The Farm's Ecovillage

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Eco-Village Tour with Albert Bates

The Farm is a spiritual intentional community in Summertown, Tennessee, based on principles of nonviolence and respect for the Earth. The Farm was founded in 1971 by Stephen Gaskin and 320 San Francisco hippies.

The focus of this eco tour video-pod is on the Ecovillage Training Center, a learning center for sustainability founded by Albert Bates. The Ecovillage Training Center is a living workshop environment where you can learn organic food production, natural building, permaculture and how to create and live in harmony within the means of nature. This video pod is an educated walkthrough intended to create a window into some of these eco methodologies and green technologies as well as thoughts and ideas by Albert regarding the creation of an ecovillage and the need to scale down our wants and needs.

Basic Beliefs & Agreements

We live in community, and our reverence for life has always been central to our community ways. Within The Farm community, people can live together and pursue a spiritual path that includes but is not limited to the following beliefs and agreements:

We believe that there are non-material planes of being or levels of consciousness that everyone can experience, the highest of these being the spiritual plane. We believe that we are all one, that the material and spiritual are one, and the spirit is identical and one in all of creation.
We believe that marriage, childbirth and death are sacraments of our church. We agree that child rearing and care of the elderly is a holy responsibility.

We believe that being truthful and compassionate is instrumental to living together in peace and as a community. We agree to be honest and compassionate in our relationships with each other.

We believe in nonviolence and pacifism and are conscientiously opposed to war. We agree to resolve any conflicts or disagreements in a nonviolent manner. We agree to keep no weapons in the community.

We believe that vegetarianism is the most ecologically sound and humane lifestyle for the planet, but that what a person eats does not dictate their spirituality. We agree that livestock, fish, or fowl will not be raised in the community for slaughter.

We believe that the abuse of any substance is counterproductive to achieving a high consciousness. We agree to strive for a high consciousness in our daily lives.

We believe that the earth is sacred. We agree to be respectful of the forests, fields, streams and wildlife that are under our care. We agree that the community is a wildlife sanctuary with no hunting for sport or food.

We believe that humanity must change to survive. We agree to participate in that change by accepting feedback about ourselves.
We believe that we, individually and collectively, create our own life experience. We agree to accept personal responsibility for our actions.

We believe that inner peace is the foundation for world peace.

This statement was written by individuals serving on The Farm's membership committee and based on statements found in "This Season's People" and other Farm historical documents.

Source:www.thefarm.org