Connecting communities since 2014
Before we were Eco-Designers, we were Beyond Organic Design where we spent over 10 years in urban schools delivering impactful Permaculture education. Through partnerships like Little Growers and xx, we grew young minds, community, and ecological resilience.
Every program we led, every garden we planet, and every educator we trained is part of a larger design: a world where people and the planet thrive together.
Every program we led, every garden we planet, and every educator we trained is part of a larger design: a world where people and the planet thrive together.
We design for abundance. We teach for resilience. We grow community.
Our story
2007Monica First Permaculture Design Course |
After years in environmental education and community work, Monica Ibacache discovered permaculture through a Permaculture meetup in New York City. This led her to her first Permaculture Design Certificate course. The experience connected her passion for gardening, ecology, and justice and was her first step toward itegrating permaculture into teaching.
|
|
Inspired by her nieces and nephews, Monica realized the urgent need to prepare children to inherit the Earth. In 2009, she earned her teaching certification for adults and children, formalizing her commitment to permaculture education. From there, she began developing hands-on programs that help young learners understand ecological design that laid the groundwork for future Beyond Organic Design Programs.
|
2009Certified Permaculture Teacher |
2017Central Park East II: School Garden PartnershipEast Harlem, New York |
A chance meeting with a parent gardener sparked an eight-year (and counting) partnership. The program grew around the school’s outdoor garden and greenhouse, integrating seasonal cycles, seed saving, composting, and pollinator studies into the curriculum.
This partnership empowered students to reconnect with nature, family heritage and food systems. |
|
Monica met Camille xx, founder of Little Growers, during a Sierra Club fellowship. Together they launched an “Intro to Permaculture” course as part of Little Growers’ Earn and Learn program in a local food desert community.
Little Growers students learned about:
|
2021Little Growers PartnershipMelbourne, Florida |
2022Cornell University: Permaculture Design Certificate Series |
In 2022, Monica became Lead Instructor for all three courses in Cornell’s Permaculture Design Certificate: Permaculture Fundamentals of Ecological Design, Permaculture Ecosystem Mimicry, and Permaculture Design Practicum. Hundreds of students have since completed the program, and apply permaculture design and ecological restoration in their careers, communities, and respective crafts.
|
|
In collaboration with Oregon State University’s Permaculture Design Program, Monica guided students through OSU’s comprehensive Permaculture Design Certificate course. Hundreds of students have completed the OSU PDC under her mentorship, applying permaculture design to farms, communities and gardens across the world.
|
2022Oregon State University: Global Permaculture Design Certificate |
2024Fundamentals of Permaculture and Food Forest DesignMurfreesboro, Tennessee |
In partnership with OSU and Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation, Monica delivered a 96-hour Permaculture and Food Forest Design Course to high schoolers. The Course focused on hands-on fieldwork, mapping, and restoration.
As an outcome of the program, students:
|
|
In 2025, Eco-Deisgners (formerly Beyond Organic Design) partnered with Cornell University to develop a first-of-its-kind Permaculture fundamentals course for K-12 leaders and educators. When launched, the training will equip educators with the tools to address the climate crisis through design thinking, hands-on activities, and permaculture principles.
|
2025Climate Crisis & Design Solutions:
|