vermont and New Mexico. As a young girl Leeza relocated from a small village in the Dolomites of northern Italy to the heartland of the US, in Kansas City. Leeza has first hand experience of the role that modern industrial agriculture can play in disrupting our cultures….inside and out!

In a thoughtful and practical way, Lisa explains the role food plays in our individual health, community resiliency and cultural heritage.
 
Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

Chris Shanks is a Co-Director at Project Bona Fide located on Isla de Ometepe in Nicaragua. He is a multi-talented teacher, organizer, permaculture enthusiast, and design visionary. A graduate of the University of Vermont, Chris is fascinated with living systems and whole systems design. When not working in the non-profit or design world he can be found masquerading as a builder, a mason, as a decent plumber, as a poor electrician, as a sailor, as a fanatic for bamboo, as a lover of palms, as a permaculturalist with a rock/tree climbing habit, and as an avid motorcyclist.

Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

Jon Erickson is Professor of Ecological Economics at UVM's Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources and Fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate course in Ecological Economics, leads an international service-learning program in the Dominican Republic, and co-supervises a graduate certificate program in Ecological Economics.

His books include The Great Experiment in Conservation: Voices from the Adirondack Park, Ecological Economics of Sustainable Watershed Management, and Ecological Economics: a Workbook for Problem-Based Learning. Jon is also an Emmy award-winning producer of films such as the four-part PBS series Bloom on sources and solutions to nutrient pollution in Lake Champlain. He was Interim Dean of the Rubenstein School (2012-2014) and Managing Director of UVM's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics (2009-2012), serves on the board or advisory committee of numerous nongovernmental organizations.

Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email

Angella Gibbons, Founder and Director of EarthWalk has been connecting groups of children to the Earth for 25 years.

She was the founder and director of Lotus Lake Discovery Center in Williamstown, VT. from 1993-2003, creating and leading environmental and adventure based school programs for over 15,000 students, teachers, and community members. Angella led the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Summer Kayak Building Expedition Program for teens, from 1998-2004. Her experiences also include teaching 1st and 2nd grade, and 7th and 8th grade science in CostaRica. Her certifications and coursework include: B.A. from UVM (1983), expeditions with the National Outdoor Leadership School and Outward Bound, and certification in Wildlife Track & Sign (Level III). Angella is a certified lifeguard and Wilderness First Responder.

Thanks to Railroad Earth for providing the theme music "Lordy Lordy"
 

Download mp.3 -- Listen on ITunes

Stay Informed

Subscribe to Bordertown Email