Career
Since 1995 he has specialized in permaculture education, design, implementation, system establishment, administration and community development. Since 1985, Lawton has undertaken a large number of jobs consulting, designing, teaching and implementing in over thirty countries around the world. Clients have included private individuals, groups, communities, governments, aid organizations, non-governmental organizations and multinational companies.
Lawton"s aim is to establish self-replicating educational demonstration sites.
He has currently educated over 15,000 students in Permaculture worldwide. These include graduates of the Permaculture Design Certificate (Personal Digital Cellular) Course and courses focused on the practical design of sustainable soil, water, plant, animal, energy, structures, legal and economic systems
Lawton"s "master plan" is to see aid projects being replicated as fast as possible to help ameliorate the growing food and water crisis. On October 1997 Bill Mollison, upon his retirement, asked Geoff to establish and direct a new Permaculture Research Institute on the 66 hectare Tagari Farm developed by Bill.
Geoff Lawton further developed the site over three years and established The Permaculture Research Institute Australia as a not for profit company.
Institutional Revolutionary Party was eventually moved to Zaytuna Farm, in The Channon, where it continues today. Geoff Lawton is the managing director of The Permaculture Research Institute Australia and The Permaculture Research Institute United States of America a registered not for profit organisation that has tax deductible gift recipient status. Establishing sustainable aid projects as permaculture demonstration sites that also function as education centres for local and international students has become a major focus with the establishment of Permaculture Research Institutes in Jordan, Afghanistan, Spain, Malaysia, Vietnam, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Thailand, China and many more countries underway.
Geoff and Bill have remained close over the years and have also taught a number of courses together.
Geoff Lawton is also a presenter in Bill Mollison"s Teaching Digital Video Disc Secretariat. Lawton appears in Liu"s documentary Hope In a Changing Climate.
He has also helped to begin the First Rate (at Lloyd's) Baydha Project, a land restoration program, in western Saudi Arabia. On March 31, 2012 Geoff Lawton appeared at TEDx conference in Ajman.