Verge Permaculture Founders
Even starting out as engineers in Calgary’s oil fields, Rob Avis and his wife and business partner Michelle Avis knew their careers lay in creating solutions that would heal the land….and since leaving the oil fields in 2008 they reinvented themselves in a way many professionals only dream of doing.
Rob and Michelle launched Verge Permaculture, an internationally-recognized and award-winning regenerative design, consulting, and education center. Verge has led the next wave of permaculture education, teaching homesteaders how to live abundantly in harmony with nature, and training career-changing professionals how to build successful businesses combining technology with earth science and eco-entrepreneurism.
With a background in engineering, they offer a depth of practical expertise in building science and appropriate technology (solar, wind, combined heat & power), as well as rainwater harvesting, agro-ecology, ecosystem engineering, soil regeneration and onsite wastewater treatment / septic design.
Rob and Michelle have studied regenerative design internationally, interning at the pioneering Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy in Denmark; researching sustainable farms, eco villages, and renewable energy installations from Calgary to Latin America; and completing three permaculture certifications in the US, Australia and Canada. Rob later spent three months volunteering at the Australian Permaculture Research Institute and became one of its first certified teachers. Since then, he and Michelle have visited many of the world’s leading permaculture sites, and brought many internationally-known teachers to present at Verge.
With ongoing training and practice in dozens of sustainable technologies ranging from natural building materials to greywater systems, wind turbines to soil and wetland restoration, they’ve converted their urban Calgary home into a living permaculture project complete with a front-yard food forest, water-harvesting features, passive solar greenhouse, and energy retrofits on the house.
Since launching Verge, they’ve helped more than 15000 students and a growing number of clients design and/or create integrated systems for shelter, energy, water, waste and food, all while supporting local economy and regenerating the land.
They have earned testimonials from permaculture’s bestselling author Toby Hemenway, dryland-restoration guru Craig Sponholtz, and “beyond-organic farming” superstar Joel Salatin among others. Leading permaculture designer/trainer Geoff Lawton calls Verge “one of North America’s premier permaculture design and education companies!”.
In 2019, Rob and Michelle moved to a 65-hectare [160-acre] wooded property in central Alberta, Canada, and they now spend most of their free time putting the into practice what they teach while building their own permaculture property. In 2023 Verge merged with 5thWorld, an organization co-founded by Rob, that is forging the future of regenerative living by exploring how permaculture and Web3 combine to create a harmonious relationship between humanity, technology, and nature.
Rob finds balance in his life by spending free time outdoors with his wife and two children, and by devoting time to his meditation practice. In his odd extra moments, he can be found tinkering in his shop, cooking up a new recipe in the kitchen, picking out chords on his new guitar….or jotting down notes on his latest entrepreneurial idea.
Michelle is focusing her time and energy primarily on the couple’s two young children, while growing microgreens, sprouts, herbs & veggies in the Verge greenhouse and gardens.
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Over the past five years I have watched Rob and Michelle build Verge Permaculture from the ground up and I am proud to say that Verge Permaculture is now one of North America's premier permaculture design and education companies.
Director of The Permaculture Institute
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Owner/Operator of Polyface Farms
Rob & Michelle - I'm proud of your work and your vision. What a delight to see young people like you embrace and then lend your savvy talents to this movement.
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Author of The Urban Farmer
Rob and Michelle truly inspired me in so many ways. It's their passion for social change, that keeps me inspired to keep on given er'.
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Author of Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
If you want to schedule an event with them, or just attend one, I recommend them very, very highly.
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Dryland Solutions Inc.
Michelle, Rob and the rest of the Verge crew dedicate an enormous amount of care and energy to make life-changing educational opportunities available to their community.
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We engaged Rob Avis from Verge Permaculture to speak about passive solar greenhouses at SESA's 2014-2015 Solar Seminar series. Rob is a dynamic, informative speaker who clearly knows his subject matter. As an engineer and an ecologist, Rob offers a unique and refreshing perspective. We would be thrilled to host him again in the future.
Executive Director, Solar Energy Society of Alberta
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Rob and Michelle Avis are not only highly knowledgeable about all matters concerning sustainability, but also convey sustainable living in a compelling and lively way. They make the journey fun.
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Rob and Michelle, the owners and creators of Verge Permaculture, have done an amazing job in permeating the ideas of permaculture to our class. They are personable, knowledgeable and pragmatic in their approach and I would recommend that anyone who has an interest in any of the information offered by them access and support their diverse ventures in creating a better world for us all.
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Rob is a great teacher and some how he managed to cram so much into my head in such a considerably short time while not making me feel overwhelmed and making sure I and everyone else understood.
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Passion is clearly visible in [Rob's] teaching. Great blend of philosophy, technical knowledge and practical hands-on experience. All of the videos, photos, anecdotes, etc. make for an interesting and engaging presentation.
The Verge Team
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Katlin Robinson Director of EducationKatlin is our team lead and business strategist extraordinaire. Katlin is a self-declared permaculture groupie. She has been dabbling in permaculture for more than a decade, beginning with a roof-top container garden in downtown Toronto. More recently she’s been on a slow journey of transforming her urban property in southwestern Ontario into a permaculture space. She has an extensive background in both business and education, having led trainings internationally. When she’s not helping support Verge’s mission she works in the mental health field as a yoga therapist.
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Alain D’Aoust Lead Course Designer | Instructor
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.When he isn’t farming or collaborating on projects, he can usually be found in the kitchen preparing nutrient dense meals or paddling down a river somewhere.
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Farrah Mathieson Academic Administrator
Born in the scenic landscapes of Scotland and later embracing the diversity of Canada, Farrah is an experienced herbalist, educator, and nature enthusiast. She is most drawn to the healing abilities of plants and the transformative impact they can have on people.
Her passion is encouraging others to build a deeper connection with their local ecology and to consider the broader implications of how we relate to each other and the world around us.
Prior to joining the Verge team, Farrah honed her business skills in various roles in customer service, education, and student services. Leveraging her extensive background, she is deeply committed to guiding our students along their unique paths towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyle.
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Amy Reynolds Course CoordinatorPermaculture was Amy’s way of being, before she knew the word. She has always viewed nature as our best teacher, demonstrating how connection and cooperation are the keys to creating resiliency. Since completing her online PDC with Verge Permaculture in Fall 2020, she has volunteered on the board of the Permaculture Calgary Guild, at Highfield Regenerative Farm and with a handful of other permaculture groups within the community.She loves to grow, both in the garden and her skills! Over the past few years, she has experimented with growing mushrooms (indoors and outside); milking goats and making natural cheeses; maintaining a sourdough culture and making different breads; and most recently, making her own chocolate. Wild foraging and making herbal salves/tinctures are high on her list to try next!
Our Teaching Team
When you join a Verge course you’ll be mentored by some of the leading voices in permaculture. Our instructors have included Joel Salatin, Toby Hemenway, Stefan Sobkowiak, Dan Chiras and more. Through our events and workshops we’ve welcomed guest instructors from across the word including Geoff Lawton, Starhawk, Morag Gamble, Dr. Elaine Ingham, Rhamis Kent, Mark Shepard, Richard Perkins, John D. Liu, Graham Bell and many more. Our Permaculture Design teaching team includes:
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Carmen Lamoureux Master Gardener and Permaculture Instructor
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. As founder and owner of Calgary’s URBAN FARM SCHOOL, as well as the Urban Farm Permaculture Project, 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. Having grown food organically for over 4 decades, Carmen gets excited about helping others cultivate great food, and in turn, great selves. (Verge PDC Grad 2013)
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Tatiana Pratt Teaching Assistant
Tatiana is our Teaching Assistant for the Verge PDC – with a BA in Environmental Studies, one of Tatiana’s passions is healing our relationship with the earth. Through interests in nature education, herbalism, holistic health and more, she dreams of helping others reconnect to their natural roots. In her free time, you can find her creating art, dancing barefoot in the woods, spending time with her loved ones, private cheffing, and journeying out to find adventures everywhere.
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Jessica Robertson Design Mentor
Jessica Robertson is Owner, Designer, and Head Grunt at Wild Craft Permaculture and a Lead Designer at United Designers International.
Jessica has designed holistic permaculture systems for spaces from 200 sq. ft. to 200-acres and works on residential, commercial and public projects. She is often involved in the implementation of these designs and enjoys sharing her knowledge with clients as they work alongside each other. She brings a background in biology, education, silviculture and urban planning to her work. She enjoys playing outside bare foot with her three children in whatever wild spaces they can find around London, Ontario. (Verge PDC Grad 2010)
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Becky Doherty Guest Instructor / Design Mentor
Becky is the co-owner of Stone Post Farms in Wildwood, Alberta where they farm ethically, to produce nutrient dense food using ethical and regenerative farming practices that are both economically viable and sustainable for future generations.
Becky comes from southeastern B.C., where she was raised in a small rural community and was heavily involved in the family trail riding business. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in geography and GIS. She has a diverse work portfolio including experience in precision agriculture, soil surveying, sampling and reclamation, rural municipal, wellsite and pipeline survey and drafting, and pipeline risk assessment. She currently works full time as a resource analyst doing modeling and analytics in the natural resource analyst, primarily in the forestry industry.
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Mark Krawczyk Guest Instructor / Design Mentor
Mark Krawczyk is an applied ecologist, educator, and grower with a background in permaculture design, agroforestry, natural building, traditional woodworking, and small-scale forestry. He co-owns and operates Keyline Vermont LLC, teaching, designing, and consulting for farmers, homeowners, and homesteaders. Since 2008, Mark has taught over 30 Permaculture Design Courses and been a specialist guest instructor in dozens more. He holds Diplomas in Permaculture Design and Education from the Permaculture Institute of North America. He and his wife also co-manage Valley Clayplain Forest Farm – 52 acres of field and forest in New Haven, Vermont, USA.