Honestly, we should have known something was up when my first word was "tree." I have always gardened and loved nature (my first memory is of camping in the mountains). As a child, observing nature was one of my favorite hobbies, especially watching how water would flow across the land when it rained.

I first heard about permaculture in 2008, in Starhawk's book "The Spiral Dance," if I recall. But I really didn't get into it until a couple years later when I saw Geoff Lawton's video "Greening the Desert," and Bill Mollison's video "In Grave Danger of Failing Food." Permaculture was one of the few things that gave me hope in the face of all the problems in the world. I was hooked.

Over the next few years I learned all I could from videos and podcasts. That's how I ended up listening to The Survival Podcast, and when I heard about the PermaEthos PDC, I figured it was time for some more formal training. Unfortunately I did not get in in time, but I was still determined. I looked around for something near me, and found the Austin Permaculture Guild's 10 Saturdays PDC. I graduated in November 2014.

Currently, I run a blog, covering topics from permaculture to cooking to DIY skin care.