Environmental problems are problems of the imagination. Groundwork offers education for shifting paradigms, growing our collective capacity to imagine the futures we want to bring into being.
ground•work /ˈɡroun(d)wərk/ — noun: preliminary or foundational work
Rising to meet the challenges posed by climate change, ecological decline, and environmental injustice requires more than new technologies and policies. Changes to economies, political systems, and infrastructure must come in tandem with changes to values, attitudes, and practices. At Groundwork, we work to shift the foundations of the ways we understand ourselves and our place in the world, in order to work towards more just and sustainable shared futures for a time beyond our own.
Building sustainable culture takes creativity and time. At Groundwork, we believe that a long view and an imaginative approach is necessary to create deep, lasting change. We see our work as just the beginning of a process: planting seeds of a sustainable culture that takes time to grow.
Western Colorado Farm Campus
Groundwork’s farm campus in Paonia, Colorado is located in where the Rocky Mountains drop off into the canyon country of the Colorado Plateau. The farm is a place of learning, growth, and connection where people live close to the Earth in seasonal rhythms and explore what our world might look like if we chose a different path. We intentionally create experiences outside the ordinary the serve as foundations for the imagination—we need to experiences glimpses of the future we want to bring into being.
Food Systems Fellowship
Learn to nourish an unraveling world.
Young people are inheriting a world in crisis. Today, “the good life” is not about living in reciprocity with the landscapes that nourish us. This fellowship is for people seeking an alternative. Join us to develop the skills and practices to live otherwise.
After School Programs
Grow up with the land.
Firestarters is an after-school mentorship program for boys based in natural crafts and nature awareness activities. We offer both after-school programs and summer programs.
Human Ecology Field Camps
Deepen your relationship with the land.
Camp in the mountains for 3-7 days developing a relationship with the Western Colorado’s ecosystems. Blend observation, plant identification, and knowledge of traditional wild food systems.. Learn foraging and wild edible plants. Programs are for adults.
Folk School: Land-Based Crafts
Willow Basketry Classes
Weave with local materials.
Basketry is a traditional skill that connects people to place. Willow grows wild in most of the Northern Hemisphere, and has been a foundation for land-based lifeways since time immemorial. Join us people are inheriting a world in crisis. Today, “the good life” is not about living in reciprocity with the landscapes that nourish us. This fellowship is for people seeking an alternative. Join us to develop the skills and practices to live otherwise.
Traditional Craft Classes
Connect with land & tradition.
Traditional, non-industrial skills formed the foundation for human relationship with place for countless generations. These crafts still survive. Join us to learn the foundations for human culture and begin to explore a less industrial future. Classes include: fiber arts, natural dyes, hide tanning, spoon carving, and more.
Upcoming Classes
- Intro to Pine Needle Basketry, Mar 7, 2026 in Boulder, CO
- Branch Tapestry Weaving, Mar 14, 2026 in Boulder, CO
- Willow Basketry Foundations Weekend, Mar 21–22, 2026 in Paonia, CO
- Willow Basketry Foundations Weekend, Mar 21–22, 2026 in Paonia, CO
- Intro to Willow Weaving, Apr 4, 2026 in Carbondale, CO
Workshops On Time Travel, Land, Food, & Water
Groundwork offers workshops on a wide range of subjects related to climate, cultural shift, food systems, water policy, and land management. Groundwork’s classroom-based workshops can be offered anywhere—we just need a classroom space. These are our most accessible offerings financially, and they can come to you! Contact us to schedule a workshop for your community.
Positive Futurism
Fall in love with the future.
“Falling In Love With The Future” is a day of hopeful time travel. We take participants into the near future where humanity has come together to address climate change and other problems in a real way. Join us for a day in the best-case-scenario future to bring your imagination to life.
Upcoming Workshops
- Falling In Love With The Future, Mar 28, 2026 in Paonia, CO
- Falling In Love With The Future, Apr 5, 2026 in Carbondale, CO
Other Workshops
Deepen your environmental knowledge.
Other workshop offerings include:
- Seed School: Seed saving classes
- Everybody Eats The Colorado River: Water policy & life in the arid West
- Climate & Culture: American culture’s blocks on climate
Publications on Positive Futurism
Bite-Sized Books
Groundwork’s Bite-Sized Books are easily-digestible booklets that build our capacity to imagine ways forward in a complex world. The booklets are perfect for using in classrooms, community groups, and public advocacy. You can read them online for free.
Podcasts
Climate change is not just about greenhouse gases, technology, policy, and renewable energy. Groundwork’s podcasts explore people’s relationships with land, food, and water as a foundation for understanding how we think about our world and potential ways forward.
Email Newsletter
Groundwork publishes monthly newsletters featuring organizational updates and resources for environmental work. Our upcoming long-form quarterly newsletter, The Winnowing Tray, features essays and resources on the role of cultural shift in creating a livable future.
Our Sponsors
Our Partners
The Lamborn Foundation
Farm Equipment Donors
