Just a stone’s throw away from the heart of McDonough’s town square, nestled in a quaint neighborhood, lies a special place, Acorn Land Labs – a garden that embodies the essence of home, transcending the confines of mere four walls. A vision built by the team of Kemble Hildreth, Joe Hildreth, and Ben Morse.
Home signifies safety, where the family resides, your treasured belongings find their place, and the refuge you seek after a day’s toil in the bustling world. It’s where a faithful dog or cat eagerly awaits your return, where gardens flourish with your care, and where the laughter of children fills the air before they drift off to sleep. Home is where your spouse’s warm embrace greets you after a challenging day.
However, in the year 2023, many people who aspire to carve out their own haven face a daunting financial hurdle to homeownership. Believing a transformation is essential – a revival of houses, reimagined and reclaimed, the Hildreths and Morse built Acorn Land Labs. The land labs provide an innovative blueprint that redefines the essence of home, rooted in tranquility, mindful pacing, and an intimate bond with nature. The land labs are designed to rejuvenate well-being, restore financial stability, cultivate inner peace, and are committed to creating homes of tomorrow, spaces that prioritize vitality and holistic well-being.
Step into the realm of land labs, where the worlds of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics converge with hands-on outdoor learning. Land labs, also known as outdoor classrooms, school gardens, community plots, and even homesteads, are designated areas on school, private, or community grounds used to teach a range of topics, from organic agriculture to solar energy and much more.
With the desire to cultivate understanding and explain all the options available to live with less dependence on modern-day utilities and food sources, Acorn Land Labs is expanding its reach through its Live Oak education platform. Through projects like organic agriculture, composting, rainwater collection, ecological studies, methane digesters, solar energy, biochar production, and aquaponics, younger generations deepen their understanding of how science and technology can address real-world challenges while promoting sustainability in five basic areas including fresh water, local food, clean energy, sustainable shelter, and green sanitation.
Beyond the educational benefits, land labs cultivate essential life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. By collaborating to design, build, and maintain a land lab, students develop a sense of ownership and pride in their community.
Land labs are a valuable catalyst for advancing education and fostering sustainability. By providing a hands-on, outdoor learning environment, land labs inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and environmentalists to make a positive impact on the world. Through the off-grid simulator, they demonstrate that living off-grid can be not only affordable and sustainable but also empowering, proving that the possibilities are endless!
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By Ruth Hildreth
