Living in a sustainable relationship with the land has become an essential part of our work; we recognize the importance of land on ecological, cultural, political, economical and spiritual levels. We are committed to ensuring that this place truly benefits the local community, the regional ecosystem, and growing national conversations about resources and food justice. Current work includes:
sustainable relationship between land and community
We offer people from all walks of life opportunities to experience both wild and cultivated spaces in the natural world. The landscape of The Stone House is humble and tended with great care. Guests can take a stroll in the open pasture, nap in a shaded hammock, or watch the wildlife pass through the orchard. People often experience a sense of well-being and connection with the land that is at once simple and profound.
engaging our local food economy
We rely on our organic garden, fruit orchard and chickens to produce much of the food we eat and serve to guests. What we don’t grow ourselves we purchase as locally and as sustainably as possible. Our cooks plan meals with careful consideration of what is in season as well as which foods support specific programmatic work. In the past, we have sold produce to a few local restaurants and markets as a way to actively participate in conversations and economies of food in our area. We are also deeply committed to the work of food justice and food security in our local area. In 2009 and 2010, we piloted Ground Up!, a youth program designed to foster consciousness, health and food justice leadership in young people concerned with these issues in their communities. More recently, we’re using our expertise in transforming movements to deepen cross-sector dialogue between leaders in various sectors of the food justice movement.
education and training
We offer a wide array of community-oriented workshops where local experts in orchard care, permaculture, medicinal herbs and other rural land skills are shared with our local community in exchange for hands-on practical experience at The Stone House. We have had a number of trainings and workshops on the land and continue to seek ways of making The Stone House land a valuable resource for our local community.
We seek to develop our capacity to use the abundance and wisdom of the land to support the learning and health of our local community.
Our ongoing work in our gardens allows for programming to be designed around the projects
and aspirations for food security we have here. Workshops on subjects that range from raised bed making to sheet mulching to fruit tree pruning have been ongoing since 2008. These have been opportunities for knowledge sharing as well as a way for us to get a great deal of work done with the support of our local volunteers.
