Dustin Bajer is a teacher, permaculturalist, master gardener, and self-described network nerd living in Edmonton, Alberta. Raised in the country and living in the city, Dustin is passionate about design that combine natural and built elements.

With a background in physics and mathematics, Dustin graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Education. After teaching in Edmonton and Mexico, Dustin enrolled in a permaculture design certificate (Pacific Permaculture) in 2009.

In 2010, Dustin pitched the idea of creating a cross-curricular school garden to the principal of Jasper Place High School. Since then, Dustin and his students have designed two school food forests and have built Canada’s first high school aquaponics system.

In 2011, Dustin began building beehives and keeping honeybees is his urban backyard. Though not legal at the time, Dustin has been an advocate for urban beekeeping and is proud to report that he has 7 legal, urban hives. After a few years of keeping bees in Warre hives, Dustin began designing hives that combine many of Warre’s top-bar features with commercially available Langstroth parts. Presently, Dustin builds and sells his hives locally.

In 2013, Dustin became a member of Edmonton’s Food Council to which he currently co-chair. While on council, he hopes to address issues around land use, edible landscaping, urban agriculture, and biodiversity.

During the Summers of 2014 and 2015, Dustin worked closely with the City of Edmonton’s Roots for Trees program to pilot a native food forest in one of the City’s ravines. Containing thousands of plants, the forest garden is entirely native and edible.

Dustin is presently working half-time at Jasper Place High School (EPSB), and consults for Sustainable Food Edmonton, Northlands, and the John Janzen Nature Centre on ag education related program development.