Permaculture Instructors

Lonny Grafman is Founder and President of the Appropedia Foundation, sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives. Lonny has taught courses at universities in three countries and facilitated interactive workshops in many locations. He has worked, and led teams, on hundreds of domestic and international projects across a broad spectrum of sustainability – from solar power to earthen construction, from micro-hydro power to rainwater catchment. Lonny is also an Instructor of Environmental Resources Engineering and Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University; the co-founder of a summer abroad, full immersion, Spanish language and appropriate technology program in Mexico and Dominican Republic; the Advisor for the Waterpod and the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology; and the Executive Editor of the International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering. Throughout all of these technology implementations, he has found the most vital component to be community.

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Shawn Jadrinicek is the mastermind behind the Ashevillage Institute’s demonstration site where he designed in integrated rainwater catchment, recirculating aquaculture ponds, hydroponics, mushroom production, poultry, passive solar heating, greywater systems, insect production, soil creation, and perennial edible and medicinal plants. He did the same at the Urban Permaculture Institute of the Southeast in South Carolina, turning his own backyard into a no maintenance garden of Eden. Shawn’s experience spans organic farming, nursery production, homesteading, landscape design and installation, arboriculture, irrigation system design, and aquaculture. Shawn used to be a horticulture agent with the Clemson Extension Service in South Carolina, and is a guest instructor with Ashevillage.

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Brad Lancaster is a guest instructor with Ashevillage. He is the author of the award winning books Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1 and Volume 2. In addition, he’s a permaculture teacher, designer, consultant, and co-founder of Desert Harvesters. Brad has taught at the ECOSA Institute, Columbia University, University of Arizona, Prescott College, Audubon Expeditions, and many others. He helps design integrated water harvesting and permaculture systems for homeowners and gardeners. Best of all, Brad practices what he preaches — living on an eighth of an acre in Tucson, Arizona, where rainfall is less than 12 inches annually, Brad harvests over 100,000 gallons of rainwater a year, and has created an oasis in the desert by directing this harvested rainwater not off the property and into storm drains, but into living air conditioners of food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape that includes habitat for wildlife.

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Sandor Ellix Katz has been an instructor with Ashevillage since it’s founding in 2006. He is a fermentation revivalist, activist, and author, who travels widely teaching and sharing fermentation skills. His passion for fermentation developed out of his interests in food, nutrition, and gardening. His books are Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements. Sandor lives in central Tennessee.

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Patricia Allison has been a lead instructor with Ashevillage since our founding in 2006. She has been sharing Permaculture with thousands of people since 1994. Patricia travels and teaches educational programs throughout the Southeast, inspiring people to deepen their connection to earth and ecological living. Patricia has been a member of Earthaven Ecovillage for 15 years  –- a Permaculture-based intentional community in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

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Chuck Marsh has been a guest instructor for our Permaculture Design Courses since we started. A pioneer in ecological landscape design and consulting practices, Chuck is the founder, president, and senior designer for Living Systems Design, and founder of Useful Plants Nursery. He has over 35 years of experience working with the plants, soil, water, climate and people of North Carolina to design and install place appropriate, productive, and sustainable landscapes. Chuck’s has worked in the wholesale and retail nursery business as well as landscape gardening and landscape contracting businesses. His current focus is teaching people about edible landscaping, biological economics, and Permaculture Design, which he does locally, nationally and internationally; growing edible and medicinal plants for present and future abundance; and consulting with homeowners and landowners to design and create beautiful, productive, resource conserving landscapes that celebrate and deepen our connection to the natural world.

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CJ McGrath was captivated by the beauty that surrounded her upon first walking into the woods; followed by great desire to gain more insight into nature. Following this desire, CJ McGrath now has more than 10 years of interdisciplinary experience, with degrees in English and History, Aquaponic certification and a Ph.D. in Horticulture. Having an interdisciplinary background gives her a broad perspective of the world from historic, literary and scientific viewpoints; reinforcing her desire to live sustainably. Following this path, CJ has become particularly passionate about consumer education: Raising awareness in society about how sustainable, organic food production methods benefit the environment, the human body, as well as the wallet. As she brings her experience full circle, CJ is excited to join the AVI team.

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Keri Evjy is an instructor with Ashevillage, and helped to design the edible and medicinal landscape at the demonstration site. Her focus is urban sustainable agriculture, perennial food systems, edible landscaping, grassroots preventative health-care and herbal medicine. Keri founded Healing Roots Design, an ecological design and herbalism practice in Asheville, North Carolina. She worked with the National Gardening Association, graduated from both the Sustainable Design Program at Yestermorrow Design/Build School, and a Kleiwerks International Permaculture Certification Program in Argentina. Keri is a Certified Clinical Herbalist from the Appalachian School of Holistic Herbalism and a graduate of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine.

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Zev Friedman teaches with Ashevillage. He is a native to Western North Carolina who teaches Permaculture, food forest gardening, and edible and medicinal fungi to anyone who wants to know! He owns Urban Paradise Gardening, and is co-owner of Living Systems Design — permaculture design and installation businesses, focusing on whole system, water savvy landscapes that yield valuable foods and medicines. In his spare time, Zev grows, gathers, processes, and cooks much of his food, and makes shoes, baskets, nets, bags, tools, cook pots, and furniture from wild-crafted and cultivated materials.

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Natural Building Instructors

Janell Kapoor is an international mud mama and the founder and director of Kleiwerks International. She is the founder and Sustainability Strategist for Ashevillage, handles our natural building design and program coordination, and teaches from time to time. More on Janell here.

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Ash Aymond is the Site Manager and an instructor at the Ashevillage Institute, a premiere one-acre Permaculture demonstration center in North America. Ash’s background in engineering brought forward his love for natural systems design, building and teaching. As a mentor and 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.

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Steveo Brodmerkel has been teaching, consulting, designing, and building with Ashevillage since it’s founding. He has been in the carpentry trade for over 20 years. After conventionally re-modeling more houses than he cares to count, Steveo discovered the mud, and went to build one of the most beautiful earthen homes in the nation. Steveo is in awe of the beauty, simplicity and possibilities that lie within earthen construction. He is an enthusiastic teacher, ready to share his discoveries of building. Steveo is based in Asheville, North Carolina.

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Steve Kemble has taught with the Ashevillage Institute since 2006. With his partner, Mollie Curry, Steve co-founded MudStrawLove, a design/build company that specializes in natural building. He is an engineer who has been consulting on, designing, and constructing natural buildings since 1990. When the strawbale revival started, Steve attended the first ever class on the subject, immediately went home and designed his own house, then hosted the second ever strawbale workshop the following year. Steve has produced two landmark videos and a booklet on straw bale construction. Last, but not least, he is an African drummer aficionado, living in Asheville, North Carolina.

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Mollie Curry has been teaching with Ashevillage and Kleiwerks International since day one. She is founder of Earth Circle Natural Building, and co-founder of MudStrawLove with her partner Steve. Mollie started her career in natural building in 1996, and has been teaching and building throughout the southeastern United States ever since. Mollie teaches cob, plastering, straw bale, straw-clay, earthen paint, earthbag, and carpentry, as well as permaculture.

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Meka Bunch has been teaching with Ashevillage since day one. He has been an avid natural builder since 1997 when he began the creation of a gorgeous cob studio in Wolf Creek, Oregon. Ever since, he has been muddin’ it up, creating public community kiosks, benches, sweat lodges, wood-fired baking ovens and small living spaces. Meka has worked with Kleiwerks International and other community groups in Argentina, Brazil, Thailand, Oregon, California and North Carolina. He loves working with others who are excited about implementing sustainable practices into their lives.

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Eva Rose Edleson is a guest instructor with Ashevillage. As a builder with over 10 years of experience, she specializes in cob and pallet construction as well as in natural finishes. Eva has trained and worked with the most-respected natural builders in North America, as well as in Argentina. She has combined research and experience into a successful natural building practice called Firespeaking, based out of Eugene, Oregon. Eva was an instrumental founder behind the nationally-recognized City Repair’s annual Village Building Convergence in Portland, Oregon — an example of urban revival through the strengthening of neighborhood communities and the introduction of earthen building in the city landscape.

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Kevin Rowell is a guest teacher with Ashevillage. He is the International Program Director for Kleiwerks International, and has worked with community leaders and organizations in Haiti, Laos, Thailand, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the United States. Kevin is devoted to the study of sustainability in international development with a passion for natural materials and their use in construction. Since the Haiti earthquake, he has worked with The World Monument Fund in preserving traditional architecture, and the United Nations as a facilitator for over 100 NGO’s, professional groups, and governmental officials to improve the use of local materials in the reconstruction of Haiti. Kevin co-founded The Natural Builders, a contracting company that does cutting-edge green building and development, as well as large scale art installations around the world. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Home Energy Magazine, and the documentary film “Dirt” alongside environmental activists Vandana Shiva, Majora Carter, and Wes Jackson. Kevin’s lectures at industry conferences and universities, such as U.C. Berkeley, are about acting on behalf of our planet, while transforming communities locally and globally to create a peaceful world.

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Ira Friedrichs teaches timber-framing through Ashevillage, as well as the national Timber Framers Guild, and at colleges in several states. His building career began next to his father, a stone and brick mason of 30 years. Ira’s exploration of construction and carpentry led him to the wonderful world of timber framing. Through this craft, he has cut joinery from the hills of Vermont to the mountains of Costa Rica, and many locations in between. Ira currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

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Aaron Maret has acted as a project coordinator for the Ashevillage Institute’s demonstration site. His core passion is the integration of design and building, with a focus on sustainable solutions that are beautiful, inspiring, and nurturing to the soul. Aaron holds a Masters of Architecture degree from University of California, Berkeley, and a BS in Architecture from the University of Maryland. Aaron studied natural building at the North American School of Natural Building in Coquille, Oregon, and Green Phoenix Permaculture in High Falls, New York. His professional practice, Aaron Maret Design Build Studio, received international attention for building a tiny house on wheels using local and salvaged wood. Aaron is a perpetual student, teacher, lover of life, spiritual seeker, father, craftsman and artist.