The yellow door

One year ago, September Equinox 2022, we closed the yellow front door of ‘Gaia House’, our home, office and haven in north London, for the very last time. If the walls could talk, the walls of Gaia House would share stories of passionate advocates, activists, and way-finders crossing the threshold into what fondly became known as the ‘Gaia embassy’ for so many international visitors.

As the Camden Journal wrote: “If you knock on the distinctive yellow-painted door, the snowy-bearded owner will no doubt invite you in – but only on condition you want to save the world”.

At the inception of The Gaia Foundation nearly four decades ago, Ed Posey, co-founder alongside Liz Hosken, opened his Hampstead home to become a base, in the spirit of solidarity. The house and garden provided office and meeting spaces, and rooms for guests. It was a refuge for visitors from the Global South – from Kenyan Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, to Brazil’s legendary environmentalist Jose ‘Lutz’ Lutzenberger and Indigenous leader Ailton Krenak. Gaia House became a ‘home’ and inspirational base for activists and artists, the musicians who formed Earth Love Fund (which became Artists Project Earth, and Sahara) and the youth environmental group Envision. Neighbours also became a part of the Gaia story, such as Jeremy Irons, Rupert Sheldrake, QC Phillipe Sands, Ulrich Loening, and David Fleming; and Gaia Evenings gathered us all together to nurture the growing movement of affectionate allies.

The closing of the yellow door has been an emotional closing of a cycle, and now, with gratitude, we pause to see what wants to emerge for the next cycle. Gaia’s work continues, stronger than ever, with our team located across the UK, Africa, Uruguay and Europe, finding innovative ways to stay connected. Below we share some of our latest news.

Gaia House has been a potent place of encounters since the 1980s, seeding movements, alliances and activism for ecological and social justice, systemic transformation, Indigenous rights, art and learning. Below are the final few affectionate allies to pass through the yellow door. In the coming months we will be sharing more memories with you: the stories of Gaia House, if the walls could talk.