About Kansas Permaculture Institute

Kansas Permaculture Institute (KPI) is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that relies on memberships and community donations for its operation. Our goal is to educate and connect. We offer several 72-hour Permaculture Design Courses throughout the year, taught by experienced and highly qualified instructors. Other workshops on various topics are offered throughout the year. We engage in outreach events in schools and at fairs and expositions that align with our mission. We host community events to get like-minded folks together and create a synergy for the advancement of the permaculture movement right here in our backyards and neighborhoods. Our email group allows our members to connect and promote permaculture work events (permablitzes) near you. Lastly, we are engaged at the political level to advance permaculture-aligned policies in Kansas and share information on these topics with our members.

Kansas Permaculture Promotional Video

Not on Social Media?

Do you want to connect with other permaculture practitioners and enthusiasts in the Central Great Plains Bioregion? Join our private Google Group to have a conversation with the community about current permaculture news, gathering people for work events, finding local resources, asking questions, and sharing ideas. 


Board of Directors – Kansas Permaculture 

  • Carol Barta, Co-Chair 
    Carol Barta serves on the board of the Kansas Permaculture Institute where she is also a member of the KPI instructor corps. She completed a Permaculture Design Certificate with KPI in 2011 and a Permaculture Educator Certificate in 2014 with Midwest Permaculture in Stelle, IL. Carol is a founding member of the Flint Hills Renewable Energy and Efficiency Cooperative and enjoys installing solar panels on people’s homes. She is currently chair of the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board. Carol has three grown children and seven grandchildren. She lives on a small homestead in Riley County. 
  • Amber Dunn, Co-Chair & Education Chair 
    Amber Dunn is a permaculture designer and sustainable living advocate near Lawrence, Kansas. She has been a board member of the Kansas Permaculture Institute since 2017. 
  • Scott Barth, Treasurer 
    Scott Barth earned his Permaculture Design Certificate in 2017 and lives on a farm in Jefferson County, Kansas. In addition to farm work, he delivers mail, volunteers for vaccination clinics, and occasionally consults in the healthcare field. 
  • Jeffery Heppler, Treasurer’s apprentice 
    Jeffery Heppler (he/him/his) was born and raised in Eastern Kansas. He has an intimate knowledge of the bioregion. After graduating with a B.S. in environmental studies from KU in 2017, he has been in the food service, farming, finance, and landscaping industries before and since. Jeffery obtained his Permaculture Design Certification in 2016 and is currently learning about farm planning and land management through the Regrarians platform. Jeffery and his wife, Regina, live near Lake Perry on a 10-acre regenerative farm where they are establishing a botanical sanctuary and cultivating the next generation of specialty crops. They love traveling, spending time with their friends (animal and human), and learning new things.  
  • Monica Funk, Communications Secretary   Monica is preparing to become a high school biology teacher through Baker University. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from KU, and has worked on various farms in the region. She has experience in vegetable and flower production, floral arrangement, pastured poultry, pork, and cattle, raw cows milk production, and poultry processing. Monica hopes to begin a sustainable agriculture program at the schools she will teach at in the future.
  • Bill Price 
    Bill Price is one of the original members of KPI. He served on the board of directors and was a co-chair before leaving the group in 2018 to move from Lee’s Summit, MO, to Greenman Farm in Leavenworth County, KS. Greenman Farm is a 9-acre farm site and has been striving to achieve segments of Permaculture Design on the small farm scale. Bill earned his Permaculture Design Certificate through KPI in 2011 under the mentorship of Steve Moring. Bill’s goal for the next couple of years is to be successful at finally getting produce out of his high tunnel, improve the existing fruit orchard, and continue to support and promote KPI. 
  • Susan Paolo Susan attended a KPI Permaculture Design Course in 2017. She uses her suburban home lot to implement permaculture practices on a small scale.
  • Jeremy Cowan 
  • Theresa MartinRecording Secretary
  • Evan Epperson
  • Erin Bailey

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