Resumes

Geoff Lawton’s Resume

Permaculture Teacher, Consultant and Designer.


Geoff Lawton, 2013
All photographs © PRI

Received Diploma of Permaculture Design in 1995 in: Education, Design, Implementation, System Establishment, Administration and Community Development, from The Permaculture Institute of Australia.

Since 2000 Geoff has been a registered teacher with the Permaculture Institute of Australia.

In 1996 accredited with the Permaculture Community Services Award by the permaculture movement for services in Australia and around the world.

Since 1985, Geoff Lawton has undertaken 1,000s of jobs teaching, consulting, designing and implementing in seventeen different countries around the world. Clients have included private individuals, groups, communities, governments, aid organizations, non government organisations and multinational companies.

In October 1997 Bill Mollison, upon his retirement, asked Geoff to establish and direct a new Permaculture Research Institute on the 147 acre Tagari Farm previously developed by Bill. Geoff Lawton developed the site over three years and established The Permaculture Research Institute as a registered charity and global networking centre for Permaculture projects. Geoff Lawton is the managing director of The Permaculture Research Institute. Geoff moved the Permaculture Research Institute to The Channon, NSW in 2001, where it continues to run courses and internships year round, and educate students from around the world.

Permaculture Courses, Workshops and Conferences

Courses offered as of January 2009:

  • Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course: 72 hour, two week course
  • Introduction to Permaculture (Intro): 2 day course
  • Permaculture Food Garden Course (PFG): 2 day course
  • Permaculture Earthworks Course (PE): 3-5 day course
  • Permaculture Project Aid Worker Course (PPAWC): 6 day course
  • Permaculture Teachers Training Course (PTTC): 6 day course

Teaching experience

2009 Courses offered

  • PDC – 8 (Including Al Jawfa, Dead Sea Valley, Jordan, and Melbourne University with Bill Mollison.)
  • INTRO – 4
  • PFG – 4
  • PE – 2
  • PPAWC – 2
  • PTTC – 2
  • Lecturer by invitation – International Permaculture Conference, South Africa.
  • 2008 – Australia PPAWC – 1
  • Cairns PDC-1
  • The Channon PDC – 4
  • Melbourne University with Bill Mollison PDC – 2
  • Quail Springs California PDC – 1
  • New Zealand PDC – 2
  • Vietnam – PDC – 1
  • Lecturer by invitation – Idaho and California USA, Iran, Cuba, Morocco, Jordan
  • 2007 PDC The Channon – 4
  • Permaculture Aid Worker Course, The Channon – 4
  • New York USA – 1
  • Quail Springs California – 1
  • Portland Oregon USA -1
  • San Francisco USA – 1
  • Tanzania – 1
  • Mudgee NSW Earth Works Course – 1
  • Lecturer by invitation – Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
  • 2005 – 2006 — Permaculture Design Certificate courses in New York, California, Oregon USA, New Zealand, Vietnam and Thailand. Key note speaker at peak oil conference in New York.
  • 2004 – 2005 — Permaculture Design Certificate courses in Louisiana and New York USA, Mexico, Syria and 4 in Australia. New Zealand Key Note speaker at Auckland Eco Show plus multiple consultancy jobs.
  • 2003 – 2004 — 3 Permaculture Design Certificate Courses, Diversity Farm, The Channon, NSW, Australia. 1 in The Ministry of Agriculture of Jordan. 1 in Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 1 in Cooroy, Queensland, Australia, 1 in Yalunga community, Barkers Vale, NSW, 1 in Oaxaca, Mexico, 1 in the Cypress Academy, West Wega, Louisiana, USA. 1 in Sinai, Egypt, 1 in Griffith University Brisbane Australia.
  • 2002 – 2003 — 5 Permaculture Design Certificate Courses Diversity Farm, The Channon, NSW, Australia, 2 weeks of short courses and presentations given in Jordan.
  • 2001 – 2002 — 5 Permaculture Design Certificate Courses Diversity Farm, The Channon, NSW, Australia, 1 in Minden, Louisiana, USA.
  • 2000 – 2001 — 3 Permaculture Design Certificate Courses Tagari Farm, Tyalgum, NSW, Australia, 2 in The Channon, NSW, Australia, earthworks implemented at Diversity Farm, 1 in South Shona, Dead Sea Valley, Jordan. 1 in Minden, Louisiana, USA.
  • 1999 – 2000 — 6 Permaculture Design Certificate Courses Tagari Farm, Tyalgum NSW, Australia. 1 in Macedonia with 129 students in one course. 1 in Central Highlands of Vietnam with earthworks implemented. 1 in South Shona, Dead Sea Valley, Jordan with earthworks implemented.
  • 1998 – 99 — 12 Permaculture Design Courses, Tagari Farm, Tyalgum, NSW, Australia,
    Large Japanese course 43 students, Tagari Farm, Tyalgum, NSW, Australia. 1 in Manaus Brazil with earthworks implemented.
  • 1997 — Indigenous people’s workshop, Nimbin National P.C. Convergence.
  • Presenter at the International Permaculture Conference, Perth 1996 (“Establishing and Maintaining a Strong Local Permaculture Group”).
  • Presenter at the National Permaculture Conference, Nimbin NSW 1997. (“Permaculture Working Within the Local Community”).
  • Workshop Presenter National Conference, Nimbin 1997 (Earthworks)
  • Co-presenter of “Third World Indigenous Peoples” Course, Nimbin, NSW, 1997
  • Presentation (slides), “Working in Indigenous Peoples in Permaculture”, Santa Fe, USA, 1997
  • Second PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) Christiania — inner capital city alternative community, established 1971, Copenhagen, – Denmark. 1997
  • Working for the Brazilian Dept of Education on a second PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours), implemented large earthworks during the course in Agricultural College grounds. Manaus, Brazil. 1997
  • Second PC Design Certificate Course, Guatemala. 1997
  • First PC Design Certificate in Pine Ridge Reservation with the Lakota Sioux, South Dakota, USA. 1997
  • 1996 — Bridgetown, W.A, two-day course for South and Central American PC activists
  • PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — Cooroy Butter Factory Environmental Gardens. 1996
  • First PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — San Lucas, Guatemala. 1996
  • PC Introduction Course (2 days) — Ecuadorian Amazon, Napo River, “Yachana Lodge” eco-tourist lodge. 1996
  • First Design Certificate Course in Christiania. (72 hours) Denmark. 1996

1993 – 1995

  • PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — during which a large aquaculture dam was constructed. 1995
  • PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — Porta Velho, Rondonia Brazil. A test case course for the Brazilian government. 1995
  • PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — Manaus, Amazonia Brazil. A test case course for the Brazilian government. 1995
  • Five PC Design Certificate Courses (72 hours) — Cooroy, SE Qld. 1995-1997
  • PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — Cruzeiro Do Sol, western Brazil. 1995
  • PC Introduction Course (4 days) — Pucalapa, Peru. 1995
  • PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — Tena, Equador. 1994
  • PC Introduction Course (2 days) — Cotopaxi, Equador. 1994
  • PC Introduction Course (2 days) — Sushufindi, Equador. 1994
  • Design Implementation Workshop (2 days) — co presenter, Palmwoods, SE Qld. 1994
  • PC Introduction Course (5 days) LEAP participants — Caloundra, SE Qld. 1994
  • Food Forests Workshop (3 days) — presenter – England. 1993
  • Making a Living from Permaculture Workshop – presenter, Denmark. 1993
  • PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — Bundaberg, central Qld. 1993
  • PC Design Certificate Course (72 hours) — Assistant to teacher – Ballina, NSW. 1993

Participant and Student

  • Farming the Future Expo August 1999 – presentation of global P.C. projects
  • Farming the Future Expo August 1998 – 2 presentations of global P.C projects.
  • P.C National Conference Nimbin, as a representative for PC Noosa, September 1997
  • International Permaculture Conference – represented PAL & PC Noosa (4 days)- Perth. 1996
  • International Permaculture Designers Convergence – represented PAL & PC Noosa (3 days).1996
  • English Permaculture Conference – presented PAL slide show, attended teachers’ meeting.
  • British Permaculture AGM – helper (3 days) – England. 1993
  • International Permaculture Conference – helper (10 days) – Denmark. 1993
  • International Permaculture Designer’s Convergence – helper (3 days) – Sweden. 1993
  • National Permaculture Convergence & Expo – consultant – Crystal Waters, SE Qld. 1992
  • Energy Efficient Buildings Workshop (2 days) – Tyalgum, north NSW. 1992
  • Strawbale Building Workshop (2 days) – Tyalgum, north NSW. 1992
  • International Permaculture Conf (4 days) – T shirt printer, Pappinbarra, NSW. 1984
  • Permaculture Herbs workshop – Nambour, SE Qld. 1984
  • Permaculture Design Certificate Course – Bill Mollison (72 hours)) – Stanley, Tas. 1983
  • Introduction to Permaculture workshop (2 days) – Nambour SE Qld. 1982

Permaculture Consultancy and Design

2009

  • Mulloon Creek Natural Farms, Tony Coote — Little Billabong, NSW
  • Waga Waga, NSW – Richard
  • Numerous private consultancies, Queensland and NSW
  • Suzlon Energy and Capital Wind Farm – NSW.
  • Asked to consult on MASDAR, sustainable city design Abu Dabi, U.A.E.

2008

  • Jordan, Iran, Morocco

2006 – 2007

  • Mexico project consultancy, Qatar ministry of agriculture and the ministry of the environment consultancy, Jordan design consultancy, California and New York in the USA consultancy.

2005 – 2006

  • Wadi Rum in Jordan design consultancy on large development, Tabouk in Saudi Arabia, Qatar government consultancy, Bahrain coastal environment consultancy, Minnesota USA National parks consultancy.

2004 – 2005

  • Vietnam project consultancy, Syria design consultancy, Mexico project.

2003 – 2004

  • Kiribati, Tarawa in the far South Pacific, holistic complete island consultancy involving total island inputs and outputs.
  • Jordan, design of ministry of agriculture research station for conversion to diverse, organic production.
  • Iraq design of a completely destroyed Kurdish village near Erbil, using strawbale building technique for housing structures.
  • Egypt, teaching and consulting on permaculture design.
  • New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, taught 2 permaculture design certificate courses, one through association with Tulane University and one through the Cypress Academy.
  • Mexico, Oaxaca taught a permaculture course to 53 students.

2002 – 2003

  • Mexico, Oaxaca design of a permaculture demonstration site education center, including the implementation of four dams and a large water harvesting system.
  • More design work in Jordan and Australia.

2001 – 2002

  • Numerous design consultancy jobs in both Jordan and Australia, including the design of Diversity Farm the new home of The Permaculture Research Institute (now Zaytuna Farm). An integrated design including four dams and a large water harvesting system
  • Dead Sea Valley, Jordan – Sustainable Arid Landscape Farming Model, demonstrating rapid reversal of salted landscape.
  • Oaxaca, Mexico- implemented 3 dams, swales and designed new permaculture research institute.

1999 – 2000

  • Cegrane, Macedonia — Rehabilitation of a 120-acre refugee camp.
  • Louisiana, U.S. — Army Ammunitions Plant 1500-acre redevelopment
  • Central Vietnam – NICCO Forest, Permaculture demonstration and education center and rainforest regeneration, implementation of 2 dams and a large water harvesting system.
  • Australia — Hundreds of design consultancy jobs completed throughout Australia many leading to the implementation of water harvesting earthworks.

1998

  • Costa Rica – implemented major earthworks and dams. Initiated the Permaculture Institute process.
  • Consultancy, Costa Rica (10 days).
  • Food forests & farms (various) – western Brazil
  • Sub tropical thorn desert (30 acres) – Ecuador
  • Fishponds & swales (80 acres) – Ecuador
  • Food forest, fishponds & native animal husbandry (600 acres) – Ecuador
  • Food forests & farms (various) – Peru
  • Rainforest & food forest (11 acres) – Ecuador
  • Sub tropical farm (3 acres) – Ecuador
  • Peruvian Amazon Aquaculture at Pucucalpa with Shipibo Indians.
  • Re-visited for consultancy 1996
  • Yachana Lodge; eco-tourist lodge (1760 Acres), Napo River, Ecuadorian Amazon. 1996
  • Hacienda Los Luceros, Santa Fe, New Mexico. P.C. Development Consultancies
  • 1998 Louisiana L.A.A.P Consultancy
  • Macedonia 1999 re-design Cegrane 46 ha refugee camp as a permaculture research institute, including 8.2K of swales and a large number of swale bale buildings.
  • Demonstration garden (2 acres) – England
  • Energy efficient community (83 acres) – Denmark
  • Demonstration garden (2 1/2 acres) – England

Permaculture Educational DVD Videos

Permaculture Activism

  • Director of Permaculture Research Institute, NSW, Australia.
  • Director of Permaculture Research Institute USA.
  • Director of Permaculture International Limited 2004
  • Director of Permaculture Research Institute, Tagari Farm 2001 –
  • ABC Radio 10 to 15 minutes radio show every Tuesday morning 1992 – 2006
  • Numerous television and radio interviews on local and national television.
  • Permaculture Noosa Vice-President. 1996-1997
  • Assisted in the establishment of Permaculture Caloundra, 1997
  • Permaculture taken on as the policy for Family Agriculture of the Amazon, Brazil.1997
  • Permaculture introduced into the curriculum of the Agricultural College of Amazonians, Brazil. 1997
  • Brazilian government establishes a department of Permaculture within the ministry of agriculture, as a result of the successful Brazilian test case courses. 1996
  • Cooroy Butter Factory Environmental Gardens, conceived, proposed and partially supervised a six month community garden design and construction project. 1996
  • Peruvian Amazon aquaculture system using Amazonian fish for the Shipibo Indians, Pucalpa, Peru 1995
  • The Butter Factory (Cooroy, SE Qld) – committee member. 1995
  • Permacultura America Latino (South America) — foundation director. 1994
  • Permaculture Noosa (SE Qld) — committee member. 1995 -1996
  • Permaculture Noosa (SE Qld) — president. 1994 -1995
  • Permaculture Noosa (SE Qld) — co founder,secretary. 1992-94
  • Tagari Publishing – representative (books & PC products). 1992
  • Permaculture Nambour (SE Qld) – committee member. 1985
  • Best of Permaculture book — co cartoonist.
  • Local fairs & events — permaculture stall holder.
  • Public forums & environmental issues — active permaculture participant.

Permaculture International Journal

  • PIJ.47 — Magazine cover art work, co designer
  • PIJ.51 — Brick & Tile Permaculture, author
  • PIJ.53 — The Sleeping Jaguar, co author
  • PIJ.55 — Ecuador, co author
  • PIJ 73 — Permaculture Aid in the Balkans
  • Green Connections — Future Food Security

Geoff Lawton

Geoff Lawton is a world renowned Permaculture consultant, designer and teacher. He first took his Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course in 1983 with Bill Mollison the founder of Permaculture. Geoff has undertaken thousands of jobs teaching, consulting, designing, administering and implementing, in 6 continents and close to 50 countries around the world. Clients have included private individuals, groups, communities, governments, aid organizations, non-government organisations and multinational companies under the not-for-profit organisation. In 1996 Geoff was accredited with the Permaculture Community Services Award by the Permaculture movement for services in Australia and around the world. Geoff's official website is GeoffLawtonOnline.com. Geoff's Facebook profile can be found here.

27 Comments

  1. dear Geoff,
    I writted moonths ago to the permaculture inst.of australia to get help for our Comunitary Center of Andean -Amazonian Permaculture in Bolivia,in a Qeshwa village.I didn’t receive any response.For your book about permaculture in the whole world,look to our website http://www.sachawasi.org,more complete in french,than in spanish or english.We will complete it very soon.
    Bruno

  2. Recently I was given the opportunity to view 3 of your videos that were borrowed. I would like to send you $20 for each of them ($60 total) as I copied them to study beyond the time that I would have been able to keep the originals. I am in California, USA. Please send directions for best way for my to send payment.
    Thanks for all you do.
    A PDC wanna be.
    Kelly J. Harvey

  3. Hi Kelly,
    The best way to pay for the 3 DVD’s ($60.00) would be to make a donation to PRI via paypal.
    Please go to the payments and donations part of our website and hit the ‘donate’ button. This will take you straight to paypal.
    Thanks kindly,
    Siobhan
    PRI Administrator and on-line orders.

  4. Dear Geoff,

    I’m interested in your thoughts about the use of recycled railway sleepers, as evident in the Peregian Beach Community Garden.

    Some have commented about past preservative practices with this form of timber, and the use of herbicides whilst ‘in situ’ under rail track, and the risk of contamination of food grown locations using such sleepsers.

    Do you have any concerns?

    Best wishes,
    Dr Peter Heffernan
    Flinders
    Victoria

  5. Hi Geoff,
    I really like your vision concerning design systems and sustainable communities. A few points.

    So called “global warming” is altering systems that can be designed. Also, what of major spiritual, foundational qualities of humanity? Have you seen some of the work by Scot Aaron. He works with time and space a bit differently looking at the “spiritual food” — Here is a copy and paste

    learn how to intimately connect with
    1] God through the mystical Enlightened Consciousness in foundational core powers of World Religions
    2] the meta of physics, in each of the atoms [extended through core energies in all minerals, food and bodies ] through the symbolic, biochemistry [real energy relationships in molecules, enzymes, amino acids, chains of sugars, macromolecules, chromosomes, DNA, Virus, Bacteria, Cells to material objects like semiconductors, microwaves in communication, transistors, drugs, neurochemistry etc. ], through
    3] biology and human reality including plant potencies and animal kingdoms to
    4] our Celestial Map where we circulate consciousness in a Spectrum of Light and “Involve” all of existence.

    [source page – https://relativitycreationismcosmology.com/

    great work Geoff, – you are a visionary
    Govinda

  6. I have just seen the sea water farm information. I wondered if the local communities should be given the heads up that using the output for the intensive farming of animals could would not green the rest of their land.

    Geoff Lawton’s demonstration of swaling in Jordan’s rapid results seems to be down to the heavy mulching and trickle drip kick started the mycorrhizal fungi in the beginning. I wondered the local communities involved with Salt Water Farming should be presented with alternative uses for the outputs such as using chipped mangrove thinnings as a mulch for Swale gardens. Would the mangrove chip need to be inoculated with fungi to get the same result as crop waste.

    Though it is respectful to listen to local communities desire for meat production, perhaps they don’t yet know of the other alternatives. offering the option of less intensive animal husbandry and luscious fruit and vegetable gardens might be appealing especially if it recharges their ground water and fills their wells.

    At last the questions: How to inform communities involved of the more sustainable use of sea water farming outputs as inputs into establishing fresh water farming?

    How to support them in negotiating a percentage of outputs for more local sustainable initiatives even if they are not as immediately profitable to foreign investors?

    Oh yes and does the chipped mangrove thinnings mulch require inoculation to work as well as farm waste?

  7. In drylands it is all about anti-evaporation by design this is the way to achieve rapid recovery.

    Harmonizing with landscape and water harvesting on contour to grow combinations of extremely hardy desert trees creating shade, condensation, wind buffering by close spacing and organic matter supply support for climax production tree species establishment.

    To start this process any mulch which is not allopathic will help and if your design is good quite quickly become redundant as the system will provide its own organic matter.

    Herds as grazing animals are a natural and integral part of a healthy natural dry land environment but they do need to be very carefully managed by numbers and regular movement. In this way they are a great asset in recovering the fertility and diversity of drylands and assisting in reforestation.

  8. Dear Geoff,

    I am very much inspired by your food forest video and I think that with some guidance from you we could develop this vision and wisdom in this semi-arid zone of Rajasthan.

    I have been developing the production of vegetables, herbs and the propagation of native trees here over the last 10 years and still have not established a good compost supply or succeeded in a great deal of diversity. We stick to seasonal vegies and I basically listen to the locals. I can now see what can be achieved if we start to step out of the norm and experiment a bit and so today we planted in a small area a combination of millet, lucerne grass, ashwagandha, roquette, European paprika, tomato and basil, psyllium and lavender – all of which pretty much have the potential to do well mid-monsoon. We have a dam here – talab as it is locally called but it has not been full for 3 years now and is close to empty now. We have been in drought for 3 years.

    I wonder if you would ever consider visiting us out here. It is primarily a yoga ashram under construction since 1992 and there is a great deal of potential development for landscaped gardens and forested areas – especially in the area of fruit orchards.

    Summer temperatures get higher each year – 49 celsius in June and so we do lose alot of trees each year. Acacias do well and some local types. Neems are our number one.

    In addition,if you know anybody who would or could come out on a volunteer basis with some experience and the desire to experience a quite and gentle atmosphere that would also be great. I suppose you must meet 1000s of greenthumbs owing to your mission whereas I feel quite isolated here in that respect. Many of the European guests are even fearful to come to the gardens because they are sure that they we meet cobras and scorpions!

    Thankyou for the inspiration. I share your ideals and really feel that children need to be learning basic horticultural skills from KG class these days. It is the need of the hour and surely the greatest joy. My teacher often says that agricultural is the best culture. Perhaps it is also the most ancient.

    Sincerely yours

    Puspa Devi

  9. Hi my name is Jordan Bantuelle and I am a New Orleans native and an LSU graduate in biological sciences. Since my college days I have been an activist and organizer on many environmental and social justice issues. From these experiences and seven months of living on farms I have come to the conclusion that permaculture may just be one of the best tools we have for creating a freer and more just society. I am very serious about dedicating my life to practicing and promoting permaculture (though I also think it is lots of fun!).

    I see that you have taught a few classes in Louisiana. I was hoping you could help me get connected into the already existing permaculture network here in Louisiana. I have some experience but I am ready to work hard and learn as much as I can. Any way that you could help point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Please email me back at [email protected].

    Thanks,
    Jordan Bantuelle

  10. Dear Geoff,
    I’m due to be giving a seminar at the Landscape Institute in London next month. I’ve an hour to introduce permaculture which is a huge challenge! One of the key points I’d like to make is that the principles can be applied at any scale (in fact include the principle appropriate scale) and I was thinking of very briefly mentioning projects like Masdar City (and others of a similar size in passing to help make that point). I hope this doesn’t seem too daft a question but if I could sum up the contribution of permaculture to the Masdar masterplan in one sentence, what should I say?
    Hope you’re all well at Zaytouna. Thanks again for the week I wwoofed! (It was the best of my 3 weeks in Australia…)
    Best wishes,
    Simon Watkins

  11. Greetings Geoff,

    I have watched a program today in Aljazeera news channel called Earthrise which featured your project in Jordan. I found your work on Permaculture extremely interesting and believed that your will benefit millions of lives here in Nigeria, especially northern Nigeria where there Sahara encroachment, water scarcity and the majority of people here are poor, not educated and there means of livelihood is farming.
    I am wondering if you and your group have done any project in the northern part of Nigeria in the past, if not I would like to urge to consider doing a project here as it will touch millions of lives. Project here can

  12. Just listened to your interview with Jack Spirko. Love your comments made. If ever in Texas do let me know. With our drought, we need all the permaculture insights you offer. I’m learning more each day on building a food forest.

  13. Hey everyone!
    Thanks Geoff and all his followers for everything…everyone is truly an inspiration to be the change we want to see in the world.
    Do you or does anyone know how I can attend or get hands-on experience with some of the things Geoff is doing?
    Any volunteer opportunities, classes, or list of projects that he is working on that one could get involved with within the united states?
    I assume it could be difficult to get in touch with him but I have questions for any experts out there…
    How do we offset our consumption of gasoline or electricity for things like garden equipment? For example, if I want to shred garden or kitchen waste, small twigs or branches, leaves, and wood chips.
    I saw a clip in Permaculture Soils of Geoff shredding organic matter with some sort of hand-crank device…it really looked ideal for the DIY gardener who wants to become self-sufficient.
    Thanks and God bless,
    z

  14. Geoff,

    i recently heard your interviews on the survival podcast, which were great, and was pleasantly surprised to hear about your experiences in Louisiana and your thoughts on using the delta as a filter, not a drain…i’m very new to permaculture, but after having read Bill Mollison’s course and studying your teachings, i’m hooked.

    i live in New Orleans and have already started growing my own vegetables. I hope to turn my 50′ x 50′ backyard into a mini permaculture experiment using elements of South Louisiana ecosystems.

    i was curious to know if you’d be interested in sharing some thoughts/ideas you had about great projects in South Louisiana that i might try to tackle some day in the future.

    I’ve already contacted the State Abandoned Mine Reclamation dept. to inquire about opportunities to turn abandoned sand mines along local rivers into permaculture exhibits.

    This is just one idea i had, but i’m sure that you have already envisioned many more.

    Just let me know if you might be interested in pointing me in the right direction.

    Great work…Very Inspiring…Thanks…Will

  15. Dear Geof

    I am extremely thankful to you and Bill Mollison for doing great job “Permaculture”, I feel lucky and proud that I am also a little part of your community as I have done my PDC with Mustafa Bakir in Malaysia.
    In Pakistan we are two people at the moment having PDC as Pakistani national. I am working with one of my colleague who is from UK in the establishment of an institute, where we work on Permaculture and can teach PDCs as well. Also our goal is that one day Insha Allah we will make PRI Pakistan. I know you are so busy, but would be so great if you please visit my page Pakistan Permaculture Design at Facebook and appreciate my little effort in this regards. I am also a member of your free video site.

    Best regards
    Shafqat Ullah
    [email protected]

  16. Dear Geoff
    I got your name from John Nzira who is based in South Africa. My son, Xola who is studying agriculture in a college here in SA is very interested in permaculture. He has done an introduction course with John Nzira and will be doing his IPDC in December. He is now looking to work and train more in Australia immediately after doing his design course so that he can get more practical experience at least for 6 months to a year. We would appreciate your advice on what to do and how he can get to Austrian on a work/ study arrangement. Xola is turning 20 in October and he is a very humble focused young man.

    1. Hi there Thami

      Where in South Africa are you and Xola based? It is quite tough to get to Australia as a South African due to visa requirements, as you might already know. I was lucky enough to have dual Irish citizenship which allowed me to get a visa (still with difficulty). Even for the PRI to help you on this level would be quite tough, which I also think is the reason that Geoff suggests relevant experience is often best gained locally. I’m in Durban at the moment and while I might not be able to help you directly, I could possibly brainstorm other ideas for experience.
      I was lucky to experience a PDC and direct work experience with Geoff, but I can promise you that there are some great things happening here in SA and Zimbabwe too. contact me on lifeasapfolio(at)gmail.com if you would like to chat further.

  17. HI Thami the best thing you can do is look at http://www.permacultureglobal.com for sites that take WOOFA’s and get experience working on permaculture WOOFA host sites while remaining disciplined in a self study program. Today we can all direct and write our own self study and achieve a more valuable and efficient resume of achievement than any organised education facility presently offers.
    In the near future we will be taking on research students at Zaytuna Farm but we will be looking for the best we can find initially possibly starting in 2014.

  18. I am going around the back door here … I am unable to leave a second comment re: Desert Oasis athttps://www.geofflawtononline.com/fe/62176-desert-oasis … so I am putting it here.
    Can you do some sort of comparison and contrast with the industrial agriculture whose runoff you are taking advantage of? What does *that* operation look like? what are they growing compared with what you are growing? What do they use in terms of inputs vs. what your project uses? I and others would find that very helpful.

  19. Hi Geoff. I bought property opposite your old property in Killawarra Rd Qld. One of your ficus trees are in fruit and I would like to verify its ID. I think its a native F. opposita or F. coronata, but its weeping habit is unusual. I can send image if needed but need an email to send to.
    Thanks, Paul Plant

  20. Geoff

    I am quite impressed by your resume. You are clearly very dedicated to your occupation and passion. I have to say, however, that no where does it describe your education in this or any other field. What is your alma matter? Are you a scientist? If so, in that area is your scholarly expertise? Enquiring minds want to know.

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