I'm an engineer by profession and work as the Director of MIS and Student Services at CIT University.

My 12 year old daughter, Bianca, was a key influence for me to learn permaculture. Since she became a member of their school's Earth Savers Club, she has been a constant inspiration to increase my focus on issues about the environment. As my perspective shifted to become a steward, I thought, what else could I do to create more impact?

I had heard of permaculture only in 2009 though an email from my former teacher, Joel Lee. A year after, I got invited to their exhibit. I didn't go and I forgot about it.

In 2011, Joel Lee invited me to another Permaculture introductory session. This time, I went. I was instantly hooked to the idea because the framework would help me support Bianca. I enrolled in the introductory course and I began to see the bigger picture.

I work at a school (basic to tertiary) with 12,000 students and I saw so much opportunity to share the benefits of permaculture by showcasing projects.

So I got the school to agree on becoming a Permaculture Learning Hub (PLH) with four key elements to start our journey. W(ise water system), A(lignment of researches and initiatives), Z(ero waste) and U(rban) P(aradise) - or WAZUP (said with action: thump chest twice with clenched right fist then form the letter W with thumb, forefinger and middle finger while saying WAZUP).

I am about to start and share this exciting journey and learn from everyone.