Bordertown

During the summer of 2016, Vic Guadagno was the guest host for Carl Etneir’s radio program, Relocalize Vermont, that broadcasts on the Goddard Collage Community Radio station. For many of these broadcasts, Vic condensed previous Bordertown podcasts. This episode features Andrew Faust (Episode 16) and Mark Krawczyk. (Episode 11). Andrew Faust is one of the premier Permaculture teachers and designers in North America with nearly two decades of experience. Andrew has extensive experience in a wide range of climates and habitats including desert, forest and mountain – and has been focusing much of his attention over the past decade on urban landscapes. He is the founder of the Center for BioRegional Living, a design, education and consulting center located in Brooklyn New York. With a campus located in Ellenville, NY, that he is developing with his partner Adriana Magana and their daughter Juniper. Mark is the owner of Keyline Vermont, a permaculture design, consulting and education business. As a student of per

Joseph Kiefer grew up on a small-diversified family farm in the Hudson Valley of New York State. As the oldest son of six kids his farm chores with cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and a mean old rooster, taught him much about caring for the land and being a farmer. He received his M.A. in Social Ecology from the Institute for Social Ecology in Plainfield Vermont in 1980. In 1982 he was asked to be part of a Community Task Force on Hunger with the Central Vermont Community Action Council in Barre, Vermont. As a result of this quiet crisis he started a Garden Science / Hunger Education Program with local schools. At the Main Street Middle school a Garden Lab of raised bed gardens, small fruits, fruit trees and a compost was set up with a bed dedicated for the Emergency Food Pantry. This Task Force quickly learned that this dramatic increase in demand for emergency food was being experienced around the state and decided to investigate starting a Food bank for the state. In 1986 Joseph Co-founded the Vermont Food ba

Soil4Climate, a nonprofit organization, advocates for soil restoration as a climate solution. They promote regenerative land management practices to capture atmospheric carbon and encourage collaboration with the larger body of climate activism. Uniting “drawdown” strategies with emissions reduction, divestment from fossil fuels, a price on carbon, and climate justice advocacy, together creates a powerful alliance. Soil4Climate is inspired by the work of Allan Savory which is summarized nicely in his TedTalk as "if we do what I am showing you here, we can take enough carbon out of the atmosphere and safely store it in the grassland soils for thousands of years, and if we just do that on about half the world's grasslands that I've shown you, we can take us back to pre-industrial levels, while feeding people. I can think of almost nothing that offers more hope for our planet, for your children, and their children, and all of humanity." Seth Itzkan is co-founder of Soil4Climate and President of Planet-TECH Asso

Sarah Waring is the Executive Director of The Center for an Agricultural Economy in Hardwick Vermont. Their mission is to engage the public in building a regenerative, locally based, healthy food system through collaboration opportunities, food access and hunger relief, educational outreach and providing infrastructure. It was a pleasure speaking with Sarah and asking direct questions relevant to our Designing Abundance project here in Central Vermont. Sarah has helped us over the past year and we look forward to continued callaboraiton in the years ahead. It was fun learning about her off-grid days growing up in Glover – the hope of Bread and Puppet, our shared love for the Rockies, and her joyful return to the Green Mountain State. I was drawn to the Center for an Agricultural Economy when I first arrived in Vermont and continue to look to them for inspiration and guidance. It was a pleasure learning more about Sarah and it’s clear that her enthusiasm and vision lends itsels well to their mission of a regen

Bo Muller-Moore is the founder and owner of Eat More Kale. He prints T-shirts, bumper stickers and other items and is most famous for his Eat More Kale T-shirt. Bo is the inspiration for this year's Eat More Kale Festival. This first annual event is sure to be a good one. Their goal is to strengthen the arts and agricultural communities here in Vermont, which is at the core of the Designing Abundance mission, as we continue to understand and encourage our "PERMAnent CULTURE" here in Vermont. Several years ago, Bo’s wife gave him a Home-T-shirt screen-printing kit. It consisted of a silk screen, a squeegee, a pint of black ink and a short instructional book. The book suggested that simple prints could be produced using hand-cut stencils. Sounded simple and off he went. “CHEESE” was his first print. It was a hit among his friends and co-workers. Having heard that he was printing t-shirts from home a couple of friends of his, Paul and Kate of High-Ledge Farm, penned the phrase “EAT MORE KALE” and special ordered

Keith Morris owns & operates Willing Crossing Farm in Johnson Vermont along with his partner Kori Gelinas, growing one of the most diverse collections of fruit and nut trees in the northeast as well as bees, herbs and apothocary. Keith is also the founder of Prospect Rock Permaculture, Vermont’s longest running Permaculture Institute and a co-founding board member of the Permaculture Institute of the Northeast (P.I.N.E.). He has been instrumental in bringing Permaculture to the northeast and teaching at the university level - including the University of Vermont, Sterling College, Saint Michaels College, Paul Smiths College and the Yestermororw Design Build School in the Waitsfield, Vermont.

Andrew Faust is one of the premier Permaculture teachers and designers in North America with nearly two decades of experience. Andrew has extensive experience in a wide range of climates and habitats including desert, forest and mountain – and has been focusing much of his attention over the past decade on urban landscapes. He is the founder of the Center for BioRegional Living, a design, education and consulting center located in Brooklyn New York. With a campus located in Ellenville, NY, that he is developing with his partner Adriana Magana and their daughter Juniper.

Geoff Lawton is perhaps the world’s most influential Permaculture teacher. He has created a global network of students, activist and Permaculture demonstration centers and has undertaken thousands of of jobs - teaching, consulting, designing and implementing Permaculture design projects. He is the Managing Director of the Permaculture Research Institute. Geoff is optimistic and inspired, and is now teaching thousands of people through his online courses and video series.

Mark is co-founder and lead designer with Roots To Fruits Ecological Design - an ecological design firm committed to the restoration of local food systems, economies, and ecologies. Mark is a student of gardening, botany, ecology, food systems, herbalism, perennial agriculture and agrecology. A true generalized specialist, Mark's work spans from forestry and gardening to craft and woodwork. He produces hand carved woodenware through Quercus Wood Craft. He also writes and teaches about wild edible plants with Eat Here Now, where he works to foster a deep connection to local ecosystems and nature. He lives and works in southeast Michigan.

The Good Foot Project – “We left everything in Los Angeles and started down the road to sustainability. This is our Story.” On April 28th, 2013 Anastasia King and JC Jarris began a year-long expedition, by RV, across the USA visiting low-impact organic farms and eco-villages to learn best practices in sustainable farming, construction, energy, water and waste management. This trip is to educate and prepare them for establishing their own sustainable, low-impact, eco-retreat and training center.

Trevor Newman is an amateur pomologist, avid gardener, student and teacher of regenerative design and all-around plant geek. He owns and operates TerraNu Nursery, an edible and useful plant company based in Clarkston, MI. He also owns and operates an edible landscaping firm called Roots To Fruits Ecological Design. In addition, Trevor is the founder and purveyor of The Fruit Nut a media project dedicated to promoting ecologically sound and economically viable practices. He is a teacher and lecturer - and passionately works to raise awareness about locally and ecologically grown food and has been involved for many years in developing southeast Michigan’s local food culture.

Mark Krawczyk is the owner of Keyline Vermont, a permaculture design, consulting and education business. As a student of permaculture design since 2000, Mark Krawczyk has explored tree crop and agroforestry systems, coppice forestry, natural building, traditional woodcrafts, community organizing and both small and broad acre site design. Mark works as a community educator and organizer with Burlington Permaculture, the non-profit he helped found. He is the owner/operator of RivenWoodCrafts - a traditional woodcraft and natural construction business.

James Maroney is an American Art Dealer and former Organic Dairy Farmer. He has a Master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy from the Vermont Law School, and is a passionate advocate for water quality, often focusing his attention on Vermont Dairy. James puts forth a compelling argument to transition the entire Vermont Diary industry to organic. He also gives us a glimpse into his life as an Art Dealer, and provides a succinct history of the evolution of U.S. Industrial Agriculture.

Lisa Mase, of Harmonized Cookery is a whole foods cooking educator, food writer, translator, and herbalist, living between Italy, Vermont and New Mexico. LIke many people she imagines a time where people relied on their neighbor and food and medicine came right from the local region. Unlike many people, Lisa lived this life as a young girl growing up in the mountains of northern Italy. In a thoughtful and practical way, Lisa explains the role food plays in our individual health, community resiliency and cultural heritage.

Chris Shanks is a Co-Director at Project Bona Fide located on Isla de Ometepe in Nicaragua. He is a multi-talented teacher, organizer, permaculture enthusiast, and design visionary. A graduate of the University of Vermont, Chris is fascinated with living systems and whole systems design. When not working in the non-profit or design world he can be found masquerading as a builder, a mason, as a decent plumber, as a poor electrician, as a sailor, as a fanatic for bamboo, as a lover of palms, as a permaculturalist with a rock/tree climbing habit, and as an avid motorcyclist.

Jon Erickson is Professor of Ecological Economics and Interim Dean at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in ecological economics (EE); leads an international service-learning program in the Dominican Republic focused on human rights and health in migrant communities; co-supervises a graduate certificate program in EE; and leads a research program on both the theoretical development of EE and applied work on human and ecosystem health, rural livelihoods, regional sustainable development, land and biodiversity conservation, watershed planning, forest management, climate change policy, and renewable energy technology. He has published extensively on these topics in journals such as Science, Ecological Economics, Land Economics, Climatic Change, Bioscience, Energy Policy, and Landscape and Urban Planning. Dr. Erickson’s work on problem-based learning in EE was published with Josh Farley and Herman Daly in a

Angella Gibbons, Founder and Director of EarthWalk, has been connecting groups of children to the Earth for 25 years. She was the founder and director of Lotus Lake Discovery Center in Williamstown, VT. from 1993-2003, creating and leading environmental and adventure based school programs for over 15,000 students, teachers, and community members. Angella led the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Summer Kayak Building Expedition Program for teens, from 1998-2004. Her experiences also include teaching 1st and 2nd grade, and 7th and 8th grade science in CostaRica. Her certifications and coursework include: B.A. from UVM (1983), expeditions with the National Outdoor Leadership School and Outward Bound, and certification in Wildlife Tracking. Angella is a certified lifeguard and Wilderness First Responder.

Amy Seidl is a practiced ecologist, activist and author who writes with a lucid and passionate eye about the state of life itself in the age of global warming. By drawing on her 20-year career studying ecology, evolution, and butterflies across the North American continent, she illuminates the historical significance and the everyday impacts of global warming upon the 21st century landscape. A passionate speaker on contemporary environmental issues, Amy frequently keynotes and lectures on climate change, renewable energy, local food systems, and the emerging field of sustainability science. Her research in ecological systems and alternative energy makes her a sought-after lecturer on global warming and she emphasizes the need to innovate and build new physical infrastructures that do not rely on fossil fuels.

Elizabeth Courtney began her career as a printmaker and ceramicist. After moving to Vermont in 1974, she developed an interest in land use issues. In 1979, she enrolled in the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and graduated in 1982 with a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture, she returned to Vermont to practice land use planning. Madeleine Kunin appointed her to the Vermont Environmental Board in 1985 where she served three governors over nine years and was chair from 1990 to 1994. She is a 1995 Harvard Loeb Fellow in Advanced Environmental Studies. She served on the Vermont Law School Board of Trustees from 1995-2004. Elizabeth was the Executive Director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council from 1997 to 2011 and the Legacy Project Director from 2011 to 2012, during which time she authored, with Eric Zencey, Greening Vermont: The Search for a Sustainable State.

Joe Bossen, is the founder and owner of Vermont Bean Crafters. A 2008 graduate of Green Mountain College, and at the ripe age of only 26, Joe has already attempted several small businesses. Vermont Bean Crafters gives him the opportunity to participate in his love for farming, while playing a critical role in Vermont's transition to local food. Joe is taking on a critical role in the transition to local foods, by creating demand for staple crops. He is actively working to integrate his bean-based products into regional schools, health facilities and of course retail outlets. And this summer he has taken on a new aspect as Bean Crafters has already successfully catered large events and weddings. Joe Bossen - master bean crafter and yurt-dweller describes the path from fast food strip malls to agricultural enlightenment.