Originally from Wisconsin, I found my way to Washington State to learn about permaculture. Now I’m a leader in both permaculture design and education. I co-authored the book Practical Permaculture and teach at Bastyr University and other institutions. While learning about permaculture, I lived at the Bullock’s Permaculture Homestead and got to experience education in both land care and community living. That’s a huge part of my reason for being involved with Rooted Northwest. I’m super excited to work on regenerative ag projects by day and then share meals and play cribbage in the evening!

I was born and raised in Himeji, Japan. My family has orchards, vegetable gardens, and rice paddies in a suburban context. I came to the US for school in 1996. I worked for 14+ years at a non-profit domestic violence agency (direct service, management, HR, etc.) and launched my own art/illustration business recently (honeyberrystudios.com). I love good food, anything crafty, and cuddly creatures.

I believe we shape our environment with our choices, and that positive things happen when people with shared values work towards long-term goals. This is our life project, for children our own and others’. I am most at home iterative action with thoughtful decisions, surrounding myself with great people, that great design follows nature, and anything worthwhile must surely require a workshop full of great woodworking tools.

I grew up in Argentina, and I like designing, fixing and making things. For 10 years I was the CEO & CTO of a multinational nonprofit that makes technology for health, crisis response and sustainable development called InSTEDD, a TED-prize organization. My background is in physics, engineering, AI/machine learning & evolutionary systems; and have architecture, design, carpentry, and electronic skills; and got my Permaculture Design Certificate a few years ago.

I grew up in a small town in Argentina, daughter to a rural doctor and close to family-owned farms and production. I love cooking and teaching and in my immediate family there are restaurant owners and vineyards producing small-scale wine and olive oil. I am a surgeon at Harborview and work mostly on trauma/emergency cases and am on various diversity and leadership councils. With Ed I also run OurPaleBlueDot, an initiative that inspires children to love earth and the cosmos through do-it-yourself space-related projects.

I grew up in the northeastern US, but have lived and traveled in many parts of the world studying and working in public health. Sustainability and living lightly on the land have always been attractive to me and over the years I’ve dabbled in worm bins, composting toilets, edible yards, and non-PVC solar. I lived in Ithaca at the time the first EcoVillage was founded there, and ever since it’s been a dream to join and work in such a community.

I was born and raised in Western Washington and spent almost 30 years writing page-layout software for Adobe and Amazon. Now I’m excited to open the next chapter of my life away from a desk and to focus on building relationships and learning about regenerative design. I love cooking for groups large and small, playing board games with my adult sons, and reading. I’m eager to live in a community that strives for connection with a spirit of gratitude and generosity.

Lived, played, educated and worked in Copenhagen and surroundings till 1987. Software engineering manager till 2008. From 1987 to 1995 in Miami, Nice, Munich. Onward on the North Eastside and enjoy the wooded neighborhood close to St. Edward State Park. I have lived in the area for 25 years part of the time with a mature garden with veggie/berry patches. Travel/ed the world, these days to visit friends and/or family abroad, including son and his family in London, or to explore an area. I regenerate in the mountains on bike, by foot or skis. Curious about human motivation and interactions; the main toolbox has been NLP. Enjoy modern design and art. Have lived in communes and was a founder of Trudeslund cohousing community in Birkerød in 1979-81. However, we sold our townhouse three months before it was finished due to our divorce. My brother was also a founder of Trudeslund and later founded Blikfanget, where he stills live with his wife. My father founded a senior cohousing community, where he lived to his passing. His wife is still living there.

Both permaculture and cohousing have been in my thoughts for over 20 years, permaculture because it seemed to fit my personal style of gardening and cohousing because it seemed such a sensible way to live. As a retired public health nurse, I appreciate the systems approach to its design. Our Rooted NW community has welcomed not only me, but my dogs, chickens, mother and sister. I am looking forward to having the Rooted NW people as neighbors and working partners!

I believe in being kind to one another and to the Earth.

My biggest project the last several years has been to replace our lawn with a collage of fruit, berry, vegetable, and pollinator- and wildlife-supporting plantings. Many of the plants were given to me, and now I take great pleasure in sharing seeds, cuttings, and divisions with others. I also believe that Nature often brings to us what we need, and am annoyingly enthusiastic about edible “weeds.” I can be a little overzealous about my flock of backyard ducks, too, but then again, they are pretty darn cute… (Simone is pictured)

I love playing hard, working hard, and getting dirty in nature. I love eating, cooking, and growing food.

I care deeply about our planet and the people sharing it. For me, it starts with food. Discovering the effects of food production and food access and then implementing changes that allow everyone to have nourishing food inspires me. I believe everyone deserves access to the best food possible and I believe our planet will grow in abundance when this happens.

The thought of playing and working in a community on a farm excites me. The possibility of doing this while also continuing my technical career, which I also love, makes Rooted NW the ideal place for me to call home.

My favorite activity is going to Mt Rainier with Carla and our son. We love to hike and relax in the most beautiful and inspiring place we know. I also enjoy practicing meditation, yoga, and Wim Hof breathing/cold. I’m currently studying compassionate leadership, non-violent communication, and the dismantling of oppression.

I discovered traveling at a young age and did a year of college in the ancient city of Bath, England, exploring the cathedrals, the countryside, and eventually the rest of Europe. Landing in the magical Island of Crete, I recognized a homecoming, from lives lived previously. I completed a degree in Biology before returning to Crete, learning Greek, and living in a fishing village not far from the Ancient Palace of Knossos.

I found one of my life’s purposes to be in Wholistic Health, where I combined the gifts from my travels and learning about people from all over the world. I have had a successful 30+year career facilitating healing, and called Durango, Colorado home for 32 years. Besides an active private practice, I found a calling to be a volunteer firefighter and medic. Being part of a team, knowing that one’s life depended on that cooperation and teamwork, was a remarkable and life-changing experience.

In 2017 my husband Tom and I began spending more time in the Seattle area for cancer treatments that were keeping Tom well — we relished the moistness and the diversity of the city. We found a poster at the Seattle Central Co-op promoting this Permaculture Co-housing Community. Tom had developed the first Permaculture Farm in our Colorado county, growing figs and persimmons at 9500′ altitude! When we got to the land that spring, we knew we had found what we didn’t know we were looking for — a community of caring members committed to regenerative agriculture and care between people. Tom transitioned over while we were becoming members. I have been lovingly supported during my grieving by this remarkable community. I feel that I have found my tribe at last!!

Originally from upstate New York, I honed driving in the snow and developed a strong work ethic growing up in a family business. I now call the Pacific Northwest home. Mom of two fierce girls, a fur baby and hens — I spend my days as a tech executive and a wife to a farmer in the spare time. It takes a village, and I’m excited to build one.

An aerospace engineer by degree and a farmer by passion. I launched Reconnecting Roots Farm after completing the Viva Farms Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture. I look forward to relocating my farm to Rooted NW as I officially trade a computer for a shovel. My interest in growing good food has made me a student of organizations that occupy the local food space — the Slow Food movement, bioregionalism, heritage livestock and heirloom seeds. I’m excited to grow delicious and sustainably grown food for my family and community.

Fine wine, excellent food, beautiful flowers, and old growth forests are just some of my favorite things. After graduating high school in the Hudson River Valley I hitchhiked, drove, and flew around the country for several years till I settled in the most beautiful part: Washington state.

At WWU I majored in environmental studies and political science. For most of my career I was a landscape and irrigation contractor. I had a few trucks and a small crew of people who worked on both commercial and residential maintenance and installation. For about 10 years I worked this business out of a 10-acre commercial blueberry farm. We sold blueberries and other crops out of this farm to the retail market and also to the wholesale market.

My goal now is to get back into regenerative agriculture — to produce for the local retail markets and possibly get into the wholesale market.

My childhood was spent between the Netherlands’ countryside and the beach towns of southern California. But despite the upheaval of immigrating I always felt rooted in love of family, a love of nature, and an appreciation of healthy living. I raised my three kids to also appreciate those values and I am excited to be part of a community now that also reflects this. At Rooted, I look forward to growing both the community and the food that will sustain us. I plan to help my partner Matthew with blueberry farming and hope to do some flower farming as well. I take endless satisfaction in knowing that we are rescuing this one beautiful parcel of land from development and are nurturing and stewarding it towards a more sustainable, regenerative future.

For most of my adult life I’ve alternately dreamt of getting closer to the source of our food through community farming, and being part of a co-housing community. My passion for systems change and illuminating solutions have driven my professional work, including roles at Sightline Institute, Seattle Good Business Network, and YES! Media. Rooted NW for me brings my passions and skills together with others into a grand experiment that deeply inspires me. And it’s a chance to model for my children and others what it means to bring your heart, mind, and hands to the ongoing and collective work of building a better world. And I think we’re going to have a ton of fun doing it!

I grew up kind of skinny and klutzy as a kid in Oakland, California. I spent many days with my parents gardening and building with my dad. There were long summer days I spent time sliding down grassy slopes on cardboard and hours and hours playing games with other kids at the local school yard. As I became an adult, my love for sport has not waned, I am looking for a volleyball court we can laugh and play in, after working in a community garden or on a project that we have put together. I look forward to sharing those things I enjoy and singing my heart.

Originally from NY's Catskill Mountains, John O'Leary hitchhiked out to the Pacific Northwest, turning 20 on the road. It wasn't long before this felt like home, but he kept moving nonetheless, highlights including several months each in China, Ireland, and England, plus nearly two years in Bavaria. His wanderlust waned by the time he turned 30, and since then he has been deepening his appreciation for the beings and dynamics of the land and sea so cherished by thousands of generations of Coast Salish peoples. Union activism, youth services, and managing the water resources program of a local tribe have been some of his eclectic pursuits over the past decades. He's excited about joining RootedNW where care and respect for land, water, and all living things is such a central tenet.

I was born in Seattle in 1968 and am the oldest of four. I struggled with separation, divorce and remarriage throughout my childhood which created strained and broken relationships. It made me question my devotion to “family” and forced me to better understand the need for self care and NVC. Not to say that there weren’t good times as well. I learned to work hard from my Grandfather, commercial salmon fishing out of Ilwaco, WA. My Dad taught me to be curious about the world around me and encouraged me to take everything apart to learn how it works, then put it back together again. My Mom reflected the kindness and compassion that I see in myself today. I’m happiest in the nature that the PNW provides, particularly the wild coast that is unique to the continental US. I love fly fishing, backpacking, gardening, sports and spending time with Steffi. My mind tends to run in overdrive. Finding Rooted and its people have given me a rare laser focus. Steffi and I have a nervous excitement about becoming medicinal herb farmers on the land and that picture is becoming clearer by the day.

Originally from Germany I chose the breathtakingly beautiful Pacific Northwest as my home over 25 years ago. I’m a wildcrafter, fisherwoman, medicine maker and PNW foodie and love to roam the mountains, rivers, and woods with my sweet husband Don. We started River Raven Herbs at Rooted Northwest in 2022. We ethically, sustainably and organically farm, re-wild and bring to market high quality, hand-crafted medicinal and culinary herbs and herbal products with an emphasis on local and at-risk plants. We do this to reduce the distance medicine has to travel, to educate our community about historical uses, equity, habitat, and medicinal properties, and to ensure, the plants, their beauty, and their wisdom will be accessible for generations to come.

As a recovering Californian and after 35 years in Seattle I am pulling up my urban taproot and moving to the countryside as I have always intended.

I envision Rooted NW as being a real life, tangible, inspiring example of what is possible when mother earth is at the center of what truly counts. An example of how to help heal our environment and create a curiosity of the miracles of nature for future generations. I have no doubt it will constantly challenge my ADHD tendencies with so many possibilities of projects to pursue in my retirement.

Most of my life has revolved around providing places for people to live, including a previous life as a building contractor, a housing provider and now a Green Realtor. I endeavor to support habitat for wildlife in my future home and look forward to living the 7-generation promise.

Born and raised in Seattle, it is time for me to pick up roots to outside the city. I was immediately drawn to Rooted Northwest because of my desire to live in community with others, and to find land to start a tea (camellia sinensis) hobby farm. Since joining the community as a member in summer 2024, I’ve jumped in and found the people and land are even more amazing than they initially seem.

Outside of Rooted Northwest, I spend time working as a marketer for a small business, hanging out with my senior dog, and occasionally coaching kids to learn how to play roller derby.

I grew up in Long Beach, CA, as the youngest of six siblings. I enjoy all types of sports, board games, backpacking, and dog beaches. For the past few years I’ve been working as a Physician Associate in rural Guatemala. There, my husband and I welcomed our baby boy and we experienced the deep richness of living in true community. As we planned to return to the US and put down roots, we wanted to prioritize a lifestyle centered around community and regeneration. There’s nothing dreamier than a farm surrounded by a forest, where kids can roam free and opportunities for play and connection are endless.

Originally from Maryland, I went to boarding school in Massachusetts, attended UNC-Chapel Hill for college and worked at a tech startup in Denver. Afterwards, I dreamed about starting a summer camp, which culminated in helping start a COVID bubble at camp for college kids. My wife Audrey and I then moved to rural Guatemala and I did 1:1 work online drawing upon Internal Family Systems and Somatic Experiencing.

Nowadays, we live in Mexico with our 1-year old son Santi and beloved dog Salsa. I enjoy being a stay-at-home dad with a lot of hobbies and I'm lit up by Vipassana meditation, syntropic agroforestry, agile learning centers, degrowth, and outdoor adventure sports.

We discovered Rooted Northwest after visiting a friend at Ecovillage at Ithaca in 2024 and felt like it was everything we loved about EVI except on the west coast (closer to some of our family!). At Rooted, we're dreaming most about raising our kids in community and starting a self-directed forest school.

For quite a few years now, I've been looking for a community and a project that inspires me and reflects my most cherished values.  Reflecting on the current state of our planet, I wanted to find a way to do my part to restore, to nurture, to preserve and share this beautiful home with all beings, in both space and time, present and future.  What a blessing it was to find Rooted.  I was born and raised in Taiwan until I was twelve,  worked and raised my family as an engineer in Silicon Valley.  After our children flew the nest, I left my career as an engineer and started a second career in teaching.  I am interested in education and believe in its power of transformation.  I currently work as a high school math teacher.  Math is so beautiful to me and I really enjoy sharing its elegance and splendor with my students.

We love to travel and have seen many places.  I especially love wild places.  I am in love with my electric bike and my very human powered kayak  (it really needs a battery too).  I don't like running but I like hiking.  I read (sometimes when I should be sleeping instead).  I love to eat, so I am a decent cook, but I like eating more than cooking.  I like yoga and did Ashtanga for many years until my body told me to stop, so now I do Bikram.  And I find people fascinating.  Finally, I can't wait for us to all be at the farm.

I am looking forward to once more living in a rural village near open space and farms among neighbors that I know. I say "once more" because I grew up in small town New England where we knew many of our neighbors and could easily run off to play in the woods.  I thought it was a great place to grow up. For the last 30 years or so I have enjoyed living with my family and neighbors at the edge of a Silicon Valley suburb, but our children and our neighbors are all moving away.  Rooted is my next great place to live.

After leaving New England for my first attempt at engineering school, I spent 4 or 5 years in the Army Infantry in Germany and Georgia.  After finally graduating engineering school I spent a few years in Denver working on satellite launches then moved to Silicon Valley to work on software. I've worked in factories, served in the Army, played French Horn for (not much) money, been an Aerospace engineer, a Software Developer, and a small business manager.  I am ready to help grow some food.

I love to travel, and the further I get from the city, the happier I tend to be.  I like music, especially music in a group, so for the past few years I have been learning to sing Tenor in a local choir.  I run as much as my knees will allow, hike, bike, and sea kayak.  I expect to spend many happy years exploring the trails and waterways near Rooted.