THE MEADOWCREEK PROJECT
(Page 3 of 4)
March/April 1982
By the Mother Earth News editors
A NEW WAY TO LEARN
The Orrs hope that, by 1983, they'll have the necessary funds, and enough willing workers, to begin the establishment of what is perhaps their fondest dream ... the educational center at Meadowcreek. As sons of a Pennsylvania college president, David and Wil grew up in an atmosphere that focused on learning, and they've developed their own theories about the shortcomings of our present educational system.
David is particularly vocal on this subject, since he observed the problems from the inside, during his years as a university professor of political science. "We don't offer students the opportunity to connect things in the course of their education," he says, "or to combine hand learning and head learning, or to engage in genuinely interdisciplinary activities."
To fill that void, the brothers hope to organize a wholistic education center that will use the whole functioning community as its laboratory. College students will then be able to spend a semester at Meadowcreek doing research in Ozark ecology .. . completing internships in such areas as organic agriculture, forest management, animal husbandry, woodworking, alternative energy systems, and shelter design ... or studying the social and philosophical issues that go along with living a sustainable lifestyle. The center will also host regular conferences and seminars on the same—and related—subjects.
Furthermore, the physical structure of the facility will reflect its philosophy .. . providing plenty of open spaces, decks, and "intersection points" where students can meet informally for spontaneous discussion. The building's architecture, it's promised, will be "conducive to thought, innovation, and creativity ... and the place certainly won't look like a factory".
THE FUN OF FUND RAISING
In a search for money to finance the center's construction — and to fund other projects yet to be tackled — David is now immersed in the business of writing grant proposals. He reports that the project's growth flow from year to year depends almost entirely on the cash that he and Wil are able to round up for each undertaking. Once it's fully established, Meadowcreek should be able to support itself . . . but until then, grants are being actively sought to provide the $2.5 million the Orrs estimate it will cost to set up the community. So far, major sums have been received from the Arkansas Energy Department, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ozarks Regional Commission . . . and numerous local businesses have donated materials.
HELP WANTED
In addition to money, however, Meadowcreek needs people. Although they've already received more general applications for membership than they can accept, the directors are seeking several individuals with specific abilities to meet the community's more urgent needs. In particular, they're looking for a horticulturist (to help establish the tree crops, orchards, and other components of the organic farm) ... someone who is familiar with the use of horses or mules for logging ... and a couple of highly skilled craftspersons to expand the woodshop's production capabilities. Later, they'll likely also need someone experienced in marketing and communications, both to "sell" the idea of Meadowcreek and to keep a steady flow of project news moving to the outside world.
