Toby Hemenway

Toby Hemenway is the author of the first major North American book on permaculture, Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, and an adjunct assistant professor at Portland State University. He wrote the foreword for Heather C. Flores' Food Not Lawns.

After obtaining a degree in biology from Tufts University, Toby worked for many years as a researcher in genetics and immunology, first in academic laboratories including Harvard and the University of Washington in Seattle, and then at Immunex, a major medical biotech company. At about the time he was growing dissatisfied with the direction biotechnology was taking, he discovered permaculture, a design approach based on ecological principles that creates sustainable landscapes, homes, and workplaces. A career change followed, and Toby and his wife spent ten years creating a rural permaculture site in southern Oregon. He was associate editor of Permaculture Activist, a journal of ecological design and sustainable culture, from 1999 to 2004. His current project is developing urban sustainability resources in Portland, Oregon, where he now lives. He teaches permaculture and consults and lectures on ecological design throughout the country. His writing has appeared in magazines such as Whole Earth Review, Natural Home, and Kitchen Gardener. He is available for workshops, lectures, and consulting in ecological design.

Visit his web site at www.patternliteracy.com

Toby's Upcoming Events

• Toby Hemenway Litten Lecture at James Madison University
  
  James Madison University, Harrisonburg VA
  February 11, 2010, 12:00 pm

  Toby Hemenway will deliver the Frances Litten Lecture at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA on February 11, 2010. For details, call (540) 568-3194 or visit the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum website link above.

• Toby Hemenway lecture at Duke University
  
  Love Auditorium, Levine Science Research Center, Duke University, Durham NC 27708
  February 12, 2010, 6:30 pm

  Toby Hemenway will give a free public lecture on permaculture at Duke University on Friday evening, Feb. 12th. His lecture will begin at 6:30 pm, with a preceding reception beginning at 5:30 in the lobby of the Levine Center. To register or for more information call Janice Little at (919)668-5309.

• Toby Hemenway workshop at Duke Gardens
  
  Sarah P. Duke Gardens Greenhouse, Duke University, Durham NC 27708
  February 13, 2010, 9:00 am

  Toby Hemenway will give a full-day workshop on "Developing Backyard Ecologies and Soils" at the Duke University Gardens on February 13th from 9 am to 4 pm. Visit the link above or call (919) 668-5309 to learn more.

• Toby Hemenway at Greater Seacoast Permaculture lecture
  
  Dover Friends Meeting House, 141 Central Ave, Dover NH 03820
  February 26, 2010, 6:30 pm

  Toby Hemenway will give a permaculture lecture sponsored by the Greater Seacoast Permaculture Group, Portland Maine Permaculture, and the Dover Friends Meeting House on February 26th at 6:30 pm. Please call 207-229-2611 for details.

• Toby Hemenway at The New School in Kennebunk
  
  The New School, 38 York Street, Kennebunk ME
  February 27, 2010, 9:00 am

  Toby Hemenway will give a permaculture workshop on Saturday, February 27th from 9am to 1pm at The New School in Kennebunk, Maine. $49 per person, advanced registration required. Sponsored by Portland Maine Permaculture and The New School. Visit the link above to learn more.

• Toby Hemenway at Tufts University
  
  Tufts University/Pearson Hall, RM 104, 62 Talbot Avenue Ave, Medford MA 02155
  February 27, 2010, 7:00 pm

  Toby Hemenway will give a talk on Saturday, February 27th from 7-9pm at Tufts University's Pearson Hall. The talk is sponsored by the Urban Homesteaders' League, the Tufts Food Systems Planning Coalition, and Tufts Slow Food. Visit the link above to learn more.