Earthaven Ecovillage

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Earthaven Ecovillage

Located in Black Mountain, North Carolina, United States


Mission Statement
Learning sustainable culture

Community Description
Earthaven is an aspiring ecovillage founded in 1994 on 329 acres in the mountain forests of western North Carolina, about 50 minutes from Asheville. We are spiritually diverse, and value sustainable ecological systems, permaculture design, elegant simplicity, right livelihood, and healthy social relations. We have both vegetarians and omnivores, and some of us raise livestock for food. We hope to become empowered, responsible, ecologically literate citizens who model bioregionally appropriate culture for our time and place.
We intend to become a village of at least 150. We use a modified form of the N Street Consensus Method for decision making, and have paid for and own title to our land. We are in the process of restructuring our legal arrangements, and we pay annual dues. As of 2016 we have 51 members. We have built roads and bridges, community buildings, members’ homes, multi-household residences, gardens, constructed wetlands, and off-grid power and water systems.

We are developing a small village-scale economy. Some of us work in small, onsite businesses or nonprofits owned or run by members, including Useful Plants Nursery; Culture’s Edge, an educational nonprofit; the School of Integrated Living (SOIL), an educational nonprofit); or by offering services such as tours, campground lodging, carpentry and home construction, home care, child care, and healing arts.

As a learning community dedicated to sharing our resources with the public, we offer workshops in Permaculture design, natural building, consensus decision-making, Sociocracy, creating new ecovillages, herbal medicine, health and healing, and women’s mysteries. We also host large events such as the Continental Bioregional Congress (2005), the annual Southeast Regional Permaculture Gathering (2002-04), and a Village Harvest Festival (2008-2009) We welcome students and other learning groups, and support homeschool parents of children at Earthaven and nearby. We are seeking hardworking, entrepreneurial people, including but not limited to organic growers and farmers; people with solar system, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical skills; healers, artists, and families with children.

Housing
Status: We have land we have developed on
Area: 329 acres
Current Residence Types: Single-family homes, Multi-family homes, Room(s) in a house or building, Tiny house, Natural built structues
Current Number of Residences: 44
Housing Provided: Purchase, Rental, Work-exchange
Land owned by: combination of shared and individual group ownership
Additional Comments:
One of our neighborhoods is based on the cohousing model.

Membership
Adult Members: 50
Child Members: 10
Non-member Residents: 8
Percent Women: 51-60%
Percent Men: 41-49%
Percent Transgender: 0%
Visitors accepted: Yes
Visitor Process:
Contact us at Earthaven. We have regularly scheduled tours. Visits are by appointment only.
Open to new Members: Yes
Membership Process:
People live here as guests, non-member residents, and work exchangers. They can apply to become Exploring Members. Exploring Members can later apply to become Provisional Members. Provisional Members can apply to become Full Members. We also have Sustaining Members – people who used to be members and no longer live here but we still consider them members of the Earthaven family.
Additional Comments:
Spiritually eclectic. Most members share ecospiritual values.
Most elementary-aged children are homeschooled at Earthaven; some parents collaborate on homeschooling programs.

Economics
Dues, Fees, or Shared Expenses: Yes
Shared Income: None
Required Labor Contribution per Week: 0
Additional Comments:
Community labor requirements are 2-4 hours/week; 1500 hours total in first 10 years.
The joining fee amount has been changed and will be divided between an amount to the community itself ($8,000 total), and another amount, depending on which neighborhood a new member joins.
Annual dues & fees range between approximately $600 to $900 per year.

Sustainability Practices
Energy Infrastructure: We are totally off grid.
Energy sources: Solar, Hydro-Electric
Planned renewable energy generation: 0%, or close to 0%
Current food produced: 0%, or close to 0%
Planned food produced: From 50-75%
Food produced locally: Almost All, around 90%

Lifestyle
Common Facilities: Common House, Outbuilding(s), Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas
Internet Available: Yes, both the community and individuals provide it
Internet Fast?: No, it is slow.
Cell Phone Service: Not good for most people.
Shared meals: About once a week
Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (plants and animals)
Dietary Choice or Restrictions: No – people may eat however they wish.
Special Diets OK: Yes
Alcohol Use: Yes, used occasionally.
Tobacco Use: Yes, used occasionally.
Additional Diet Comments:
Most members eat some dinners sometimes with others in their neighborhood; we currently have about five different neighborhoods with some shared meals.
Most members are omnivores; a few are vegetarians.
Common Spiritual Practice(s): Ecumenical (accepts all religions or spiritual practices), Eclectic (integrates multiple religious or spiritual beliefs), Buddhist, Wiccan, Quaker, Unitarian Universalist, Paganism or Earth Religions, Mixed Eastern Philosophy or Practice
Education Style(s): Home Schooling, Up to each family or individual
Expected Healthcare Practices:
Most Earthaven members choose holistic health, complimentary medicine methods, and also Chinese medicine, homeopathy, and so on. Few members use regularly allopathic doctors, perhaps except for emergency room care when needed, or help with broken bones, etc.
Healthcare Options: Up to each family or individual

Source: https://www.ic.org/directory/earthaven-ecovillage/