RDI Programs

PDC - 2008
EOL - 2010

During both the PDC and EOL, my life was drastically changed. I was ripe for large shifts to occur in my inner and outer world and what transpired during my short time at the farm was literally life changing. I will always bow in great honor and respect for the work that Penny and James have done and the space that they have created. I went from having lived my entire life in some of the largest metropolitan cities to now living in an incredible community in a yurt!  I truly believe that my time at RDI re-awakened my need for living in community and in communion with nature. A drastic shift that has only strengthened my direction in my life and my purpose on our beautiful planet.

The knowledge base that I was able to walk away from gave me a visceral and experiential knowledge base of permaculture. This is something that I was able to to incorporate into my foundation as an ecological interior designer to create a whole-systems approach to design. I have continued to nurture the knowledge that I gained in my two-week intensive and now apply it where I live as well as in our heirloom seed company.  

I am hoping to weave the importance of seed saving and overall seed knowledge with the permaculture community. There is significant lack of this awareness amongst permculturists and something that is inherently integrated in all the basic principals.  

I believe that in the work that I am doing in my ecological interior design firm, Astrid Design Studio and in my heirloom seed company, The Living Seed Company, I am making big strides in bringing awareness to many realms of peoples lives that may go unnoticed - their home/work spaces and the food their eat. It has been a dream of mine to be where I am in my life and truly believe that it all started with intention and a lot of hard-work. I believe this work will continue to unfold and manifest and many different ways as the need for my expertise continues to call me in different directions and to different places.

With The Living Seed Company, we have created The Giving Seed Program, where we donate one collection for every ten that we sell. This is one of the ways in which we give back to our community here in the Bay and across the world.

Current projects:

Owner of: Astrid Design Studio 
Ecological Interior Design and Sustainability Consulting

Co-Founder: The Living Seed Company
Purveyors of Heirloom Seeds 

Press: SF Chronicle