Our Projects

Gardening:

The Tree of Life (TOL) maintains organic gardens, herb gardens, a greenhouse, berry bushes, and fruit trees. We participate in a small-scale composting project and generate our own mulch to enhance gardening skills, self-sufficiency, and food security. Our ongoing landscaping efforts include maintaining a local ‘fog forest’ hiking trail.

Off the Grid Energy:
TOL is entirely off-the-grid, utilizing micro hydro and solar power. We have an eight-month seasonal gravity-fed water supply and plant-based reedbed waste disposal systems. The main (Kabbalah) building features a large masonry wood heating unit, also known as a Russian Fireplace. Future plans include adding a solarium with solar hot water capacity to the south end of the building.

Green Building:
TOL’s construction features extensive post and beam design based on sacred geometry patterns. We source lumber from demolished buildings, waste lumber, and locally generated lumber from our bandsaw mill. Re-purposing old lumber involves labor-intensive processes like de-nailing, planing, sanding, and routing. We apply principles of thermal mass to store heat in winter and keep buildings cool in summer. For insulation, we recycle sawdust and wood shavings from the sawmill, adding a small portion of hydrated lime to prevent insect infestations.

Beekeeping:
TOL hosts several colonies of honeybees and aims to increase honeybee capacity. We are continually learning how to raise and tend to honeybees in the Newfoundland climate, driven by a love of beauty and the beauty of love.