A focus on learning
Yestermorrow's philosophy emphasizes the fact that you learn best by doing, and whether you're learning how to create a piece of furniture, build a rain garden, or design your green dream home, our focus is on hands-on learning. Students who have never picked up a hammer before can walk away from a weekend workshop with the confidence to tackle a variety of projects in their home and the savvy to work with common tools.

Yestermorrow is also one of the very few places where you can learn basic design skills outside of a four- or five-year architecture school. Whether you're interested in designing your own home or addition, building a custom piece of furniture, or designing regenerative communities, Yestermorrow's courses demystify the process and empower you to expand your view, build your design, or even start a new career.

And by bridging the gap between the acts of designing and building, Yestermorrow students gain a sense of the overarching purpose of their project, resulting in intentional and inspired results.

The effect of the "Yestermorrow experience" is infectious. A student might come to Yestermorrow to learn a specific skill -- how to use power tools, for example -- and then come back a year later with a sister, husband or best friend for a class in stained glass or green renovation. One of the exciting things about this place is that you're elbow to elbow with people from all around the country and from all walks of life, brought together through a mutual interest in being active participants in creating the spaces they inhabit. Around the lunch table, conversation can range from the best compost strategies to types of routers to how to design a super-efficient home in a cold climate.

Making an impact
We believe that when we "invest" in our homes with our heads, hearts and hands through the design/build process, we become powerful agents of positive change. We develop an enhanced sense of place, belonging and commitment -- a sense that transcends the home to benefit the community and beyond. By becoming active in defining the places where we live, we create a sense of connection to the environment around us and are inspired to explore and create new connections.

The challenges around us related to climate change, globalization and energy security can be overwhelming. One of the best ways people are successfully dealing with these concerns is at the local level, in their own lives and in their communities, changing from the ground up how we live and work. Whether it's consuming less electricity, building super-insulated homes, utilizing solar gain for hot water, or growing food in our yards, there are hundreds of ways all of us can work in our daily lives to solve the "big" problems. Yestermorrow provides the tools, skills and inspiration to roll up our sleeves, get to work, and have fun in the process.

Kate Stephenson is the executive director of Yestermorrow Design/Build School, a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to teaching the skills to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process. www.yestermorrow.org.