Photos courtesy of Gus von Roenn

Since 2015, environmental nonprofit Omaha Permaculture (OP) has worked to develop and reimagine city-owned vacant lots through urban agriculture and sustainability efforts.

Founded by Gus von Roenn, Omaha Permaculture partners with local organizations to manage 17 properties across the Omaha area and establish permaculture gardens where neighbors can gather to harvest organic food, build relationships and learn about the natural world. To further carry out this mission, Omaha Permaculture recently acquired a new addition that will help the nonprofit expand its offerings to the community.

"Omaha Permaculture is celebrating a huge milestone in 2022," von Roenn says. "As a mostly seasonal organization in previous years, we are proud to announce that we have purchased an 8.4 acre headquarter property with winterized buildings for our operations, allowing us to offer our unique style of Nebraskan Sustainability programming all year long. As an environmental nonprofit offering both conservation and agricultural programming as part of a larger sustainability focus, we are strategically positioned to be the one-stop source where you will find solutions for climate change resilience and backyard self-sufficiency."

During this difficult time, von Roenn says the headquarters provides more resources and will help improve the services that the nonprofit currently offers.

"In a chaotic world of insecure water and energy futures, Omaha Permaculture's new headquarters will showcase how the future of 21st century living will require less energy, less water and less foreign fertilizer inputs for local food ambitions," he says. "The purchase of our very own headquarters allows OP to finally put the 'perma' in permaculture. Acquiring headquarters has afforded our young organization to grow our team after the restrictive environment of the pandemic."

Along with the new headquarters, von Roenn says he has observed Omaha Permaculture's site manager, Clark Williams, grow as a leader in 2022 through his many contributions to the nonprofit, which includes mentorship of local youth.

"Clark has become a community mentor for everyone to look up to," von Roenn says. "He has many roles even when he isn't working. He is the friendly neighborhood face that takes care of honey bees, he mows all of our many garden edges and he gives everyone a tour of our gardens."

In addition to his work for Omaha Permaculture, Williams raises bees for a honey business he owns with his 9-year-old daughter Aaliyah. He also serves as OP's landscape maintenance technician, and von Roenn says Williams has been indispensable to the nonprofit, particularly during COVID-19.

"During the pandemic, Clark has found his role to be much more than just an urban farmer," he says. "As our presence in the new headquarters neighborhood progressed over the past 3 years, the kids of the neighborhood also enjoyed our wild space to play in during the pandemic. Unfortunately, many garden tools walked away. Thanks to our game cams strategically placed throughout the HQ property, we often caught the culprits red-handed in high resolution."

Upon discovering the responsible parties, von Roenn says the team showed the pictures and footage to Williams instead of calling local law enforcement. After investigating further, Williams spoke with the child who was photographed stealing, and talked to the parents, as well. He handled the entire situation in a calm and concerned manner.

von Roenn says this story is an example of how Williams and the team care for people in addition to the plants they cultivate.

"As a community nonprofit that is invested in demonstrating healthy community food habits, we are equally invested in growing good people," von Roenn says. "A great permaculture teacher once said, 'The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but rather the cultivation of human beings.' -Masanobu Fukuoka."