Mark Taplin was a self sufficient one man ecovillage living in the heart of the English countryside, before embarking on a mission to encourage learning amongst those interested in sustainable and resilient community, drawing on his own experience and the training he gained on the Gaia Education programme. He has facilitated EDE (Ecovillage Design Education) in Thailand, has taken part in multi national training seminars, has completed a Permaculture Design Certificate Course ,is qualified to teach English as a foreign language, and also leads guided walking holidays in Greece.