Activities

The ecological learning center offers a wide variety of programs, including a 12-week accredited graduate certificate program in Earth Literacy. These programs provide a variety of learning experiences, many of which are hands-on ways for people to make practical changes that will bring them into a closer relationship with nature and into a more deeply satisfying inner fulfillment.

The heart of the ecological learning center is the Farmhouse with its large teaching kitchen and surrounding out-buildings, some built before 1850. Bread and Roses, the large former residence of the Von Boecklins, has accommodations for up to nine long-term guests. Our Library, with a rich collection of books and periodicals, supports our programs, including those given for undergraduate and graduate credit. There is also a special collection of books, maps and other resources which offer specific information about the natural history and culture of this particular bioregion of Northwest New Jersey. Our Resource Center contains a wide selection of books, tapes, cards and other items available for participants in our programs and the local community.

Another focus of our activities is our own relationship to this land. In 1986 Genesis Farm helped found the Community Supported Garden. Over 300 families are now shareholders in this project. Their investment provides the economic basis for the cultivation of vegetables and fruit trees. In turn, the food is grown for them in a very responsible way. Our food is cultivated without the use of synthetic chemicals. Most of the labor employed is human labor, and it is done with a deep spiritual commitment and love.

Trying to connect the people of an area with their local food supply is an important step toward bringing small farms back into the mainstream of the U.S. economy. Toward this end, Genesis Farm, in collaboration with other local groups, initiated the Foodshed Alliance of the Ridge and Valley. The Foodshed Alliance is a grassroots effort to sustain the farmers, agricultural lands, and rural way of life in the Ridge and Valley area of Northwestern New Jersey. The Foodshed Alliance seeks to enable farmers to make a viable living and stay on the land.

We are pleased to announce the recent formation of the region's first sustainable business group! The Sustainable Business Network of the Ridge and Valley is committed to building a “local living economy” in the northwestern region of New Jersey.

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