Give Your "Umph" for Off-Grid Affordable Housing

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WHAT/WHY/WHO? - The off-grid pilot project on a third-world simulation site in KC is a collaborative project involving Engineers Without Borders of Kansas City, Clement Waters Retreat, and Youth Volunteer Corps. Everything on site is being tested, from the solar panels to the water filters to the success of hand-powered native-material building methods manned by volunteers. And your hands are needed. Your willingness to try ancient building methods like stone-laying and cobbing will get this build done right.

WEAR/BRING/GET - Wear shoes with significant tread and practical clothing you don’t mind getting a little muddy. Bring yourself and a smile! We provide work gloves, hand tools and filtered water. You get a sense of pride, accomplishment, and community in/with nature. The project is in a natural, friend-fostering, family-friendly spot near the Kansas City Zoo.

BACKGROUND - In February 2018 an environmental involvement nonprofit, Clement Waters Retreat, acquired the 4-acre vacant lot that is now Clement Forest. Over 300 Volunteers from all over the states of Kansas and Missouri have come together to clear over 400 yards of trail, remove 30 cubic yards of dumped large items, remove 50 cubic yards of bush honeysuckle, and build an environmentally sustainable tool shed and greenhouse to support food forest maintenance. Clement Forest is well on its way to becoming a peaceful gathering place for the residents who have made the area around it their home.

BOTTOM LINE - We’re excited to have you join us as we help nature take back her rightful place in KC's hearts and minds! Urban residents tend to be afraid of the woods, but a forest really offers more benefits than dangers. Let’s make nature accessible to all.

HOW TO FIND US - We park in the big lot at Holliday Montessori Elementary School, then meet across the street, just uphill from the Jackson Avenue Bridge. Look for the Clement Forest sign, and for other people gathering, ready to make a difference!