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About

Karen is the co-founder of Transition 5 Villages, the Upper Valley Apple Corps and the Upper Vally Transformational Action Affinity Group (UVTAAG), local groups working to build a resilient culture by way of supporting renewable food and energy systems, re-skilling, planting fruit and nut trees for free and public picking and leading actions that are transformational in conception and implementation.
She has recently founded Permaculture Solutions, LLC where she works to develop ecologically diverse and nutrient dense landscapes for humans and habitat. She has designed forest gardens and garden systems for families, schools, hospitals and communities a like.  Karen is also the Facilitator for Change the World Kids, a teen run non-profit that focuses on environmental stewardship, social justice and community service. www.changetheworldkids.org

Karen graduated with a self -designed BA titled Social Engagement in Environmental Awareness and Human Rights from Western WA University and is currently working on her Masters in Consciousness Studies and Transpersonal Psychology at Goddard College (Plainfield, VT) and Alef University (UK). Karen completed the Permaculture Design Course (’08), the Master Composter Course ('15) and The Permaculture Teacher Training (’16). She is also a lay herbalist and Reiki Master and enjoys applying earth and energy based healing to her landscape methods.

 

"I grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and was fortunate to be raised in a family that loved the outdoors.  We often swam in fresh mountain lakes and rivers, enjoyed camping during the summer months and skiing in the winter. The forest surrounding our house was a vast play ground, a place where my brother and I could roam freely and explore. I grew to appreciate nature for all her depth, wonder and beauty and went on to include ecology, environmental studies and sustainable agriculture in my undergraduate degree.  I became interested in organic farming and permaculture after learning of the impact industrial agriculture has on climate change. Having visited and lived at a number of farms and intentional communities, often running education programs, I grew to believe that organic farming and permaculture are the keys to developing a sustainable food system and have been studying and advocating for them ever since.”

The Team

Anna grew up in a small town in southwestern New Hampshire where she spent her free time roaming woods, fields, and swamps. While obtaining her BS in Environmental Science at Colby-Sawyer College, her deep roots in observation, respect, and gratitude for the natural world allowed her to excel in the permaculture garden on campus. Anna completed a consulting project for a local food hub and a thesis on extending the growing season using heat generated from compost. This fed her dedication to decentralizing the food system and educating people on how to support local food producers. She recently earned her Permaculture Design Certificate from the University of Oregon. 

 

When not planting or planning, Anna enjoys cooking, biking, kayaking, puzzling, and doing anything outside, especially if there is a game involved. Anna is excited to utilize her background in land conservation, watershed management, sustainable food systems, and mapping software to spread permaculture throughout the Upper Valley!

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