Map pinpointing Oakland County, MI

To a lot of city dwellers, especially those with children, the idea of learning about the environment AND having fun is not even a concept. Obviously such people have never heard of Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center in Oxford, in Oakland County. This learning center, developed more than thirty years ago, has been providing means of increasing the public's awareness of how to live a "greener" life since long before that expression became the new buzzword. They also manage to accomplish this in an atmosphere of freedom to explore lifestyles many of us can only imagine.

Upland Hills features ongoing workshops, conferences and other educational situations that are designed to do more than talk about environmental issues. They offer hands-on opportunities for groups of all ages to experience actual life-transformation. To take city kids who have never planted so much as a seed and teach them to grow and raise food without harming the earth enables an entire generation to practise organic gardening. Showing adults how to build an energy-conserving home helps guarantee the future of homesteading for survival in our harsh era. For those who feel they are natural souls trapped in urban bodies, this center is an oasis. Far more than some of the "pioneer village" sites that attract tourists interested in seeing how their ancestors lived before the age of iPods and indoor plumbing, the Ecological Awareness Center demonstrates how it is feasible, practical and enjoyable for anyone to live a more harmonious life by working with, rather than against, nature.

The Center has a variety of community affiliations, ranging from the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce to Oakland University, and a great deal inbetween. There is even a school, Upland Hills School, where students are taught about their relationship to the earth and how to live in a way that reflects their responsibility to the environment.

This weekend's event is the Earth and Fire Oven Natural Building Workshop (NOTE: this event is NOT being held at the EA Center itself, but approximately five miles north at the Strawbale Studio, which is affiliated with Upland Hills.) This workshop runs today and tomorrow; the cost is $75 for the entire weekend. For directions and other details, go to www.strawbale.pbworks.com/go and www.strawbale.pbworks.com/Calendar.
Should you wish to visit Upland Hills at any time, the Center can be found at:
2375 Indian Lake Rd., Oxford MI 48370
Ph: 248-673-1021
Email: community@uheac.org
For the website, which includes directions and a map, see:
http://www.uheac.org/index.htm