Purpose for Funding
1. Materials to finish the Treehouse Learning Center - the half acre permaculture demonstration so visitors and students will understand how to implement permanent improvements to culture in their own communities.
Community Center: an outdoor pavilion with a kitchen, bathroom and garden roof.
Greenhouse: including an aquaponics demonstration, hands-on plant propagation, table-top demonstration of the Learning Center that shows how the rain and sun are harnessed to produce energy.
Yurt: installed next to the greenhouse as a living space for teachers and visitors
Natural Storefront to display products and services as well as several natural building methods
Energy Production: We want this entire site to produce more power than it uses!
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Natural Swimming Pool, serving several functions:
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geothermal cooling for surrounding structures in the summer time
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food production via fish and water plants
- reflection pond for passive solar heating in the winter time
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rain water collection from the main house
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key point irrigation pond to irrigate the rest of the property
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wet conveyance transportation system teaching element
- oh, and a swimming pool for the ever so important relaxation
What have we done so Far?
About 30%!
- Obtained land from the neighboring trailer park
- Became Certified in Permaculture Design, and designed the Learning Center
- Developed a fruit Orchard, garden and two ponds
- Build a chicken area with 3 paddocks for rotational grazing
- Installed a reforestation project with Shubhendu Sharma
- Built an Earth Dome, used for a Sanctuary and Demonstration
- Developed Treehouse Tools & Training
- Created the Treehouse Tool Library
We have a good portion of materials and heavy machinery, and most importantly, a devoted team. But we’re asking you to help us raise $57K for the remaining materials needed to complete the Learning Center.
Wait, that's not all we're doing this year!
We want to run at least 50 people through the monthly Treehouse Tools & Training program, which includes 20 meals + their room and utility expense - $102,350
The cool part is that you can not only help fund the construction of the Learning Center BUT you and other participants can actually help us build it! Part of the TTT program is actually getting hands-on training through building the Center!
3. We need to cover startup, reward and campaign costs to ensure our success! ($52,000)
TOTAL FUNDING: $211,350
Upcoming Class Schedule:
If you
are interested in attending our program or sponsoring someone, see below for a brief list of classes scheduled over the next 6 months! You can find full descriptions and a class schedule through the end of 2016 on our
website.
April 4 - 25 - Tiny House in New Orleans, LA
April 5 - Grain Silo Erection
April 7 - Intro to Carpentry workshop - Learn the basic hand and power tools to build any wood framed structure. We will be building a tiny house from a silo during this workshop.
April 11 - Intro to Permaculture Workshop - Learn the basic principles and pathways to design your property to create Practical Solutions for a Sustainable Future.
May 2 - 27 - TLC at the Treehouse Learning Center (TLC) - Join us this month for a variety of useful skills as we complete the Earthen dome, remodel the Greenhouse Roof, Finish the Cobb oven, and complete the Chicken coop and forage area.
May 2 - Intro to Carpentry & Roof Construction
May 9 - Intro to Natural Building - We are going to look at cobb construction, lime plaster, and earthen floors as we finish creating the Earthen dome.
May 21 - Intro to Permaculture - Learn the basic principles and pathways to design your property to create Practical Solutions for a Sustainable Future.
May 23 - Permaculture Chicken Coop Intro
June 6 - July 1 - Community Center Construction
June 6 - Intro to Brick Laying and Building a Solid Foundation
June 11 - Intro to Permaculture
June 13 - Intro to Post & Beam Construction
June 23 - 24 - Green Roof Construction - Design and build a green roof and grow food in the same square footage as your living space! Enjoy a day in the garden...on your roof!
June 27 - Rocket Mass stove construction and heater.
July 5 - 29 - Yurt Construction and Geo Thermal cooling - Learn to build a Yurt (a lightweight structure for shelter that can be moved easily. Learn how you can keep it cool in SC using Geothermal cooling from a pond nearby.
July 5 - Introduction to Yurts and Yurt Construction
July 11 - Introduction to Sewing Machines - Sewing the canvas for your yurt
July 18 - Geo Thermal cooling using a water source nearby
July 25 - Arbor construction - Building an Arbor over the yurt for a solar array!
August 1 - 26 - Natural Swimming Pool - Building a Natural Swimming pool at the Treehouse Learning Center that will function as a rainwater storage for flood irrigation, reflection pond for winter heating, geothermal unit for summer cooling, food production, and a pool for swimming in!
August 1 - Intro to heavy Equipment - Using a mini excavator and skid steer to build ponds and do other beneficial earthworks
August 8 - concrete and brick laying workshop - building the floor and walls of the natural swimming pool
August 22 - Installing the pond liner and plumbing for the geo thermal unit
September 5 - 16 - Building a Treehouse
September 5 - Intro to Tree house Construction - Connections and concerns
September 6 - Welding
September 7 - Wood Framing
September 19 - 30 - Natural Storefront
September 19 - Intro to Natural Building - Cored wood, Cobb, Earthen Floors, Bottle Bricks, Palate walls, and Bamboo roofs
October 3 - 28 - Greenhouse Construction and Tree Planting
October 3 - Intro to Greenhouse Construction - Integrating Chickens and Fish
October 4 - Building a Solid Foundation, and integrating Aquaponics into the floor
October 10 - Greenhouse Frame and Plastic covering
October 17 - Thermal mass rocket stove and propagation tables
October 24 - Tree and Perennial Planting
The Treehouse Project was built by people who are ready for change. With your help, that change can take root across the globe.
Recently Completed Projects
Energy upgrades to our home
Planted a fruit orchard
Planted a reforestation project
Installed two reflection ponds which function as a rain water holding spaces, food production, reflection ponds to assist in heating structures in the winter.
Milled lumber using trees from our site
- Recycled 6,000 bricks from Clemson University
- Built a tiny house on wheels as a mobile teaching unit
time in human history – it is crazy to think of how industry has changed the face of the planet. With an exponential population growth, we are all feeling the pressures of climate, pollution, and scarcity. We have to address these issues, and we have to start at the root of the problem.