Board of Trustees
Jennifer Newman
Jennifer, a curious and creative soul from Ajax, Ontario, has spent her life exploring the world through both performance and purposeful living. As an actor and singer, her travels took her across many countries, deepening her understanding of diverse cultures and ways of life. Her passion for learning and connecting with people only grew after becoming a mother, leading her to life on the road in a motorhome. Eventually, she chose to settle in the forests near Peterborough, Ontario, where her interest in eco-friendly living found expression in building and residing in a strawbale home. Jennifer's love for plants began in childhood, when she secretly grew food behind backyard bushes in the suburbs. Today, that early passion has flourished into organic gardening, food forest development, and even a natural swim pond. She continues to deepen her practice through permaculture studies and off-grid living courses, blending personal growth with a vision of sustainable living that invites community involvement and connection to the land.
Richard Terry
Richard grew up in the English countryside, where open fields, hedgerows, and the nearby sea shaped his deep connection to nature. While he treasured the freedom to explore, he also became aware of the environmental harm caused by industrial farming. Family travels and house swaps across Europe further expanded his perspective, revealing how deeply human life is woven into the natural world. Professionally, Richard works in the millwork industry, programming CNC machines and training others to bring their designs to life. He finds fulfillment in guiding ideas from concept to completion—whether in woodworking or in land stewardship. Motivated by his environmental values, Richard and his family settled in a straw-bale home in rural Ontario, where they now cultivate gardens, a food forest, and a natural swimming pond. His approach to sustainable living has grown through hands-on experience with soil building, companion planting, and regenerative design. Hosting global volunteers on their land, Richard embraces the joy of shared learning—where cooperation, curiosity, and care for the earth guide every exchange.
Maureen Newman
Maureen Newman grew up in a lively household of six children, where she learned the importance of family, resilience, and togetherness. She went on to pursue her love of learning at the University of Toronto, earning a specialist degree in science and later a master’s degree in education, as well as TESL certification. Her professional path was diverse, beginning with self-employment in manufacturing, where she even opened and operated her own plant in central Ontario. Later, she became a college professor, teaching a wide range of courses spanning English, business, and beyond. Alongside her professional accomplishments, Maureen has been a steady presence in her family’s homesteading journey over the past decade, engaging in practices such as sustainable land management and permaculture. Today, she is centered on what matters most to her—family, health, and a fulfilling retirement—carrying forward the same values of care, knowledge, and balance that have guided her throughout her life.
Victor Newman
Victor Newman’s life has been shaped by independence, resilience, and an entrepreneurial spirit. His family immigrated from England when he was a child, and while they eventually returned when he was fifteen, Victor chose to stay in Canada and make his own way. From an early age, he learned the value of self-reliance, beginning his career as a mechanic in the large machine industry. Over time, he expanded into manufacturing, selling, and repairing machines, building strong business connections across the globe.
Beyond his professional work, Victor has been deeply involved in the Nature/Nurture Foundation property, where he has applied his practical skills to advancing sustainable living. From implementing permaculture practices to helping construct the land’s natural swimming pond, his contributions reflect both ingenuity and care for the earth. Now enjoying a well-earned retirement, Victor still chooses to work part-time in machining—driven not by necessity, but by passion. Always curious, he continues to explore and test new sustainable technologies for homesteading, land management, and preparedness, blending innovation with hands-on experience.
Board of Advisors
Arun Kashyap
Arun Kashyap is a passionate environmentalist dedicated to the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems. With a deep commitment to biodiversity conservation, he has worked extensively with native communities and international organizations to promote sustainable forestry, ecological restoration, and climate resilience. Arun believes in a holistic approach to environmental stewardship that blends traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific practices. His work often focuses on empowering local communities, especially in forested and rural regions, to become active participants in conservation efforts. Through his initiatives and advocacy, Arun Kashyap continues to inspire a deeper connection between people and nature.
Director
Braven Newman-Morris
Braven Newman-Morris grew up along the Rouge Valley in Scarborough, Toronto, where his early love for nature took shape through bushcraft, survival skills, and countless hours exploring the woods. Nearly a decade ago, he and his family moved to a central Ontario property, where his passion for sustainable living deepened. Braven earned his certification in permaculture practices and went on to design and implement a range of projects, including an organic swimming pond, several forest gardens, and sustainable landscaping initiatives. He also founded and operated his own bushcraft and survival courses for children, while continuing to provide consulting and landscaping services rooted in permaculture design.
After completing his homeschooling journey through high school, Braven entered the contracting industry, working on turnkey homes in the Kawartha Lakes and Stony Lake areas. That experience strengthened his skills in design and construction, which he later integrated into his permaculture consulting work. He then pursued a two-year diploma in Police Foundations at Fleming College and today works as a security supervisor in central Ontario.
Braven has been extensively involved in the Nature/Nurture Foundation property, contributing to the creation of the organic swimming pond, the development of forest gardens and greenhouses, and offering ongoing consulting services to partners of the foundation. At present, he is focused on advancing new sustainable technologies, exploring individualist approaches to economics, building his career, and constructing his own home with a vision of sustainability and self-reliance.