Culture Brothers

Location: Ignacio, Colorado (6700 ft above sea level)
Project Start Date: 2008
Expected Completion Date (i.e. when project is expected to be financially self-sufficient):

Project Concept:

Culture Brothers is a permaculture school in SW Colorado. Culture Brothers also provides designs and consultations for projects and parcels of land around the globe.

Detailed Project Description:

Culture Brothers facilitates education in sustainability through weekend workshops, lectures and hands-on events. We show people how to ease the transition to energy independence and local interdependence.

We are also available for one-on-one and community consultations in land planning, light structural design, consensus facilitation and visioning for large projects.

Project Duration & Schedule:

Short term plans - market permaculture education; teach for the fall Continuing Education program at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO; design and construct research/demonstration plots.

Medium term - market and teach full 72-hour permaculture design certificate course.

Long term - compile bioregional knowledge database and materials database; incorporate knowledge keepers into permaculture education; implement large-scale carpooling/hitchhiking scheme; implement widespread roadside markets; implement collective regional health plan.

Project Needs:

Marketing strategy for permaculture education and design/consultancy

Other Information:

Culture Brothers consists of Chris Ricci and Michael Freeman, who both live in Ignacio, CO.

Chris earned his B.A. in Mathematics at Colorado College, and received his permaculture training from Penny Livingston and Starhawk at the Permaculture Institute of Northern California. He has taught permaculture throughout the U.S. and southern and eastern Africa. He is a passionate amateur mycologist and advocate for uniting our local community in Durango.

Michael graduated from Illinois State University with a B.S. in Environmental Health. He was a student of the first Permaculture Design Teacher Training at Esalen Institute. Michael is currently developing an alliance for the Durango Health Fund.