Missoula Urban Demonstration (MUD) Project

The Missoula Urban Demonstration (MUD) Project is a tool library, demonstration site, and skill-sharing hub rolled into one. Since 1981, MUD has worked toward the vision of a world in which tools and skills are shared for the betterment of our community and planet.

MUD would like to acknowledge, recognize, and offer respect to Indigenous people and specifically to those whose land we occupy. We live, work, and recreate on the unceded territory of the Séliš, Ksanka, Ql̓ispé, Niitsitapi, and Tukkutikka.

The seeds of MUD were planted in 1981 by the Down Home Project, a group passionate about urban sustainability. The project was based out of two northside homes where sustainable practices were woven into the fabric of daily life. The public was invited to learn how to integrate these practices into their own lives through workshops, site tours, and regular community gatherings. As its focus expanded to include tool sharing, the Down Home Project evolved into MUD.

MUD officially sprouted as an offshoot of the Down Home Project in 1989, and continued to operate out of the northside homes for two decades. By 2011, the tool library had become a staple of the organization, and MUD relocated to an empty lot on Wyoming St. There, MUD created more expansive tool storage space and continues to build upon the sustainability projects that have been fundamental to the organization since the very beginning.

MUD empowers people to build a more sustainable community. Here's how.

Tool Library
We have a lot of tools. 2,700 and counting, in fact. With an annual MUD membership, you have access to them all so you can tackle that next project without the need to consume more stuff.

 


Workshops
Become an amateur blacksmith. Create the urban garden of your dreams. Build your own furniture. Our sustainability oriented workshops will leave you inspired and empowered.

 


Demonstration
The MUD site demonstrates several earth-friendly projects that you can replicate at home. Swing by MUD to learn more or check out our online resource library.

Paul Wheaton and MUD go 'way back:

My lawn care article started off as a how to I wrote for the MUD Project back in 1994 or so.  When the web came along I pushed it out to the web.  Since there wasn't much stuff on the web back then, it got a lot of traffic. 

All of their stuff is at https://mudproject.org/