Our Elders and everyone deserve a healthy environment both inside and out. GVP is taking measures to ensure a healthy, toxic-free environment both within the homes we build and the air and earth outside.

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Environment: 

Our Elders deserve a healthy environment inside and outside their homes. Grandmothers’ Village Project creates toxic-free, sustainable, net-zero housing that protects human health and honors the land. We are committed to environmental justice, ensuring every Elder has access to clean air, clean water, and safe living conditions—benefits too often reserved for the most affluent.

 

Environmental justice means fair treatment and full participation in decisions that affect our health and our environment. Our work advances this by building communities where Elders can live, learn, and thrive in safety.

 

Ecology: 

Ecology is the relationship between living beings and the world that sustains us. Today’s ecological challenges—from pollution to depleted resources—require us to live in balance with Pachamama, our Mother Earth.

 

GVP teaches practical ecological knowledge for both body and environment:
• how human health connects to the land
• how sustainable design protects people, animals, and ecosystems
• how cultural, social, and physical environments influence well-being

We build non-toxic, earth-safe structures and cultivate a way of life rooted in responsibility, balance, and respect.

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Social Ecology

Social ecology recognizes that health is shaped by both physical and social environments: the land we live on, the air we breathe, the culture we create, and the policies that govern us. Well-being is influenced by factors such as noise, light, temperature, resource access, economics, and community relationships.

 

GVP designs spaces and programs that support whole-person health and community connection, honoring the interdependence between people and place.

 

Agriculture:

Industrial agriculture uses more than 877 million pounds of pesticides each year, contributing heavily to pollution and declining biodiversity. These toxins threaten human health, soil quality, pollinators, and climate resilience.

 

GVP is committed to regenerative agriculture—growing clean, organic food while restoring the land. Our goals include:
• eliminating harmful chemicals
• building healthy, living soil
• expanding access to nutrient-dense foods
• protecting bees, insects, and wildlife
• using natural well water and rainwater harvesting
• growing food and medicine year-round in our winter greenhouse

One in three bites of food depends on pollinators, yet 40 percent of insect species are at risk of extinction. By planting native species and removing toxic exposures, we help ensure a viable food future for our Elders and our community.

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​​​​​​​​​At Grandmothers' Village Project we see the environment as alive, and deserving of respect. Our regenerative, organic farm will provide not only healthy, clean food for humans but food for our pollinators and beneficial insects and animals. Care for the land is crucial in our endeavors. Without caring for the land we borrow, we will become a threatened species.

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Why “Give the Land Back” Matters for the Earth

 

Land justice is environmental justice. Returning land to community-rooted stewardship allows ecosystems to heal and traditional ecological knowledge to guide restoration.

Through our 145-acre Give the Land Back Campaign, Wisdom Tree Village will become a place where:
• regenerative farming restores soil and biodiversity
• rainwater harvesting and composting protect water and reduce waste
• net-zero homes keep Elders healthy and energy-secure
• Indigenous land-tending practices reduce climate impacts
• the land is honored as a living partner

When land is protected for collective care—not extraction—it becomes a site of resilience, healing, and future possibility.

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​What is Animism?

Animism teaches that all beings—humans, animals, plants, waters, mountains, and winds—carry spirit and agency. Life is understood as an interconnected web. Harmony is maintained through respect, ritual, and mindful relationship with the natural world.

GVP embraces these Indigenous understandings. They guide our commitment to honoring the land, the ancestors, and all living beings as we build a community grounded in justice, balance, and reverence.

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A Term to be Wary of...GREENWASHING

Greenwashing occurs when organizations exaggerate or misrepresent environmental practices to appear eco-friendly. It includes vague language, misleading claims, hidden environmental costs, and distorted facts.

We encourage people to stay aware, ask questions, and choose transparency. True sustainability is measured by action, not marketing.

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Sources

Establishing and Maintaining Healthy Environments Toward a Social Ecology of Health Promotion Daniel Stokols Program in Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine.

Toxic Free NC https://toxicfreenc.org/programs/just-sustainable-agriculture/
331 W. Main Street, Suite 411 Durham, NC 27701

Climate Reality Project:

https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/key-terms-you-need-understand-climate-change

https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/7-more-key-terms-you-need-know-understand-climate-crisis