About the Old Oak Homestead

We are a small community of social and environmental activists, community organizers, carpenters, and filmmakers (including an academy award-winning documentarian), seeking others who want to live in harmony with the Earth while working to change the system destroying it. Our homestead is a rural oasis only 6 miles from enchanting Carrboro and downtown Chapel Hill. We are part of the network served by World WIde Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), which places volunteers with organic farms around the world.

The homestead is on five acres of fielded, gardened and wooded land with a 150-yr old farmhouse, 350-yr old oaks, a nearby pond, a composting toilet, and four satellite buildings, which provide additional housing. Two years ago we added a hoop house, which keeps us eating wonderful greens all winter long. We just finished putting together a group of neighbors to create a small solar farm which sells energy to the grid, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. We are walking distance from two CSAs with whom we trade produce, labor, and stipends. We love animals, and share our space with three cats, a dog, chickens,two ducks, two milk goats and an array of NC wildlife.

We sustain our small community of five to six people with a year round abundant garden, a new orchard, nearby fishing, hunting and “stocking up”. We freeze, dry, can, and ferment much of our own food. Our hens provide eggs, our bees provide honey and wax, and our goats provide year round milk in the summer and winter. We eat a healthy diet. We raise a wide variety of vegetables, some berries, fruit and many flowers for our use and to share with our neighbors. We have recently started to make our own bio-char, lip balm, and medicinal salves. Our goal is to become ever more self-sufficient, not only on our own property, but in cooperation with our neighbors as well. We can teach a wide variety of skills to those who want to work hard

We require a minimum stay of two weeks,but prefer one month and longer stays. We work a minimum of six hours a day five days a week and a few hours on Saturday and Sunday. We are very flexible.

Jobs may include: planting, watering, weeding, feeding, researching, planning, designing, hand-picking pests from crops, spraying (organic), pruning, animal care, food storage, carpentry assistance, and general maintenance as well as daily food prep and clean up.

No tobacco smokers please.

We provide limited long distance (U.S. and Canada) phone access, and limited non-work related wireless internet access. You will need a car or bike (bikes can be borrowed) to get in and out of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Ours is a casual yet hard working, dedicated, family friendly environment, which also provides a rich opportunity for activists and filmmakers to help out with the Empowerment Project in spare hours. We are presently working on a DVD about the solar farm in an attempt to help other neighborhoods to replicate the model we have created.

Come help us sustain and enhance our vision while learning how to do it yourself.

Solar Farm | Testimonials | Photos

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