Austin Permaculture Guild

Permaculture Teachers and Speakers

(The following teachers and apprentice teachers may be available to speak about permaculture or any other topic listed in their bios. Please contact any of these individuals directly to find out whether he/she is is available to give a talk.)

Dick Pierce teaches Permaculture and gardening in central Texas and New England. He counts Geoff Lawton and Patricia Allison among his permaculture teachers. Dick’s experience includes working on farms, working with Native American tribes across the US, and running a greenbuilding program for young people at American Youthworks, a non-profit high school in Austin. Dick was born and raised in New England but has called Central Texas home for the past 10 years. One of his current passions is the “Citizen Gardener” program, aimed at promoting food self-sufficiency in Austin through gardening. Contact Dick at www.dickpiercedesigns.com, dickpiercedesigns AT gmail DOT com, or 512-992-8858.

Gary Freeborg worked in the field of sleep electrophysiology at University and Government research labs in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1982, while he was conducting independent sleep studies by night, his passion for the land led him to work by day for one of the oldest and most respected Native Plant Nurseries in Texas, The Lowrey Nursery. From there he spent six years at Armand Bayou Nature Center, an 1800-acre nature preserve. There he was involved with all aspects of native plants and animals, habitat restoration, organic gardening, environmental interpretation and non-profit fund raising. He then moved to Austin TX, where he and two brothers acquired land and began exploring organic and Biodynamic agriculture, growing native trees, produce and mushrooms. An intensive Permaculture course with Bill Mollison in ’95 began a process of bringing a wide range of disciplines together with the goal of healing the land by jump-starting nature’s own cycles. His company, BioDiversity, offers large and small landowners a wide variety of revolutionary strategies to bring vibrant health back to the land, and increase the biodiversity in soil, plant and animal communities through consulting, education and research. Contact Gary at www.buildbiodiversity.com, biodiversity AT sbcglobal DOT net, or 512-917-1205.

Kirby Fry has been a permaculture teacher and design consultant for some years. He studied permaculture under Bill Mollison. He is also familiar with conventional agriculture and forestry, having studied these disciplines at Texas A&M. He offers permaculture design services via his firm, Southern Exposure Permaculture. Contact Kirby at www.sepermaculture.com, kirby AT sepermaculture DOT com, or 512-663-9538. 

ASSISTANT AND APPRENTICE TEACHERS

Selwyn Polit is an avid backyard permaculturist whose chickens have been local media darlings. His home and yard offer living proof that people need not own property or have a lot of space to produce food, generate energy, and create community. Selwyn’s work in co-counseling (re-evaluation counseling, or RC) focuses on personal growth, a key element of building sustainable culture. You may reach Selwyn at selwynpolit AT gmail DOT com or 512-926-7876.

Jeff Ferris is an instructor in Austin Community College’s Continuing Education Horticulture and Landscape program. Jeff and his wife Lori are co-founders of the Neighborhood Harvest Project, whose mission is to cultivate a healthy local food system in the Round Rock area and to provide education in sustainable, organic gardening techniques. Jeff has a background in permaculture, developing a community garden, organic gardening and landscaping, native plants of central Texas, xeriscape landscaping, organic pest management, vermiculture, and rainwater collection. Contact him at jferristx AT yahoo DOT com or 512-779-4235.

Jenny Nazak is public-relations coordinator of the Austin Permaculture Guild. Her interests include urban permaculture, human-powered transport, tiny houses, semi-nomadism, voluntary simplicity, and building with recycled materials. She teaches workshops in solar cooking and other aspects of household sustainability. Jenny’s work as a licensed Avatar® Master focuses on the deliberate evolution of consciousness, a key component of sustainable culture. (Avatar® is a registered trademark of Star’s Edge, Inc. All rights reserved.) Contact jenny at jnazak AT yahoo DOT com or 512-619-5363.