Season 1
EPISODE 8
In this episode of Land Language, Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Marc Boucher-Colbert, longtime garden educator and urban farming advocate, about how outdoor spaces can nurture curiosity, resilience, and ecological literacy in children.
Marc shares his decades of experience developing school gardens and edible landscapes: from composting and crop rotations to integrated pest management (IPM) and soil health. Together, they explore how to turn kids from consumers into producers, how to adapt regenerative design principles for schools, and how simple gestures like container gardening can spark lifelong relationships with the living world.
"If a kid can take and interact with the environment on their own, not under the supervision of somebody else all the time, but just they feel empowered to do that, I think that's gonna be a success."
—Marc Boucher-Colbert
Marc Boucher-Colbert brings decades of experience in farming, composting, permaculture, and garden-based education. From founding Urban Bounty Farm in 1993 to helping establish Friends of Zenger Farm, Marc has dedicated his career to connecting people—especially children—with the land through hands-on growing, harvesting, and cooking experiences.
This episode reframes how landscape professionals think about designing for families, schools, and educational institutions. Rather than defaulting to lawn-to-lawn fencing or conventional playgrounds, Marc demonstrates how edible landscapes, integrated pest management, nature play elements, and Montessori-inspired "prepared environments" create spaces where spontaneous learning, stewardship, and wonder can flourish.
Marc Boucher-Colbert is a garden educator, urban farmer, and permaculture practitioner based in Portland, Oregon. After discovering his passion for composting led him to farming, Marc co-founded Urban Bounty Farm in 1993 and helped establish Friends of Zenger Farm.
With a master's degree in sustainability education from Portland State University, Marc has worked with public schools through EPA grants and developed garden-based curriculum for children. Since 2006, he has served as garden specialist at Franciscan Montessori Earth School and rooftop gardener at Noble Rot Restaurant. Marc's approach combines Montessori philosophy, permaculture principles, and hands-on learning. He created Design Your Eden, a card-based design tool that helps people articulate their values and vision for outdoor spaces.
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