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. 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)

After pursuing international training and certifications in renewable energy and regenerative design Rob, along with his wife and business partner Michelle, began Verge Permaculture, now a globally-recognized and award-winning design, consulting, and education company. In the last decade, he has helped more than 3000 students and hundreds of clients to design and/or create integrated systems for shelter, energy, water, waste and food, all while supporting local economy and regenerating the land.

Initially an architectural graduate, Jen first heard of permaculture on a trip to Sierra Leone with Earthship Biotecture in 2011, but wasn’t formally introduced to it until she took a few introductory workshops with Jardins sans Frontières in Montreal. Everything seemed new yet was so basic; permaculture struck such a chord with Jen that she felt like her brain was being rewired. After taking Verge’s Professional Development PDC with 1-on-1 mentoring, Jen moved away from architecture and interior design to launch Northbound Bloom where she designs edible and naturalized landscapes and acreages (Verge PDC Grad 2017).

John has worked for the provincial fisheries government in Ontario for several years conducting field work in places like Wawa and Ignace. Following this, John worked for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans controlling sea lamprey in the great lakes. Once back at school, John acquired his fish culture training and appreciation of fish pathology while employed, teaching and earning his master’s degree at the Ontario Veterinary College. Upon completion of his degree, John accepted his teaching role at Lethbridge College and the rest, as they say, is history.

Up to now, John has over 30 years’ experience in the fisheries and aquatic field, working for both provincial and federal governments, academia and the private sector. He is currently chair of the Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (ACE) and half time faculty and researcher.

He’s been referred to as the Yoda of aquaponics, and with good reason. Senior research scientist Nick Savidov has been involved in aquaponics research for more than a decade and a half and has been a pioneer in the field, placing Alberta at the forefront of this developing industry.

Nick was the first researcher to suggest using carbonized agricultural by-products known as “biochar” as a soilless medium for the production of greenhouse vegetables. His work has stimulated the aquaponics industry and initiated commercialization of the technology. One of his most notable contributions has been the development of a fully automated zero-waste aquaponics system – the first in the world.

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.

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. 

Dan Chiras is a long-time practitioner of self-sufficiency and sustainability. He lives on a 60-acre, solar- and wind-powered farm where he and his wife have dedicated their lives to living by the principles and practices of Permaculture. Dan has published 40 books and hundreds of articles that cover a wide range of topics focused largely on self-sufficiency and sustainability. Dan’s most popular books are The Solar House, The Natural House, The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy, Power from the Sun, and Solar Electricity Basics. His most recent titles are The Chinese Greenhouse and Grow Beets in Your Bedroom, a guide on indoor LED gardening.

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.

The ukulele-strumming ecological troubadour Charlie Mgee, is the frontman of the band Formidable Vegetable Sound System and performer for our course wrap-up party. Formidable Vegetable Sound System grew their organic, yet dedicated following over the years on a mission to inspire local action for global issues and now find themselves firmly planted in the fertile soils of the growing regenerative movements worldwide.

Biologist, landscape architect, educator, Film Maker, farm manager, husband, father of 3. Sobkowiak wears many hats and is a highly influential Permaculturalist in his region as a past lecturer with McGill University and the current director of Miracle Farms: the renowned Permaculture Orchard in Quebec.

Mitch comes to us with a BSc. in physical geography with a concentration in Earth Systems from the University of Victoria (BC, Canada), and an MSc. in physical geography (applied meteorology) from the University of Otago in New Zealand where he researched the utilization of machine learning for frost prediction in complex terrain, and the controlling meteorological variables of frost events.

Mitch helps out with the Essential Rainwater Harvesting Course, Passive Solar Greenhouse Course, is the product manager of Contour Map Generator, teaches the climate & mapping section of our Online Permaculture Design Course, and leading the event planning for our summits & conferences.

In his spare time you can catch him working on the endless amounts projects at Moose’s Groovy Grove, reading, developing frost forecasting models (amongst other data science projects), running around or cycling, dipping in some cold water, going for walks with his and Madi’s growing family of animals, or working on his latest funky sauerkraut recipe (Verge PDC Grad 2021)

Lindsay Brandon is a permaculture designer and farmer located in southern Alberta.  She is co-founder of Conjunction Gardens and owner of Food Forest Canada.  At Conjunction her and her partner farm 2 acres vegetable garden and are currently doing research and development with hemp fibre and grain.

After her studies with Verge Permaculture, he career in food forest design was instantly catapulted working with Food Forest Abundance out of the USA where she currently manages a team of designers and designs food forests all over the US and Canada. She is currently studying soil microbiology to have a greater understanding of the foundation of where life begins and how we can amend and harmonize our relationship to the earth and ultimately ourselves.

Tatiana is our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator. With a BA in Environmental Studies (Carleton University), her educational background focused on how we can better understand the earth and heal our relationship with it. Through her studies, Tatiana learned about permaculture and became interested in food forests, regenerative design, biomimicry and more. She’s passionate about ecoliteracy, nature education, and helping others reconnect to their roots and lead healthy, happy lives. With years of customer service, she also loves building genuine connections, and brings her empathetic people-skills into marketing and community outreach.

In her free time, you can find her painting, dancing barefoot in the woods, baking some sweet goodies, spending time with her family, learning about new medicinal herbs to add to her concoctions, or trying to befriend any wildlife creature that crosses her path.

Kate is a business systems junkie who enjoys supporting Verge’s students and courses by coordinating all the details on the back end as part of her passion for making permaculture education available for everyone. In addition to her work with Verge, she enjoys designing and managing  her many gardens as part of her deep love for sustainable agriculture and healthy living.

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)

As an engineer, co-owner and mover & shaker at Verge Permaculture, Michelle loves the complexity of working through holistic design challenges to create resilient, eco-sustainable homes, acreages and farms (& businesses!). Coupled with a deep connection to nature and a passion for growing nutrient-dense food, Michelle’s driving goal is to ensure that her work and actions leave this world a better place for future generations to inherit.