About Us


Dr. Alan Enzo and his wife Jessica are the Directors of Happily Distracted Permaculture, a bioregional education organization focusing on Ecological Design (Permaculture) and Ecological Economics. Happily Distracted's mission is to provide Permaculture education while promoting and demonstrating sustainable living techniques to the bioregion and the world.

Main Instructors:

Alan Enzo, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Dr. Enzo (also known as "Enzo") is a an award-winning researcher in Ecological Economics (a.k.a. Financial Permaculture), a sustainable/green business consultant, and a certified international teacher and consultant in Permaculture and Ecological Design.  He earned his Ph.D. in Management (specializing in Ecological Economics), and also holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree (specializing in Sustainable Business and Strategic Management). 

Dr. Enzo has extensive experience in international business, management consulting, and sustainable operations consulting for private corporations, non-profits, universities, and state and local governments.  He has worked with clients in the U.S., Europe, China and Japan.

Dr. Enzo completed his first Permaculture Design Course (PDC) in 2009 (taught by a direct student of Bill Mollison). He is passionate about sustainable systems research, alternative local economic systems, natural building, and helping students and clients start their own small green businesses.

Jessica Enzo, B.A.

Jessica Enzo is the other half of this Happily Distracted couple. Originally from Denver, Colorado, she has also lived in South Florida, the deserts of Arizona and the rolling hills of Tennessee. Her love of landscapes (and natural eye for patterns and appropriate design) has been fed by all of these diverse settings. She has a B. A. in History from Middle Tennessee State University, and is a certified teacher. Jessica taught 6th grade Ancient History from 2006 to 2010. Jessica’s dynamic teaching style earned her much praise from her students, their parents, her co-workers, and the administration at the school where she worked. Jessica has recently started Happily Distracted Permaculture with her husband, Dr. Enzo. Her passion and desire is to demonstrate and share her love of Permaculture and its amazing principles with as many people as possible.

Dr. Enzo and his wife Jessica founded Happily Distracted Permaculture in 2010, and are known locally for their work in designing a new Permaculture Demonstration site and Education Center at the Mother Earth News Ecovillage near Asheville, N.C. Enzo and Jessica are now working with other Permaculture designers and sustainability-minded professionals in the area to establish Asheville Permaculture Center and the Asheville Center for Ecological Economics. Asheville Permaculture will be a multi-site, ecological training center for the entire Southeast U.S. region. Focus will be on sustainable systems education and demonstration, Permaculture/green jobs training, and small green business incubation. Happily Distracted Permaculture offers live courses and workshops in the Asheville area, and is now offering the official 72-hour Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC) online.

Other instructors:

Happily Distracted and the Online Permaculture Education Center partner on a regular basis with qualified Permaculture instructors from around the region and around the world to assist in teaching our courses.  The list of instructors may change over time, but the quality of the instructors will not.  Every instructor interested in teaching in our online or live courses must be approved by the Board after submitting a copy of their PDC certificate, along with a portfolio of design work and their resume or CV.

If you already have your PDC and/or experience in related areas and are interested in teaching Permaculture, either online or in live workshops in the Asheville/WNC area, please feel free to contact us.