Who We Are
Mission: To provide educational services focused on sustainability, conservation, ecology, design, demonstration, advocacy, research, and restoration.
Long Branch Environmental Education Center is a small nonprofit educational institution set aside as an ecological sanctuary and land trust and located northwest of Asheville in Buncombe County’s Newfound Mountains. As an educational center, Long Branch envisions sustainable living through appropriate technology. The Long Branch mission is CEDARS:
- Conservation of all ecosystems and natural resources
- Education of the public about strategies relating to ecological literacy, natural resource conservation, renewable energy, community self-reliance, appropriate technologies, and practices of sustainability.
- Design and Demonstration of sustainable systems.
- Advocacy for the conservation of all natural resources and biological systems.
- Research on conservation biology, renewable energy, community self-reliance, appropriate technologies and sustainable systems.
- Restoration of ecological systems.
- Sustainability as a measure of every human endeavor.
What We Do
Through its various programs and activities, Long Branch shares positive strategies of self-reliance in environmental design, organic food production, renewable energy, shelter design and construction, appropriate technology, resource conservation, recycling, wildlife protection, and improved environmental quality. Activities include:
- Daily Visits: Opportunities for visitors to hike the trails, bird-watch, visit the demonstration passive solar residences and greenhouses, and observe or participate in Long Branch activities such as gardening, building, or a migratory bird census.
- Educational Programs: Workshops and longer programs on topics such as organic gardening, fruit and nut tree grafting, wilderness survival skills, Permaculture, environmental design and edible landscaping, citizen environmental action, Appalachian geology, aquaculture, beekeeping, small animal husbandry, recycling and waste utilization, solar food drying and preservation, masonry wood stove construction, solar design, and micro-hydro-power.
- Training: Presentations made in the greater Southern Appalachian area on topics such as environmental action, resource conservation, and alternative energy.
