My name is Nico Bacigalupo Zappia. I am a second generation permaculturist, born and raised in the legacy of my mother: a permaculture teacher, herbalist, and master gardener in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the age of sixteen, I received my permaculture design certification from Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in northern California. At eighteen, I left to study Natural Resources Conservation in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. Two years into my degree, I transferred to the University of Minnesota, where I received my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences.

While my background is in permaculture design and ethnobotany, my research focuses on integrated agroecological systems, and in recent years, my interests have expanded to include ESG and EUDR consulting as I have started to work more intimately with companies to propagate sustainable practices. I am now pursuing a triple master’s at the University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Dresden, and Czech University of Life Sciences in Global Forestry, Tropical Forestry, and Agroforestry, respectively.