George Brabant

(he/him)
Homegrown Dreams Panelist

George grew up on and in the St. Lawrence River, Thousand Islands, New York. He was immersed in nature from a young age, experiencing all four seasons and their rhythms. He moved to Lake Placid for a couple years and then to high in the Colorado Rocky mountains. After a decade and a half of skiing, kayaking, fishing, and hunting in the Rockies, George landed in Asheville NC, making a living as a remodel contractor. He discovered Permaculture as a result of losing his brother and reading the works he left behind. He started to question our way of living and how sustainable it is.

Permaculture was explained to George as using nature as a guideline. The edge of the forest turns full and green every year with no help from humans. It happens from a symbiotic relationship between plants, animals, and fungi. He started running with this philosophy and turned our property into a Permaculture Food Forest. He bought chickens and ducks, removed all grass, and installed swales, ponds, and fruit trees. A year in, he sought help from more experienced minds and took a permaculture design course and became a certified instructor. Now they are giving classes, tours, and having other local permaculture and gardening instructors do tours of our farm as well. Their food forest is named Phat Ninja Farm.