Newforest Institute

The Newforest Institute is an educational non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration of mutually sustaining relationships between people and the land. The institute maintains a teaching and demonstration facility located on 300 acres of forests and fields in the village of Brooks in mid-coast Maine. The site was purchased after the forests were cut and some soils stripped. In a testament to ecological and human resilience, the site now contains edible forest gardens, permaculture gardens, ponds, a greenhouse, a barn and a restored farmhouse where workshops and lectures are held and meals shared. Newforest’s programs have included permaculture teaching and design services, home energy efficiency services, school programs, nature walks and interpretive lectures, art and ecology programs and the creative engagement in cultural transition toward sustainable practices.

Our 2011 Programs include: -Apprenticeships in Permaculture and Sustainable Facilities; a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program; DirtBath – a program that works with schools of the region to deliver hands-on outdoor education, project-based learning and opportunities to expand edible food forests on school campuses; a series of educational events at our program center in Brooks, Maine; and Permaculture Design Services.