Greensleeves
a non-profit rewilding project dedicated to people & planet
We are living at a time of intense global change.
Planetary biophysical limits, the systems that regulate the conditions for life on earth, are being breached at an alarming rate. The oceans are acidifying, the climate is heating and aridifying, causing weather chaos and wildfire and deluge. Species loss is catastrophic and accelerating, and microplastics can be found everywhere, from inside the tissues of the human brain to the breath of dolphins in the wild. We are in a time of profound and increasing crisis -- and how we respond, as individuals, as communities, and as a species, will determine the future of life on earth.
Though the alarm bells are already sounding, we still have a choice. There are many clear paths forward that involve more than just reducing our carbon 'footprint' (--- though clearly, this is essential.) We also need to change our goals, our mindsets, and our stories. Will we continue to be dedicated to extraction, 'development' and wealth building; to “more, bigger, faster,” the endless race to compete, possess and consume? Or can we change our collective relationship to growth, and to what constitutes success? Can we change our relationship to work, to each other, to meaning, and to the earth beneath our feet?
At Greensleeves we believe we can. Though the hour is late, there is still time, and there is a clear path forward that involves saving whatever we can, protecting, repairing and restoring, and contributing to a culture that transitions away from a "work, spend, consume, repeat" mindset. We can use less, connect more, and restore much of what has been damaged or lost. Together, plant by plant, piece by plot, we can transform the land, as well as the stories, actions and habits that are pushing life on earth to the brink.
Our Services
Invasive plant removal; by hand and by the root
Hand work in difficult areas; steep grade /sensitive biology
Process-based restoration treatments
Nature based erosion & flood mitigation
Fuel reduction and piling (fire safety)
Living wage jobs
Training & social support
Transitional to permanent housing support
Workforce development
(Photo courtesy of Light Theory Multimedia, a volunteer participant at a Wolf Creek Community Alliance restoration day, 2022.)
Inspired and informed by both environmental science, and indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), Greensleeves teams will use simple hand tools and elbow grease to to perform process-based restoration techniques on both public and private lands. Greensleeves aims to increase the capacity and breadth of many of our regional non-profit organizations already engaged in restoration work in the Sierra Nevada. Forest Ecologists and Restoration Technicians in the field will have increasing access to mobile, agile, capable hand crews. And Greensleeves crew members will have the opportunity to become increasingly knowledgeable and skilled, earning a living wage, in the growing restoration economy. As crews gain experience and expertise they will be able to provide community members with private lands top notch scientifically valid restoration and mitigation services, restoring ecological health and function to the wildland urban interface, while improving fire safety and climate resilience. Greensleeves will create the economic pathway for restoration work to scale-up, returning the human hand to its rightful place on the land, restoring, renewing and regenerating the places we call home.
Get in Touch
Greensleeves is still in the early phases of planning and start-up. We're a small cohort of friends with a big vision. We're currently seeking seed funding. By recruiting our first teams from people experiencing homelessness, or re-entering the community after a prison term, we will align social justice with urgent environmental need, creating synergy across both fields, and a replicable model we can scale over time. With collaboration and training from environmental partners in the field, and a subscription-based set of options for homeowners interested in rewilding their own yards or acreage, we will begin to reconnect separated ecological islands with larger tracts of restored land. In the process we will create living wage jobs that target the climate and bio-diversity crises we face. Greensleeves aims to create a viable pathway that addresses systemic issues that are extreme, global and urgent. We need a way to get to work targeting our world's greatest needs, while also changing the nature of work to become more than just a job.
We need a way to get our very human hands back out on the land, restoring and regenerating that which has been harmed, hampered, damaged and lost.
Do you love this idea and want to know more?
Do you know someone we should connect with?
Please get in touch!
10826 Red Dog Road
Nevada City, CA 95959
info@greensleeves.life
Tel: 505-692-0766
Donate Now
We greatly appreciate your interest in donating to our cause! We are still in the beginning stages of this project and are working to get things fully up and running.
Please contact us at info@greensleeves.life for information on how you can donate.