Chuck Marsh:
Founder and President,
Senior Permaculture Designer
Chuck is a pioneer in ecological landscape design and consulting practices, and founder of Useful Plants Nursery, an edible landscape plant nursery located south of Black Mountain, NC. Chuck has over thirty five years of experience working with the plants, soil, water, climate and people of North Carolina to design and install place appropriate, productive, and sustainable home and commercial landscapes. His career has spanned the wholesale and retail nursery business as well as landscape gardening and landscape contracting businesses. His current focus is on teaching people about edible landscaping, biological economics, and Permaculture Design, which he does locally, nationally and internationally; growing edible and medicinal plants for present and future abundance; and consulting with homeowners and landowners to design and create beautiful, productive, resource conserving landscapes that celebrate and deepen our connection to the natural world.
- B.S. in biology from Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC.,1973
- Winner of the 1995 International Permaculture Community Service Award.
- Co-founder and land planner of Earthaven Ecovillage, 1994-2004
- Founder of Useful Plants Nursery, 2001
- Founder and senior partner of Living Systems Design Group, 2001-present
- Faculty of the Organic Grower’s School, 1994-present
- Board member of the NC Natural Products Association, 2009-present
Zev Friedman:
Vice President,
Permaculture Designer
Zev is a leading permaculture designer, researcher, teacher and writer in western North Carolina. He grew up in Sylva, NC and received his B.S. in Human Ecology from UNCA. Zev’s specialty is forest agriculture; he now runs the Forest Cuisine Project, which helps land owners to start forest farms and to market their products. He is particularly passionate about assisting landowners in setting up mushroom farming operations and in using fungi as remediators for damaged environments. Zev also specializes in urban permaculture design and installation, including many private residences, as well as consulting on the design of the Mars Hill town hall and grounds; he is an active member and teacher in Transition Asheville, helping to plan for Asheville’s future as an abundant, self-reliant city in the age of petroleum decline.
Marie Reilly,
Graphic Design Specialist
Marie is a horticulturist and landscape designer with over 25 years of experience working with architecture firms as a designer/drafter. She is dedicated to creating abundance and beauty in landscapes which is reflected in her strong attention to detail in her drawings. Marie has extensive knowledge of edible and medicinal plants and enjoys organizing community and school gardens. She lives at Earthaven Ecovillage in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Sarah Brinker:
Operations Manager,
Permaculture Designer
Sarah is a multi-talented permaculture designer with wide ranging experience in green building, construction, solar and alternative energy installation, gardening and farming, environmental education, and community service. She grew up in Charlotte, NC and received an Environmental Studies degree from Brevard College. Sarah has lived, worked, taught and studied abroad bringing lots of creative ideas and perspective to the permaculture design, education, and consulting process. She is passionate about empowering people to care for their own needs in a beautifully functional and efficient way. She has recently been published in BackHome magazine and just finished teaching a permaculture training for local farmers and landowners in Ghana and Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Living Systems design also has a wide ranging network of professionals and specialists that we can call on as needed to provide additional expertise as needed on a contract or hourly basis for the project.
