The People's Project recently established "Longleaf Layover", a small parcel of land in Hawthorne, Florida that will be held in common through The People's Trust: a community land trust for people to share the earth within the values of equality, autonomy, peaceful cooperation, and sustainable Earth stewardship.
In December of 2021, members of the Permaculture Mutual Aid Network travelled down from Tennessee to build the first permanent structure at Longleaf Layover: an off-grid kitchen! Utilizing the established mutual aid connections from around The Garden in Tennessee, the majority of the materials needed for the kitchen were able to be sourced locally and at little to no cost. Cedar beams, tin roofing and scrap lumber were loaded into a People's Project traveling bus and brought down to Hawthorne, Florida.
The intention of the Longleaf Layover land project is to be a shared family friendly space for members of the Permaculture Mutual Aid Network to rest and recharge. The space will focus on practicing healthy social permaculture through nonviolent communication. It was decided that everyone sharing this land stay no more than two weeks at a time, to encourage its existence as a shared resting place.
In addition to building an off-grid kitchen at Longleaf Layover, the Permaculture Mutual Aid Network worked on the Dirt Church Community Garden portion of the property by enriching the sandy terrain with loads of manure, mulch, and clay. Hugelkultur beds were incorporated to increase water retention and a variety of native plants and fruit trees were planted, setting the stage for it to grow into a thriving free food forest.
If you’re currently in Florida and would like to visit this property to practice permaculture, contact members of the Florida Working Group.