Grassroots Activist Guild
Base Camp: The Grassroots Activist Guild Asheville House
The ever-evolving back yard and garden
Our organization and Unschool are based at 40 Congress Street, Asheville, North Carolina. We welcome visitors to the GAG House. An ongoing project, the Grassroots Activist Guild house serves as a demonstration model for sustainable and appropriate technologies. It provides functional, low-cost examples of permaculture and natural building, and promotes a DIY approach to home remodeling and maintenance.
The GAG House features:
- passive solar water heaters
- solar cookers
- food composting systems (i.e. vermi, compost, tumblers, etc.)
- composting toilets
- urban animal husbandry – chickens!
- rainwater harvesting
- scavenged and recycled building materials
- clay-based paint and cob
- masonry wall heaters and wood stove
- greywater filtering systems.
meeting near the cob oven
The GAG House is also a home. Through low rent and a work-trade option, it provides a physical base of support for activists by serving as an inexpensive place to live, work and organize. The house strengthens local activism by supporting the individuals who volunteer with organizations under the Guild's umbrella. By allowing activists to have more control over their finances and investments, the live-in option at the Guild House ultimately allows for the creation of similar houses, as members of the community are able to save money, buy properties, and use their energy for the furthering their own projects and visions.
We are a community house. Who lives here? Domestic tasks are shared, as are food resources and meals. A communal approach to the use of tools, vehicles and other forms of property and intellectual property are actively utilized. We have an extensive organic garden in our backyard, as well as a chicken coop. The Guild House also hosts community events such as potlucks and meetings, and provides a venue for film screenings, performances and artistic endeavors. It is also home to the Alternative Library of Congress, a free library of books, zines, and other types of media open to the public.
We are a community house. Who lives here? Domestic tasks are shared, as are food resources and meals. A communal approach to the use of tools, vehicles and other forms of property and intellectual property are actively utilized. We have an extensive organic garden in our backyard, as well as a chicken coop. The Guild House also hosts community events such as potlucks and meetings, and provides a venue for film screenings, performances and artistic endeavors. It is also home to the Alternative Library of Congress, a free library of books, zines, and other types of media open to the public.
The Communal Kitchen
Interested in living or volunteering at the GAG House?
Chickens!
In Asheville? We always have a host of projects needing volunteer energy and passion, and are often looking for new roommates. Email Clover at clover@grassrootsactivistguild.org for more information!
