Douglas is a true utilitarian, his hands on skill set as well as his ability to turn a vision into reality is so impressive. He grew up in a family that owned a construction company so earthworks, land surveying and design come second nature to him amongst many other valuable skills. He spent many years in the corporate world and a few of his latest jobs before becoming a Certified Permaculture Designer included being certified as an energy auditor for the Government of Canada and teaching others how to retrofit their homes and how to live more efficiently. He’s worked as a project manager in the trades for many years at a plumbing, electrical and HVAC company. He has owned and operated a residential home inspection company. From there he has shifted gears and focused on more nature immersing jobs such as Park Ranger for BC Parks and then successfully managed and operated a Municipal Campground in Northern BC for three seasons. His willingness to work hard and tackle anything is very admirable! He’s devoted to being a lifelong learner and his work in permaculture is such a wonderful fit. In his downtime he enjoys nature and wildlife photography and videography, playing guitar and baseball. He recently picked up pickleball as well! Melanie grew up in a rural community on a small farm, raising cattle, chickens, and pigs, playing on tractors, tending the family garden, plucking ripe apples, plums, and berries directly from the trees and bushes on the quaint homestead she roamed daily. There were no such plans of overindulgent family trips to Disney or Vegas in her childhood. Instead time was focused on the outdoors, going even further away from the hustle and bustle to enjoy fishing, four wheeling, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and connecting with nature firsthand on a regular basis. She is a compassionate individual who spent many years in health care, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, and worked in various roles of the healthcare system over the years, from bedside and community care and then on to hospice leadership and consultation work. She truly thrives when making a difference in the lives of others. Amid understanding the limitations of conventional medicine, she has totally transformed her ideology of what health truly means and values food as medicine. When she’s not in the kitchen preparing delightful homemade goodness from scratch you can find her roaming a beach, propagating new plants, studying and researching nature, reading permaculture books, listening to pod casts or partaking in a webinar. She also loves a good long hike and foraging in the wilderness.

Our Story Doug and I (along with our two boys) began our journey towards freedom and self sustainable living in 2018. We were both at the height of our professional careers and feeling the disconnect from our young boys and our true purpose more and more with each passing day. While in the midst of deciding where life would take us next and preparing to sell our home and ‘move up’ we really stopped ourselves in our tracks and began to evaluate the upcoming decisions and how it would continue to impact our future as individuals and a family. After many deep conversations with ourselves we decided that we would place everything on pause. We yearned for more adventure, we begged for a release from the systems and societal norms we were conditioned into, and we were more determined than ever to jump into a life of self discovery! We sold our home along with all of our belongings that wouldn’t fit into our thirty-foot Class C RV and hit the road in search of what was truly important to us! And what a journey it has been! We have hiked the shores of Lake Superior while bathing in its chilly but satisfying waters. We’ve followed herds of bison through the trails in Northern Alberta. We spent two weeks chasing waterfalls in the Northwest Territories while meeting some amazing new friends and learning the ways of the land while interacting with the aboriginal people themselves. We’ve lived completely off grid for many weeks at a time in some of the most remote areas of the Canadian wilderness. We’ve spent many afternoons foraging and discovering the interconnectedness of nature. We’ve seen some of the most amazing mountain ranges while driving through the Rockies and Cascades. We’ve submersed ourselves in the natural hot springs of upper British Columbia. We’ve touched the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle up the Dempster Highway. We’ve seen gigantic skies and witnessed the Aurora Borealis in full colour. We’ve explored the rainforests of Vancouver Island and walked the beautiful sand beaches in Tofino, while tidepool exploring and finding some strange and fascinating sea creatures all around us. Most recently we have continued our adventures south into Central America to explore the fascinating culture and natural elements not available to us in Canada and the U.S. Life is truly a blessing to us and our family! Our journey has taught us many things while growing immensely as individuals and as a family, but nothing more important than the understanding of true sustainability. We have had the opportunity during our travels to volunteer on many farms, homesteads and community supported projects while focusing on helping to teach others while growing at the same time. Aiding and supporting people to organize and prioritize is a true passion of ours, and we love hearing and seeing the success stories from the many families we have helped along the way.

Ready to get started? Are you a first-time gardener looking for a plan to get started on your own sustainable garden or food forest? Are you someone with years of experience in the garden but wants a helping hand to ensure that all of the systems put into place are going to thrive without the trial and error process? Are you looking at developing a newly purchased piece of land into the homestead of your dreams? We are the team to help you get growing! Melanie and Douglas work together in a “two brains are better than one” type of approach, with both male and female brains working in conjunction to ensure that your garden or homestead project is not only practical and functionable, but also esthetically beautiful! We look forward to meeting with you soon! To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow – Audrey Hepburn