Instructor Team

Our instructor team this year will be Greg Landua, Saskia Esslinger, and Matt Oster, along with other guest instructors.

Gregory Landua is an international permaculture educator, design consultant and eco-social entreprenuer.

Gregory has studied marine and terrestrial ecology and evolutionary biology in the Galapagos Islands, translated for Amazonian rainforest guides, fought wildfires in the wilderness of Alaska, and studied the nuances of ecology and ethics.  Gregory has B.S. in Environmental Science and Ethics from Oregon State University, and a M.Sc in Regenerative Entrepreneurship and Permaculture Design from Gaia University.

Gregory is a founding member of the Terra Genesis International permaculture design firm, and the Director of Regenerative Development for Nova Monda Cacao and Chocolate.  His teaching emphasizes social and economic facets of permaculture design as well as embracing the practical aspects of ecological design by being a farm owner and seasoned permaculture designer in cold, temperate and tropical climates.

 

Saskia Esslinger and her husband, Matt Oster, are permaculture designers, teachers, and practitioners in Anchorage, Alaska. Their business, Red Edge Design, offers home energy audits, edible garden services, and permaculture workshops.

Saskia was born and raised in Anchorage and was heavily influenced by the subsistence activities her family participated in such as hunting, fishing, picking berries, and gardening.  After earning a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University, she was an intern on an organic farm in upstate New York, a children’s gardening program coordinator, a volunteer grant-writer in Malawi, and co-creator (with Matt) of the Sundog Cafe in Rio Dulce, Guatemala.

Matt is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and grew up taking things apart to see how they worked and helping his father build things.  He studied Environmental Science and Outdoor Education at Ohio State and Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka.  His colorful work experience includes establishing his own painting business, kayak guiding in Sitka, manager of the Bear Tooth Theater Pub, carpenter, general contractor, and field manager of commercial PV installations for Powerlight in Berkely, CA.

Saskia and Matt earned their Permaculture Design Certification from the International Institute for Ecological Agriculture in 2004 and gained experience working on several farms in Central America before returning to Alaska to put their knowledge into practice.  They bought a run-down duplex in 2007 and have been working to turn it into a modern urban homestead and permaculture demonstration site dubbed The Williams Street Farmhouse. From this practical application of permaculture in a somewhat challenging environment they have gained the skills to help others grow more of their own food and live more sustainably.

In 2008, Matt started his own general contracting business focusing on green remodeling, and by the end of that year had become a certified home energy rater. Matt has gained an exceptional reputation as an energy rater by taking the time to explain how houses work to his clients.  Matt has also taken his energy efficiency knowledge to remote Alaska as a field manager for Alaska Building Science Network.

In 2010, Saskia earned her masters degree from Gaia University in Regenerative Entrepreneurship.  Her work with Gaia University focused on using permaculture principles to design and implement a business plan for Red Edge Design that used a triple bottom line… helping people, healing the planet, and providing a profit.

Saskia is an unofficial leader of the Anchorage Permaculture Guild and administrator of a statewide permaculture networking website.  In 2010 she helped organize and teach Alaska’s first Permaculture Design Course.  Saskia went on to earn a certification in teaching permaculture creatively from Dave Jacke.

Together, Saskia and Matt make a dynamic teaching team, receiving excellent reviews at local workshops such as Bioneers, Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) forum, and Alaska Botanical Garden’s annual spring conference.  They are deeply invested in their community and believe permaculture can make a difference in Anchorage and the rest of Alaska.