Find out more about the Ashevillage instructors.

Founder & Sustainability Strategist
Janell Kapoor is the founder of, and Sustainability Strategist for the Ashevillage Institute and Kleiwerks International. She is an avid mud mama, international activist, designer, teacher, and community organizer who’s work has generated natural building movements of hundreds of thousands of people in over 35 countries. Janell organized and taught the first earthen building trainings in Thailand and Argentina, results of which include the establishment of natural building and permaculture education centers, businesses, programs, as well as regional legislation. She also built the first earthen building in the Southeastern United States, and organized the Ashevillage Building Convergence in 2008.

When she is not out of country, Janell enjoys Asheville, North Carolina, where the Ashevillage demonstration site is based out of her backyard. She designs the grounds, and the educational programs, hosts and organizes numerous community events, and loves making wild ferments from the abundant edible goodies that grow there. Janell is dedicated to localizing and naturalizing urban landscapes as a tool for personal and community transformation.

—–

Site Manager & Instructor
Ash Aymond comes to the Ashevillage Institute as the Site Coordinator of our one-acre Permaculture demonstration center. His background is in engineering with a passion for natural systems design, building and teaching. As a mentor and tour guide to students and sustainable living enthusiasts, Ash has a particular knack for helping complex ideas make sense. He walks his talk by exploring as many aspects of sustainable living as he can get his hands on. Ash cherishes implementing these practical skills in order to build realistic solutions that support community life and show people how to integrate the natural world into their daily lives. Ash has worked and lived at communities that practice and promote ecological living, from Oregon to Asheville, North Carolina, where he currently calls home.

—–

Education & Outreach Coordinator
Kristen Aldrich joins Ashevillage as the Education & Outreach Coordinator. She holds a BS in Communications from Northeastern University, has years of experience working in higher education administration, and an MA in Environmental Conservation Education from NYU. Through her graduate studies, Kristen found her interest peaked in sustainable agriculture. After completing her Masters, Kristen volunteered and interned with organic farms in Oregon, California, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, exposing her to sustainable practices and permaculture design. She feels that a sense of community and open information/idea sharing is important to personally connecting to our food and to the earth. She has relocated to Asheville looking to work in sustainable agriculture/sustainable living in such a way that engages, educates and empowers communities.