PERMACULTURE DESIGN SERIES

Maximizing Impact: Preparing Youth to Inherit the Earth
through Permaculture Education

Thursday, November 13, 2025 | 4-5:30pm PT

How can permaculture education equip youth with the skills for a sustainable future?

In this session, join Eco-Designers founder and OSU Permaculture faculty Monica Ibacache, Andrew Millison, Marisha Auerbach, and Charles Upton as they discuss the transformative impact of permaculture education on youth and beyond.

They will also discuss the current state of play for OSU youth permaculture programs, and what programs come next. 

This summer, Oregon State University piloted a 96-hour permaculture program for high school students in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

As a result of the program, students gained:

• Technical permaculture design skills, creating proposals for community parks in collaboration with Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation.
  
  
• Community engagement and workforce development skills that prepare them for future green careers.

What Comes Next?

Discover how permaculture professionals are launching new programs and curricula that begin with the end in mind: showing youth how to think sustainably now, so that they may continue their journey in post-secondary school programs. 

This conversation invites educators, designers, and changemakers to reflect on what’s already working — and what’s next.

Join us to see how permaculture is helping youth become creative problem-solvers, community leaders, and designers of a more resilient world.

WEBINAR HOST

Monica Ibacache is permaculture faculty with Oregon State University and Cornell University, and the creator of the Eco-Designers program under her organization Beyond Organic Design (BOD). Based in New York City, Monica is a 15-year educator dedicated to cultivating ecological literacy through hands-on learning. The Eco-Designers program was created with urban youth in mind, making permaculture relevant through age-appropriate design projects that connect students to climate solutions. In addition to working with youth, Monica also equips teachers and schools to integrate permaculture into their classrooms. Through BOD, she was commissioned by Oregon State University and the Murfreesboro Parks and Rec to design their first high school permaculture summer program.