Teaching Team ~ Permaculture Design Certification Course
The Instructors of this course are a wonderful combination of practicing professional permaculture designers and educators from leading permaculture design groups in the Northeastern USA.
Kay Cafasso Parker, Lead Instructor
Your Lead Course Instructor is Kay Cafasso, Permaculture Designer and Director of Sowing Solutions. Kay is a certified permaculture designer practicing the thoughtful design of ecological landscapes. She is also a certified design course instructor who has led over 25 Permaculture Design Certification Courses (PDC’s) to date, and has certified hundreds of graduates, while consciously designing and creating supportive learning environments. After documenting ecological design applications in homes and landscapes in arid, temperate and tropical climates worldwide, Kay founded Sowing Solutions Permaculture Design & Education in Western MA, offering ecological garden design and permaculture site planning and consultation services for homeowners and land stewards. She has taught PDC's alongside Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute based out of Australia; Kay has taught PDC's in Hawaii with Living Mandala, as well as in the Hudson Valley of New York for the Omega Institute, in the Finger Lakes region of NY for the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute, and in Massachusetts for Living Routes Study Abroad in EcoVillages. She has inspired the inclusion of permaculture training at educational centers such as Omega Institute and at Greenfield Community College. Kay has worked as teaching staff for Permaculture Teacher Training Courses to guide others in 'Teaching Permaculture Creatively' along with Dave Jacke of Dynamics Ecological Design and Jono Neiger of Regenerative Design Group. Kay has natural building experience, with certificates in Solar Home Design and Natural Building Construction, and has many years of professional experience specializing in earth plasters and natural finishes for straw bale and other natural buildings in the southwestern and northeastern US, as well as in Europe. The educational design approach of this course carries a focus on whole person learning, supportive to all kinds of learners (auditory, visual, kinaesthetic) and weaves in many opportunities for student participation, so that each person can take an active and effective role in their learning. Her teaching style is one that is grounded in the permaculture principles and whole systems thinking. Kay's interests are also in contemplative studies, healing through mindfulness and somatic presence practices, and she is often exploring the bridges between meditation and gardening. She has a passion for creating contemplative and healing outdoor spaces. Kay practices what she teaches: thoughtful and wholistic design of landscapes, agriculture, dwellings, communities, and learning environments.
- Director of Sowing Solutions Permaculture Design & Education
- Permaculture Design Certification, Naropa University
- Permaculture Instruction Certification, Dynamics Ecological Design
- Natural Building and Solar Home Design Certification, Solar Energy International
Your Lead Course Instructor is Kay Cafasso, Permaculture Designer and Director of Sowing Solutions. Kay is a certified permaculture designer practicing the thoughtful design of ecological landscapes. She is also a certified design course instructor who has led over 25 Permaculture Design Certification Courses (PDC’s) to date, and has certified hundreds of graduates, while consciously designing and creating supportive learning environments. After documenting ecological design applications in homes and landscapes in arid, temperate and tropical climates worldwide, Kay founded Sowing Solutions Permaculture Design & Education in Western MA, offering ecological garden design and permaculture site planning and consultation services for homeowners and land stewards. She has taught PDC's alongside Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute based out of Australia; Kay has taught PDC's in Hawaii with Living Mandala, as well as in the Hudson Valley of New York for the Omega Institute, in the Finger Lakes region of NY for the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute, and in Massachusetts for Living Routes Study Abroad in EcoVillages. She has inspired the inclusion of permaculture training at educational centers such as Omega Institute and at Greenfield Community College. Kay has worked as teaching staff for Permaculture Teacher Training Courses to guide others in 'Teaching Permaculture Creatively' along with Dave Jacke of Dynamics Ecological Design and Jono Neiger of Regenerative Design Group. Kay has natural building experience, with certificates in Solar Home Design and Natural Building Construction, and has many years of professional experience specializing in earth plasters and natural finishes for straw bale and other natural buildings in the southwestern and northeastern US, as well as in Europe. The educational design approach of this course carries a focus on whole person learning, supportive to all kinds of learners (auditory, visual, kinaesthetic) and weaves in many opportunities for student participation, so that each person can take an active and effective role in their learning. Her teaching style is one that is grounded in the permaculture principles and whole systems thinking. Kay's interests are also in contemplative studies, healing through mindfulness and somatic presence practices, and she is often exploring the bridges between meditation and gardening. She has a passion for creating contemplative and healing outdoor spaces. Kay practices what she teaches: thoughtful and wholistic design of landscapes, agriculture, dwellings, communities, and learning environments.
Ghadi Tayeh, Instructor
- Founder and CEO of Topo-Terra Regenerative Design, LLC, is dedicated to inspiring connection an renewal of the natural world. Internationally recognized as a Permaculture Designer, Environmental Engineer in Training, and Savory Holistic Management Champion, Ghadi combines his M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Environmental Planning and Management with a passion for art and science. His leadership in soil and aquatic chemistry, organic farming, afforestation using the Miyawaki method, site assessment, and environmental remediation has benefited communities across the globe.
With extensive project management experience in environmental engineering, Ghadi has overseen successful project delivery and regulatory compliance for a prominent firm in New York City. His humanitarian work with Engineers Without Borders has included impactful water projects in Nepal, Ecuador, Tanzania and Rwanda, along with delivering WASH Education seminars in underserved rural areas. Ghadi's expertise extends to designing soil plant systems for farms and communities in various regions, enhancing sustainable engineering solutions globally.
At Sowing Solutions, Ghadi is a valued member of the regular teaching staff, assisting with classes on soil science and fertility. His proficiency in collecting and analyzing remote field data as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) Developer has enabled him to devise intelligent regenerative interventions in soil, air, and water matrices. Ghadi's exceptional training facilitation skills and dedication to environmental sustainability make him an invaluable resource for students and colleagues alike."
Llani Davidson, Instructor
Llani is passionate about growing her own food and teaching people how to feed themselves.. Her experience is built upon years of living and working on small organic farms, including Hawthorne Valley Farm, where she practiced and taught small-scale vegetable production, as well as at SIrius Community where she is one of the lead growers for the local CSA, and numerous agricultural sites in South America. Increasingly passionate about home-scale food production, Llani studied permaculture and became a certified permaculture teacher in 2010, studying under Dave Jacke of Dynamics Ecological Design. She co-founded a business called Broadfork Permaculture, structured as a cooperative model, that works with clients, installing edible forest gardens and perennial landscapes. Llani has much wisdom to share about life in intentional communities, having spent her childhood years living at a well known ecovillage, as well as much of her adult life coordinating and managing the food systems for residents and neighbors of the community. Llani brings her sessions of gardening through the seasons and community life to the PDC.
Llani is passionate about growing her own food and teaching people how to feed themselves.. Her experience is built upon years of living and working on small organic farms, including Hawthorne Valley Farm, where she practiced and taught small-scale vegetable production, as well as at SIrius Community where she is one of the lead growers for the local CSA, and numerous agricultural sites in South America. Increasingly passionate about home-scale food production, Llani studied permaculture and became a certified permaculture teacher in 2010, studying under Dave Jacke of Dynamics Ecological Design. She co-founded a business called Broadfork Permaculture, structured as a cooperative model, that works with clients, installing edible forest gardens and perennial landscapes. Llani has much wisdom to share about life in intentional communities, having spent her childhood years living at a well known ecovillage, as well as much of her adult life coordinating and managing the food systems for residents and neighbors of the community. Llani brings her sessions of gardening through the seasons and community life to the PDC.
Walker Korby, Instructor
Inspired by the likes of Henry Thoreau, Walt Whitman, then Tom Brown Jr., Walker Korby realised that he had found his people we he discovered Wilderness Awareness School doing programs at his high school in New Jersey, USA in the mid nineties. He got involved through illustrating for the school and for the Kamana Naturalist Training program, and after college followed them out to Washington state to became the first Outreach Coordinator. He came back to the East Coast where he still resides, in Massachusetts, to teach children’s nature connection programs at several schools. Walker was also an Adult Expeditions Instructor for Wilderness Awareness School for their wolf tracking programs, and has been staffing the Art of Mentoring in the USA on and off since it’s inception. Most recently Walker has been coordinating the Teen Rendezvous at the Art of Mentoring in Vermont. His passion for peacemaking inspired by Chief Jake Swamp, a Mohawk peacemaker, has been fueled by his work in the Mankind Project and training in mediation. Walker brings with him the unique perspective of being immersed in the Art of Mentoring teachings for half of his life as well as his ability to integrate them into his own community. Walker brings sessions on tracking and plant identification to the PDC.
Inspired by the likes of Henry Thoreau, Walt Whitman, then Tom Brown Jr., Walker Korby realised that he had found his people we he discovered Wilderness Awareness School doing programs at his high school in New Jersey, USA in the mid nineties. He got involved through illustrating for the school and for the Kamana Naturalist Training program, and after college followed them out to Washington state to became the first Outreach Coordinator. He came back to the East Coast where he still resides, in Massachusetts, to teach children’s nature connection programs at several schools. Walker was also an Adult Expeditions Instructor for Wilderness Awareness School for their wolf tracking programs, and has been staffing the Art of Mentoring in the USA on and off since it’s inception. Most recently Walker has been coordinating the Teen Rendezvous at the Art of Mentoring in Vermont. His passion for peacemaking inspired by Chief Jake Swamp, a Mohawk peacemaker, has been fueled by his work in the Mankind Project and training in mediation. Walker brings with him the unique perspective of being immersed in the Art of Mentoring teachings for half of his life as well as his ability to integrate them into his own community. Walker brings sessions on tracking and plant identification to the PDC.
Dave Dion, Instructor
Smith College Botanic Garden, Lead Arborist and Gardener
Dion Tree, Landscape and Tree Care
Dave is a head gardener and assistant to the lead Arborist at the Botanic Garden at Smith College in Northampton, MA. Dave has years of experience owning and operating a landscape and tree care business, as well as teaching horticulture at a vocational school. An experienced homesteader and farmer, Dave brings direct training to students of this PDC. Dave leads sessions in botany, pruning, animal integration, and site analysis at the PDC.
Smith College Botanic Garden, Lead Arborist and Gardener
Dion Tree, Landscape and Tree Care
Dave is a head gardener and assistant to the lead Arborist at the Botanic Garden at Smith College in Northampton, MA. Dave has years of experience owning and operating a landscape and tree care business, as well as teaching horticulture at a vocational school. An experienced homesteader and farmer, Dave brings direct training to students of this PDC. Dave leads sessions in botany, pruning, animal integration, and site analysis at the PDC.
Keith Zaltzberg, Guest Instructor
Keith combines his professional training in environmental and Permaculture design with the hands-on experience of a farmer, homesteader, and builder to help communities and individuals create new, symbiotic relationships with their homes and place. Since 2002, he has dedicated his deep interest in applied ecology to exploring patterns in landscape use that can both rebuild ecosystem resilience and meet people’s needs today. An avid teacher and skilled designer, Keith has worked with diverse groups from Latino farmers creating an urban farm to Smith College students engaged in a neighborhood wide infrastructure redesign. At the Conway School of Landscape Design, he teaches Master’s candidates to apply digital tools such as GIS, CAD, and graphic design software to environmental design. Keith is a certified Permaculture Designer, holds a B.S. in Environmental Design from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at UMass-Amherst, and is a founding partner of the Regenerative Design Group, a leading ecological design firm. Keith brings an analysis of the state of our climate and shares many case studies during the design process at the PDC.
- Founding Partner at Regenerative Design Group, an Ecological Landscape Design and Site Planning Firm
- Certified Permaculture Designer and Instructor
Keith combines his professional training in environmental and Permaculture design with the hands-on experience of a farmer, homesteader, and builder to help communities and individuals create new, symbiotic relationships with their homes and place. Since 2002, he has dedicated his deep interest in applied ecology to exploring patterns in landscape use that can both rebuild ecosystem resilience and meet people’s needs today. An avid teacher and skilled designer, Keith has worked with diverse groups from Latino farmers creating an urban farm to Smith College students engaged in a neighborhood wide infrastructure redesign. At the Conway School of Landscape Design, he teaches Master’s candidates to apply digital tools such as GIS, CAD, and graphic design software to environmental design. Keith is a certified Permaculture Designer, holds a B.S. in Environmental Design from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at UMass-Amherst, and is a founding partner of the Regenerative Design Group, a leading ecological design firm. Keith brings an analysis of the state of our climate and shares many case studies during the design process at the PDC.
Kim Almeida, Guest Instructor
Kim Almeida is a clinical herbalist, educator, farmer, and wildcrafter. Kim is a professional horticulture specialist for the film industry, designing and installing landscapes for rural and urban settings. She practices and teaches permaculture and bioregional herbalism. She has served as staff for Sowing Solutions PDC's as well as for Designing Educational Ecosystems trainings for future permaculture educators. Kim helps connect people and plants, makes medicine to distribute through her company, and cultivates community wherever she travels. As a yoga teacher, Kim brings a holistic philosophy about our human health, and the health of the land at the PDC.
Kim Almeida is a clinical herbalist, educator, farmer, and wildcrafter. Kim is a professional horticulture specialist for the film industry, designing and installing landscapes for rural and urban settings. She practices and teaches permaculture and bioregional herbalism. She has served as staff for Sowing Solutions PDC's as well as for Designing Educational Ecosystems trainings for future permaculture educators. Kim helps connect people and plants, makes medicine to distribute through her company, and cultivates community wherever she travels. As a yoga teacher, Kim brings a holistic philosophy about our human health, and the health of the land at the PDC.
Kannan Thiruvengadam, Guest Instructor
Kannan grew up near his family farm in India. He left a career in technology to work on climate and community resiliency. He runs Eastie Farm , an urban farm in East Boston that fosters food security and environmental stewardship. He managed the construction of the first geothermal powered greenhouse in the region, which is not a community asset for all-year food distribution / growing and education. He also serves on local (Friends of Belle Isle Marsh) , city (Community Preservation Committee and Conservation Commission) , and state (Executive Committee of the Massachusetts chapter of the Sierra Club) organizations. Kannan leads sessions about urban farming at the PDC. |
Jesse Marksohn, Guest Instructor
Jesse is a passionate propagator, forager, and applied ecologist. He cofounded yellow bird farm and Vermont tree nut processors to accelerate the perennialization of our food systems. Though he remains an ardent mycrole, his company Fungal Forest, a low tech gourmet mushroom farm, is now being phased out after three years of lucrative cultivation. The deficit of high-quality plant material combined with the ecological and financially transformative reality of incorporating improved crop bearing trees into our agricultural systems has driven Jesse to co-found Yellowbud Farm and Vermont Tree Nut Processors. While Yellowbud farm provides the plants to fuel the tree based agricultural revolution, Vermont Tree Nut Processors fills the niche of creating marketable products out of these raw foods. Jesse contributes to the agroforestry sessions at the PDC. |
Kaat Vander Straeten, Guest Instructor
Kaat Vander Straetten is a grower, soil scientist, philosopher and student of metaphysics. She serves as Vice President of Mass Energize and Facilitator of Energize Wayland. Kaat is actively designing and creating a multi family residence community and is passionate about community life. She brings the study of microbial soil life, the world beneath our feet, to our PDC. |
Ernie Hansche, aka 'Whisperholler', Guest Instructor
Ernie is an experienced storyteller, naturalist and outdoor educator, who is fascinated by the natural world. Ernie is a professional carpenter- The West County Tinker, as well as a hypnotherapist, a multi-instrumentalist musician, and a blissful woods walker. Ernie views wonder as the most precious of human character traits and guides others to a state of joyful curiosity. Ernie brings his practices of observation skills and his teachings about wonder to our PDC. |
Chuck Collins, Guest Instructor
Chuck Collins is a campaigner and storyteller who has worked for decades on environmental and economic justice campaigns. He is the Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies where he co-edits Inequality.org. His 2023 novel, Altar to an Erupting Sun, incorporates many lessons from permaculture he learned at Sowing Solutions. He has campaigned and researched on tax policy, the racial wealth divide, charity reform, and efforts to expose trillions in wealth hidden in offshore tax havens, including the U.S. His 2021 book, The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions, is about the wealth hiding industry (Polity). He is the author of the popular book, Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good (Chelsea Green) and, with Bill Gates Sr., Wealth and Our Commonwealth, (Beacon Press), a case for taxing inherited fortunes. He lives with his family at the historic Springs Farm in Southern Vermont. Chuck brings his wisdom to financial permaculture sessions at the PDC. |
Connor Stedman, Guest Instructor
- Executive Director, Vermont Wilderness School
- M.S. Natural Resources from University of Vermont
- Permaculture Design Certification, Dynamics Ecological Design & Regenerative Design Institute