Courses, Workshops & Events

For Upcoming Courses, Workshops, & Events Click this Spring & Summer in Permaculture, Ecovillage Design, Sustainable Living Skills, & More Click Here.

Instructors

Warren Brush

Quail Springs Permaculture, Co-founder

True Nature Design, Director / Founder

Warren Brush is a certified Permaculture designer and teacher as well as a mentor and storyteller. He has worked for over 25 years in inspiring people of all ages to discover, nurture and express their inherent gifts while living in a sustainable manner. He is cofounder of Quail Springs Permaculture, Casitas Valley Creamery & Farm, Regenerative Earth Farms, Sustainable Vocations, Wilderness Youth Project, Trees for Children and his Permaculture design company, True Nature Design. He works extensively in Permaculture education and sustainable systems design in North America, Africa, Middle East, Europe, and Australia. He has devoted many years to mentoring youth and adults to inspire and equip them to live in a sustainable manner with integrity and a hopeful outlook. His mentoring includes working with those who are former child soldiers, orphans, indigenous peoples, youth from troubled families and situations as well as those youth from other varied and privileged backgrounds. He teaches courses including: Permaculture Design Certification, Rainwater Harvesting Systems, Ferro- Cement Tank Building, Compost Toilet Systems, Greywater Solutions, Water for Every Farm, Drought Proofing, Cultural Mentoring, Introduction to Permaculture Systems, Corporation Sole Formation, Food Forestry, and origins skills among other offerings.

Lead Instructor

Joseph Lentunyoi

Joseph Lentunyoi is a Permaculture advisor/trainer, and an Organic Agriculture practitioner. Joseph is co-founder of the Permaculture Research Institute of Kenya, to which he brings extensive practical knowledge of sustainable farming as well as teaching experience. He served as the Sustainability Director for Nyumbani Village, where over 900 children live who have been orphaned by HIV related diseases.  He has experience working with non-governmental organizations, children in schools, women’s community-based groups, and in coordinating local and international volunteers. He teaches and designs with permaculture techniques extensively in East Africa, and has taught several international PDC trainings in Kenya and Australia.

Lead Instructor

Jeanette Acosta

Jeanette Acosta is a certified teacher and designer for permaculture and specializes in maritime culture, herbalism, ethnobotany and biodynamic principles.  Jeanette’s ancestors were Native Americans. She serves indigenous people with her participation in numerous committees and groups, including a growing emphasis on building collaboration among Native American nations to protect sacred burial and ceremonial sites. In her work, she emphasizes humankind’s symbiotic relationship between earth and sky. Her experience dealing with international business people, world diplomats, heads of states, renowned artists/celebrities, and politicians gives her a unique perspective on various cultures and customs.

For all her life, Jeanette and her family have applied their shared experience to create cultural preservation and teach sustainability and stewardship of the Earth. Together they develop and implement practical solutions for sustainable living while offering hands-on permaculture courses, workshops and more. Sat Siri’s courses lead us through the principle of Council, followed by an exploration of Indigenous teachings about sustainability passed on by her parents and Chumash Elders. Council is the practice of speaking and listening from the heart. Through compassionate, heartfelt expression and empathic, non-judgmental listening, Council inspires a non-hierarchical form of deep communication that reveals a group's vision and purpose.  Council offers effective means of resolving conflicts and for discovering the deeper, often unexpressed needs of individuals and organizations. Council provides a comprehensive means for co-visioning and making decisions in a group context. Council is about our personal and collaborative story. Her workshop sessions introduce the abundance of materials, resources, knowledge, and ancestry that exists in our natural environment. (i.e., The practice of gathering and use of native plants.)  Sat Siri provides expertise with cultural immersion specifically to Indigenous Maritime land use system as it relates to culture and ethno-ecological importance. She teaches to cultivate inner garden’s cycles, transitions, restoration, and revitalization process as it relates to the preservation and stewardship of Self, Earth & Spirit.  Sat Siri was raised in a household visited by traditional Indigenous healers who imbued in her the respect of these sacred traditions. She is the Blesser for the Annual Blessing Ceremony for Peace at the 3HO Summer Solstice International Peace Prayer Day.  She is also a certified Teacher Trainer of Kundalini Yoga & Meditation. Sat Siri Kaur is deeply connected with the earth and spirit, emotes love, compassion and connectedness and seeks to fill others with gratitude, consciousness and the sensation of being blessed.

Instructor

Lindsay Allen

FoodWaterShelter, Permaculture Advisor

Lindsay joined the Quail Springs team this past winter after making the long trek across the country from her Massachusetts home. Before coming to Quail Springs she worked in organic farming and  Permaculture in Massachusetts, Illinois, East Africa and Panama.

She is currently co- managing the farm, helping to facilitate courses at Quail Springs, and is also the permaculture advisor for the non-profit FoodWaterShelter in Tanzania. These days, Lindsay

is enjoying teaching and sharing the wonderful world of permaculture farming with others.

Instructor

Noah Jackson

Noah Jackson is a conservation consultant and storyteller whose work combines photography, writing, and new media to document conservation and community issues.  Noah is the founder and director of Forest Voices.  He has worked in Asia and Africa for over a decade, starting as a Peace Corps volunteer, and continuing through graduate work, a Fulbright fellowship, independent projects, and as an auditor and farmer trainer for the Rainforest Alliance. His storytelling work can be found in publications such as the National Geographic Traveler, the Rainforest Alliance Blog and Canopy newsletter.

Instructor

Brenton Kelly

Brenton has over 25 years experience in soil building, gardening, non-toxic land management and animal husbandry. He co-owned Island Seed and Feed in Goleta for 10 years before joining the Quail Springs team, and has taught 1000′s of folks about pastured

poultry, bees, worms, vegetables, and more!

Instructor

Jay Markert (“Jay Ma”)

Jay Ma is a holistic educator, regenerative design consultant, permaculture teacher, and social entrepreneur committed to creating ecological and cultural resiliency through living systems design principles. As the founder and director of programs at Living Mandala, Jay works with holistic educators, businesses, communities and institutions designing, organizing, and promoting educational trainings, events, and initiatives for personal, ecological and social transformation in the pacific northwest, nationally, and internationally. Jay is a community organizer and seasoned event producer who has produced educational programs, retreats, workshops, conferences and community development projects for 12 years now with organizations including the Regenerative Design Institute, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Gaia University, Omega Institute, Harmony Festival, and many others.

Jay received his first Permaculture Design Certificate in 2001, started his degree program in performing Arts Production Management at Naropa University, received a B.S. through New College of California in Culture, Ecology, and Sustainable Community with a concentration in Eco-Dwelling & Natural Building in 2005, and is currently a Master's Candidate at Gaia University in Integrative Ecosocial Design. He is a two-time graduate of the pioneering two-year training intensive in Regenerative Design & Nature Awareness through the Regenerative Design Institute. Jay is permaculture design course instructor, a nature connection educator, a community facilitator, and a fire walk instructor through Sundoor International.

Jay is also co-founder of Shire Springs - a developing Ecovillage based on Permaculture Ethics & Peacemaking Principles offering affordable residential Ecovillage living and community co-stewardship opportunities on a beautiful oasis in the greater Mt. Shasta Bioregion in California - U.S.A.. Jay is skilled community organizer as well as an engaging educator passionate about sustainability, nature connection, social entrepreneurship, team building, and creating a culture of human beings living harmoniously with each other and our environment. More information on Jay Ma can be found on his Linkedin Profile.

Instructor

Melanie St.James, MPA

The Global Summit - Executive Producer & Co-Chair

Melanie is a creative social entrepreneur, dedicated to building a thriving world from the ground up. Melanie's global social change journey began in 1994 with a semester abroad to mainland China. After completing an international education in Spain, Italy, Cuba and Africa, with sustainable development field studies in Senegal and Zimbabwe (and being inspired by many creative social entrepreneurs there), Melanie identified Empowerment WORKS' flagship approach to turning local resources into solutions, now

called, "7 Stages to Sustainability (7SS)". In 2001, Melanie formed “Empowerment Works” as a global sustainability think-tank in action continuously working to connect the world's most culturally rich, yet economically challenged communities with the access to markets, tools and partners they need to thrive.  

In 2007 after participating in the World Social Forum in Kenya, Melanie co-developed and

produced The Global Summit (2008- 2020)  to unite social, economic and environmental

movements for a sustainable future. Melanie holds a Masters of Public Administration in International Management from the Monterey Institute of International Studies’ Graduate School of International Policy Studies, and a BA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Schiller International University in Madrid, Spain.

In 2007 she published a medicinal plant based AIDS treatment which she seeks partners to help make available in the developing world at cost.  Her training in Transformative Mediation and International Negotiations supports EW's multi-sector collaboration model. Fluent in French and Spanish, Melanie has lived and traveled across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.  

Instructor

Alissa Sears

Christie CommUnity Foundation, Executive Director

Alissa leads Christie Communications’ Strategic Planning and Global Betterment Divisions and serves as the Executive Director of the Christie CommUnity Foundation as well as the Board Chair of Safe Water International, serves on the Executive Committee of the Clean Business Investment Summit, and most recently as an Advisor on Impact Investing to the 300in6 Initiative. Alissa leads Christie Communications’ Strategic Planning Division to develop results-oriented, comprehensive strategies across multiple industries for clients ranging from natural product companies to impact investment groups, social entrepreneurs to natural food and beverage products, green building to non-profit organizations and community groups.

She has also helped to create social enterprises and sustainable development programs in communities in Northern Sri Lanka, Sudan, Rwanda, Cambodia, Malawi, Chad, Bolivia, Mexico, in the US, and beyond. Alissa first began working in Northern Sri Lanka helping to develop Sri Lankan-run educational and leadership/sustainable development programs in the war-torn NorthEast. With the programs still running locally, Alissa has continued working to build integrated, scalable, market-based models that integrate the local community with local and international organizations and businesses for the benefit of the communities.

She is a Board Member of Safe Water International, The California Coast Venture Forum/Clean Business Investment Summit, the Weidemann Foundation, HumaniTourism, and an advisor to the 300in6 Initiative, Blue Ocean Sciences, Ocean Lovers Collective, The Chad Relief Foundation, Create Global Healing, the Playful Planet Foundation, Yellow Leaf Hammocks, and others.

Instructor

Janice Setser

Mercy Corps

rathen Heckman is the founding executive director of Daily Acts Organization, president of the board for Transition US, publisher of Ripples - an award-winning journal, and a backyard farmer. He is the former executive director of Green Sangha Organization and currently on the board of directors. Seeking to inspire the engagement of hearts, minds and senses, Trathen educates and works with community, business and municipal leaders to create programs, policy and models which harness the power of nature and inspired action to restore the health of our lives and communities. Trathen has given oodles of local, national and international presentations on Sustainability, Ecological Design and the power of our daily actions to renew the world. He lives in the Petaluma River Watershed where he grows food, medicine and wonder while working to compost apathy and lack.

Instructor

Plus Additional Guest Instructors!

Affiliate Organizations & Sponsors

  

Become a sponsor of this course!

For details email: sponsors(at)livingmandala.com

For Upcoming Courses, Workshops, & Events Click this Spring & Summer in Permaculture, Ecovillage Design, Sustainable Living Skills, & More Click Here.