Permaculture Staff

Leonard Barrett is a designer, contractor, and educator specializing in productive urban landscapes. Through his firm, Barrett Ecological Services, he designs and consults on dozens of permaculture design projects every year, during which he has the enormous privilege to work with some of the brightest ecological designers that the Pacific NW has to offer. He has lectured on permaculture theory in many different contexts, from elementary schools to Universities.

Toby Hemenway is the author of Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, for the last six years the best-selling permaculture book in the world. He is Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University, adjunct Professor of Graduate Education at Portland State University, and Field Director for the Permaculture Institute (USA). Guests will include local experts, and some of the best-known permaculture teachers in the country.

Marisha Auerbach has been practicing, studying, and teaching permaculture in the Pacific Northwest for the past decade. She is involved with many communities around Cascadia including Lost Valley, Tryon Life Community Farm, and City Repair. As an itinerant permaculture designer, Marisha calls the greater Olympia area home, especially the Wild Thyme Farm, a 150 acre permaculture demonstration farm and FSC certified forest in the northern Willapa Hills.

Matt Bibeau holds a masters degree with coursework in permaculture theory and teaching. A resident of TLC Farm, he has co-facilitated several permaculture courses in the Pacific Northwest and brings an enormous amount of enthusiasm and insight to all of his work.and lover of cats.