Using permaculture, regenerative, and ecological design principles and practices we work in tandem with our clients for the benefit of ecosystems, organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Jason Gerhardt, Ecological Designer – New York

For two decades Jason Gerhardt has professionally practiced and taught ecological design in diverse environments from the hyper-arid US Southwest to underserved neighborhoods in North St. Louis to a refugee community in Central America. Jason’s design portfolio includes academic campus planning, regenerative agriculture site development, organizational strategizing, food justice initiatives, farmer-accelerator program development, and extensive work with conservation organizations. Jason has taught thousands of students for Naropa University, University of Colorado, the US EPA, and Oregon State University, among dozens of private and public institutions. A developer of multiple land-based enterprises for ecological community development, he holds a BA in Sustainable Design, as well as Permaculture Diplomas in the fields of Site Design, Education, and Research.

Jason is a masterful vegetable grower using human-scale methods, an accomplished agroforestry systems designer, and a renowned ecological water management consultant, often combining all three of these specialties in the design of agroecosystems.

Jason serves as Director of the Permaculture Institute, Inc., and founder of Real Earth Design. His emphasis is at the union of the natural world and human culture. A student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh for over twenty years, he applies a keen awareness of ecosystems, society, and self to his transformative work connecting people to all life. He is a devoted partner, paddler, writer, and farmer. When not serving his students and professional community, he can be found joyfully immersed in innovative farms, rivers, mountain lakes, and cityscapes.

Barnabas Kane, Landscape Architect – Colorado

Barnabas is a second-generation landscape architect with a multi-disciplinary background in landscape architecture, planning, and fine art. He brings a bright mind and masterful hand to design and drafting work. Since founding T. Barnabas Kane & Assoc. in Prescott, AZ in 1999, he has collaborated on many of north and central Arizona’s most outstanding projects for municipal, educational, commercial, and other clients. He has since taken his experience to Denver, Colorado and throughout the US.

His 25-plus years of experience encompass higher education campus planning, stormwater management, ecological restoration, rainwater catchment, permaculture design, and wildlife and pollinator habitat. 

Sarah Keown, Permaculture Designer – Pennsylvania

Sarah is a permaculturist with specialties in human scale vegetable farming/gardening, landscaping with herbal medicine plants, and environmental education. She holds a BA in Sustainable Community Development from Prescott College. Sarah is a pattern thinker who comes from a family of artists and uses her artistic abilities to interact with the landscape and design process. When working with clients she invests time into building relationships and listening to their needs. Sarah is rooted in values of truly caring about the land and each other and seeking honesty in situations. She employs this in her design process to get to the root of problems and to find the most authentic and aesthetic potential for a landscape. She believes that ecological landscapes are at their best when they create joy and happiness in our lives rather than causing stress. She has applied her design work one-on-one with clients, as part of installation crews, working with kids in gardens, and leading activities on urban farms across the US. Sarah is our residential projects lead and drafts many of our hand drawn designs.