China's Choices

I am an ecologist, educator, and facilitator. I currently consult with individuals, organizations, and government bodies on ecological, food, and community development related topics.

In my landscape ecologist role, my consulting partner, Brock Dolman, and I assist large and small, public and private land owners to permacuture (it's a verb!) their piece of earth. I design and implementation projects in the areas of storm water management, erosion control especially related to road improvements, ground water recharge, habitat enhancement, food forest design, soil restoration, and carbon sequestration via soil building. Check out Permacopia, our permaculture design business, at our website: http://permcopiadesign.com.

As facilitator, I work with organizations to create more sustainable, sane, and productive workplace environments. I work with communities engaging in multi-stakeholder efforts that are typically working in the areas of sustainable agriculture and food systems, water systems, and other environment related topics. I also work with people who are starting or currently in intentional communities to refine their decision making processes and make community processes easier and more effective.

As an educator, I offer trainings and courses in a variety of landscape ecology and democratic decision-making areas such as permaculture, basic ecology, watershed ecology and restoration, group facilitation, democratic decision-making, conflict resolution, and more. I co-teach Permaculture Design Courses at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. I am a professor at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, CA, in the Sustainable Communities (www.dominican.edu/sustainablecommunities) Major.

I am a land steward in the intentional community located at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in west Sonoma County. It is a daily educational experience and opportunity to meet and host people from around the world who are working to bring vitality to the earth and human communities.