Evonne Smulders brings a youthful, inspired, and change-making spirit to her home town of Black Diamond, AB, and beyond… all the while embodying and sharing her truly “Sage” wisdom as a proud grandmother and leader in her community.
As an experienced gardener, ceramic artist, small business owner and community leader, Evonne sits on the sustainability committee in Black Diamond and is actively working with the municipality to change legislation regarding grey water, rainwater harvesting, and more. She also hosts a booth at the Millarville Farmers Market where she shares her passion for educating people about permaculture, as well as offering items such as worm castings and homemade wet pots for sale.
Evonne and her husband Rob have taken their combined experience of over 65 years in gardening, carpentry, and much more, to found Sage Folk School, where they aim to become a hub for adults to explore sustainability skills, organic gardening, green technologies, animal husbandry, permaculture, pottery, blacksmithing, natural building, bow making, bread making, fermenting and more. Sage Folk School is founded on their fundamental value of creating meaningful connections between the young and old, and holding space for the transfer of knowledge, skills, and inspiration to happen.
Evonne recently organized the 2012 Western Canadian Permaculture Convergence, which brought together over 150 people from across Western Canada to learn and share their experiences and skills for an entire weekend. Her work has left a true legacy in both Black Diamond, and the permaculture movement as a whole. Her words speak to the story of a generation that was separated from the land and from their communities, and her vision tells of an opportunity to heal these wounds and make the world a better place for the generations to come.
