I’m Kol Peterson, the owner of Accessory Dwelling Strategies LLC; 
a company dedicated to ADU related education, advocacy and consulting.
I lived for seven years in an ADU that I built in 2010 in Portland, Oregon.
I also built and own Caravan- The Tiny House Hotel with my ex-wife. Beyond its primary function as a hotel, we used Caravan as a platform to do education and policy work around small, alternative, urban infill housing.
Professional ADU Experience
I edit and manage another website about ADUs that deals with ADU policy issues and features an array of ADU projects: accessorydwellings.org. I teach ADU classes for realtors through Earth Advantage, instruct Earth Advantage’s ADU Specialist Designation courses for realtors, run Portland’s city-wide ADU tour, and do ADU related teaching, speaking and consulting for a variety of audiences.
EDUCATION
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Master in Design Studies – Design and the Environment
Watershed planning, urban and regional planning, transportation planning, GIS.
Graduated – June, 2004
Oberlin College
B.A in Environmental Studies, Religion
University of Wisconsin’s College Year in Nepal Program (1999-2000)
Graduated- May, 2001
Jingshan Xuexiao (Jingshan High School)
Mandarin language study exchange program. Beijing, China.
spring 1995
WORK EXPERIENCE
Accessory Dwelling Strategies LLC
Owner
January, 2015 to present
Caravan- The Tiny House Hotel LLC
Owner
Summer, 2013 to present
U.S. Forest Service (2010-2015)
Public Affairs Specialist for the Pacific Northwest Regional Office
Web communications, public affairs, new media.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2004-2010)
-Pacific Northwest Regional Office
Web collaborations and communications coordinator in EPA’s Oregon Operations Office
summer, 2010
-Public Affairs Specialist
Web lead for the Office of Air and Radiation. Web 2.0 and social media trainer. Communications lead for Climate Protection Partnership Division (ie. Energy Star) and Stratospheric Protection Division (ie. ozone protection).
winter, 2009 to winter, 2010
-Detail as New Media Analyst to White House New Media team
summer, 2009
-Program Analyst
Web Infrastructure and Web Content Coordinator in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds. Policy and Communications team member. Managed contracts and NGO grants.
fall, 2006 to winter, 2009
-EPA Research Fellow
Smart Growth team coordinator in the Office of Water. Researched and developed policy about national land use planning and water quality. Coordinated interagency smart growth and stormwater management with federal partners and NGOs. Washington, D.C.
fall, 2004- fall, 2006
Harvard Planning and Allston Initiative
GIS Technician
Performed land use and spatial, demographic analysis using Harvard University database information. Cambridge, MA.
summer, 2004
Army Corps of Engineers
Community Planner
Consulted on the integration of community and environmental planning tactics for engineered water resource management projects. Concord, MA.
spring, 2004
Charles River Conservancy
Project Intern
Authored a transportation master plan for an alternative intersection design along Charles River’s multi-use pathway. Cambridge, MA.
autumn, 2003
Northwest Regional Outdoor Science School
Field Instructor, Program Coordinator
Created an instructional curriculum, taught and facilitated educational programs in coastal ecology and marine biology. Portland, OR.
spring, 2002, 2003
Riccharina Foundacion Ecologica
Water Quality Surveyor
Remote user survey of rural water source quality. GPS. Cuenca, Ecuador.
autumn, 2002
World Wildlife Fund
Volunteer Researcher
Researched deforestation rates prior to the Kanchenjnga Conservation Area’s parkland designation. Kanchenjnga, Nepal.
spring, 2000
