My interest in permaculture began in 2007 as an internship at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, California. I have attended courses with Geoff Lawton, Darren Doherty, Mark Shepard, Penny Livingston, Brock Dolman, and Bill Mollison. I'm currently in the process of developing a self-reliant subdivision adjacent to Mark Shepard's farm in southwest Wisconsin. The aim of this project is to provide food, energy, shelter, water, and livelihoods for residents without degrading our planetary resource base.