Rob and his wife, Michelle Avis, left the oil and gas industry in 2008 and launched Verge Permaculture, now an award-winning regenerative design, consulting, and education center which has supported more than 15,000 registrants and helped to establish growing local and global permaculture communities. As one of Verge’s lead PDC instructors and a Professional Engineer, Rob brings international training and decades of experience in permaculture, green building science, renewable energy and water harvesting. Together he and Michelle have successfully developed two permaculture properties and test/demo sites.

The lead instructor for the Verge PDC, Carmen has had a varied career, working for the Alberta government in the fields of sustainable resource management, forestry and privately in silviculture, soils and horticulture. She is the founder and owner of Calgary’s URBAN FARM SCHOOL, as well as the Urban Farm Permaculture Project. As a Master Gardener and renowned Permaculture Educator with nearly 5 decades of experience, she is dedicated to helping emerging gardeners and permaculture enthusiasts gain the freedom, confidence and skills they need to live more abundant, sustainable and resilient lives.

Alain has spent the last decade working on local food projects, delivering school garden programs and developing community-based permaculture in the Seaway Valley of Eastern Ontario. He and his family have since settled on a new rural homestead where they have designed and built a simple home and are developing their 10-acre parcel using the Building Your Permaculture Property process.He is the facilitator and leads student experience in the Verge Academy for Advanced Permaculture Training.