Meet our team

Cristy Abbott is a Certified Permaculture Educator, Practitioner, and Consultant with over a decade of experience in sharing Permaculture Ethics and Principles with both children and adults. She specializes in regenerative farming practices, urban agriculture, soil building, and seed saving. Currently volunteering at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm in Tampa, FL, Cristy is dedicated to environmental education and promoting community-supported urban organic farming. She is passionate about teaching the importance of biodiversity and the interconnectedness of soil, plants, animals, and planetary patterns in sustainable farming.
 
Cristy has played a pivotal role in developing and managing numerous community gardens and farms of varying scales. Her commitment to community building and cooperative housing is exemplified by her involvement in founding the Faith House Community Garden in St. Petersburg, FL, in 2010. Now known as the 15th St AgriHub, this garden is a Permaculture demonstration site that provides education and hands-on experience. Her teaching has inspired her students to undertake projects like the Tampa Bay Time Bank, rainwater catchment systems, community co-housing, and other initiatives aligned with Permaculture principles.
 
For nearly two years, Cristy led educational tours for school field trips at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, guiding students through the transition of farm leadership and instilling in them a love for where real food comes from. She has been an active member of the Florida Permaculture Convergence Planning team for over a decade, helping to bring together farmers, gardeners, and families dedicated to earth-friendly practices.
 
Cristy also coaches and mentors entrepreneur students globally, with a focus on Uganda and Kenya Permaculture projects. She serves on the Board of Directors for Permaculture Initiative Uganda, LLC, and has recently visited the Butambala Permaculture Learning Center to support the development of a permaculture school and eco-tourism site near Mpigi, Uganda. Most recently, she returned from Kenya, where she was the lead educator at the first Lake Victoria Permaculture Convergence, a significant global event. 
 
Cristy is a featured instructor in our October 2024 Permaculture Design Course.   

DaVeed Montané, known as “the ethanol fuel guy,” is a business leader, researcher, and educator with a passion for permaculture and Sociocracy.  His journey into permaculture began in 2007 with the classic permaculture book,  Alcohol Can Be a Gas! Fueling an Ethanol Revolution for the 21st Century.  A decade later, during his travels as a political ambassador for Ubuntu Planet USA, a South African gardener reignited his interest in permaculture, leading him to complete his first Permaculture Design Course (PDC), where he discovered Sociocracy. 
 
Recognizing Sociocracy as an ideal framework for addressing the political challenges of the Ubuntu Planet vision, DaVeed delved deeper into the methodology.  His firsthand experience observing Sociocracy in action at a Central Flower circle meeting in an Oregon ecovillage solidified his commitment to spreading the benefits of this decision-making model.  DaVeed is a passionate advocate for how Sociocracy can facilitate consensual, win-win decisions for groups of all sizes, from small families to international organizations.
 
Currently, DaVeed is applying permaculture design principles to his latest venture, FillUps—a chain of ethanol production facilities, high-ethanol blend gas stations, healthy convenience stores, and renewable oil-change centers, starting in Gainesville, Florida.  Over the past five years, he has acted as a legal researcher and income tax freedom educator, using his business experience to advise individuals on simplifying their financial matters and business structures.
 
DaVeed helps facilitate The Permaculture Guild meetings and will be presenting Sociocracy within the October 2024 Permaculture Design Course.