Visit to the Earthaven Eco Village near Black Mountain, NC

I made it to the Earthaven ecovillage on Thursday night after a 7 hour drive from Louisa, VA with sketchy directions, a detour from an accident, rain, and mountainous climbing on narrow wiggly roads. The campsite they had saved for me was small and muddy so I went in search of someone who I could talk to about parking the behemoth where it would be out of the way and on relatively solid ground.

Jerry came out with his rain coat and found a site that he thought would work in the parking lot just outside of one of the buildings where all the action was. The only trouble was, it required that I make the loop and come back around because backing up was not an option. So I hopped back in the Navi for the maneuver when I saw in front of me a long, thick branch hanging about 9' high and extending across the road that I had to drive under. While I need 11', there was no way around it. The a/c casing was already damaged so I took it slow and drove forward hoping that I'd do no more damage to the poor Navi.

Honestly, I felt like leaving.  However, near the entrance, I found a wide open parking area near their mailboxes with a decent gravel surface and I parked there. I put on my rain jacket and walked up to the evening program at the bldg they call Council Hall. (The last photo in this post shows an interior picture)  Diana Leaf Christensen was giving a presentation about Earthaven and I was keen to see it. She was somewhat of a celebrity to me as I had found and watched several of her YouTube videos talking about ecovillages which partially inspired my journey. She's known globally  in intentional community circles.  The Council Hall is a community built, octagonal shaped building constructed with resources from the land. It was quite lovely. There was a mixture of people in attendance---some who looked kinda like me and others who looked like young and old earthy hippies.

After the presentation, it was getting dark and my home on wheels was a bit of a hike in the dark so I decided to head back there for a night of dry camping (that's camping w/out any hookups). At least the weather was pleasant if not a little dampish with all the rain. Earthaven feels like I would expect Costa Rica to feel. Lots of lush greenery and creeks and birds and rain.  Here's a photo of of the White Owl building where we took our meals.

While Earthaven was at the top of my list as one of the key eco villages that I wanted to visit, I felt I needed a good reason so I wasn't one of the many who just come to visit out of curiosity. So, I signed up for a Restorative Circles workshop held there Th-Sun and paid my $140 via PayPal for the privilege. I decided to stay to attend all day Friday and leave on Sat morning. Interspersed with the workshop, 2 tours were scheduled so people like me could get a feel for the place.

I have to say, it wasn't what I expected. There were some interesting structures, truly very colorful but there was also quite a bit of junk and scraps and trash around that violated my sense of order and aesthetics. There were quite a few temporary looking structures.

Clark led the tour. A man who looked to be in his mid 60's who lived there for 14 years. Once you become a member, you can build your own structure, that would need to be completely off the grid. Or, you might get lucky and be able to occupy one that had already been built and vacated—assuming it was to your liking.

Arjuna who was one of the founding members of Earthaven showed us her home which was truly lovely but it took 3 years to finish. She used skilled and unskilled labor. The unskilled labor consisted of volunteers who came to Earthaven to learn how to build straw bale homes---not a bad way to get your house built but I don't know that I'd would have the patience to do that over a 3 year period.

I had a chance to visit a 26 year old, young man (G.V) who had lived at Earthaven for 5 years. He said he lived an itinerant life until he found Earthaven. It was easy to live a simple, rustic life that didn't require him to work off the property until he fell in love and they became parents. All of a sudden he was faced with needing to make a living as he wanted a nicer place for his family to live—at Earthaven.  He shared a dream of buying an adjoining property previously owned by the Aspen company---called the Mountain School who educated troubled boys. They were no longer in business there and the facility was vacant and for sale.

G.V. felt that Earthaven had a lot of bright, creative people who were great in generating ideas and even in doing the work but he said their biggest shortcoming was in the planning. Earthaven used to earn money offering quite a number of workshops until a guest contracted Hep C. Authorities came in to investigate their water and other retreat facilities and many of the members didn't want to have to conform to regulations so the workshops dwindled. It turns out the guest contracted Hep C before she got to Earthaven but the damage had been done.

G.V. felt that if they could renovate the Mountain School facility and hold workshops there, they could provide the attention to detail necessary to be successful in running workshops. He'd like to bring other intentional communities together to share effective practices and while they could tour Earthaven, they wouldn't be as disruptive to the residents living there when so many guests are staying on property. G.V. said it was a bit like living in a zoo with visitors regularly touring the place.

That made me that much more concerned about how I impact the communities when I visit. As much as possible, I want to find a way to do so within boundaries they've already set up—like visitor weekends and/or workshops. Driving in to Earthaven on the rainy Thursday night in my big gas guzzler made me feel like a fish out of water. However, everyone at Earthaven was quite gracious and hospitable to me.

I met another young guy from the Dancing Rabbit eco village in NE Missouri and introduced myself and asked him the best way to initiate a visit since it was another one of those well known, well established communities top of my list. 

Additionally, I met 2 other workshop participants who thought I might like to visit their communities in Georgia when I told them I'd really like to find a place to live that offered four seasons. It turns out that they (Ken from the Heartwood community in Blue Ridge, GA and Tina from the Earthsong community in Athens, GA) had also attended the Co-housing Conference in Durham. I just didn't get an opportunity to meet them there. They shared some of the special qualities that they enjoy about their communities. Both sounded enticing so I told them both that I would like to visit. The good news is Heartwood is having a gathering called Dancing Tree next weekend in Blue Ridge, GA a beautiful part of the US that I've visited a number of times on vacation. They'll both be there so I plan to head that way to check that out.

I left Earthaven Sat am after breakfast as the others were heading to the workshop. I wanted to focus my attention on getting my banged up a/c repaired. I spoke to a company earlier in the week who agreed to order the parts that should arrive in Raleigh in 2-3 days. Five days later I still hadn't heard from them so I called them and left several voice mails explaining that I was in a holding pattern waiting to know about the parts.  Turns out the guy who orders was out so it would be Monday before I'd know anything.  I didn't really want to drive 3 hours back to the shop in Raleigh. Hanging out in one place and waiting for days does not jive with my mode of operating but when it comes to RV repairs, I've found there's a lot of waiting. On my way back towards Raleigh, I stopped into a Camping World in Statesville, NC and it turns out they had the parts in stock AND were able to fix it right then and there.  It wasn't cheap but it will teach me to make sure the Navi can clear an awning before driving underneath.

So, it's Sun night, I'm parked by a beautiful, babbling creek in Marion, NC at Buck Creek RV park and my a/c works. The babbling creek is wonderful but it's still muggy and warm here so the a/c will make it easier to sleep.

P.S.  Here's a photo of the inside of Council Hall at Earthaven.  One of the participants took a nap during the lunch hour and we started the workshop with him sleeping in the middle of the floor.  I was sitting in the back when I took this shot and off to my right, Arjuna was working on her computer at a slightly hidden bench seat table.  Diana rolled out her yoga mat next to her and laid down to take a nap.  I like the way people take care of their needs.  How many times I would have liked to have done that during some long meetings at work.

So what are some of my key learnings from my visit to Earthaven?  They've been around since the mid 90's.  I thought they'd have more figured out building wise and community wise.  They seem to be in the middle of a big transition.  Clark told us they're going through a legal re-organization and everything is on hold until that is settled.  I'm sure the Hep C scare played a role. 

G.V. told me they think of Earthaven as an experiment in how one can live on the land.  I admire their efforts to do that and I found them honest in sharing what has worked and what they're still working on.  Diana mentioned in one of her books that it takes money to live in an intentional community.  While young people like G.V. are attracted to places like Earthaven because it is off the grid and close to the land, it isn't free.  This reminded me of the young couple at the Hummingbird Community that I visited in NM who are living a very, very simple lifestyle.....as close to the land as I've seen.  I wonder how it feels to be living that way when there are other community members (albeit at a different stage in their lives) living on the 500 acres of land with many more creature comforts (like indoor plumbing, heating and cooling systems and protection from the elements).

Do they desire those creature comforts?  If not now, will they during the second half of their lives?

Because people come and go in the community, they seem to be re-learning what others before them have learned.  I expected the buildings at Earthaven to go from a basic "lean to" to more homes that look more like Arjuna's without the 3 year building process.  Do communities share what they are learning or do they isolate themselves?  Do the elders share with the new entrants what's been tried before?  Do the young people listen? Do they build simple because that's all they can afford and then abandon those structures for another new idealist to experiment?  

I think that G.V. had a great idea in bringing communities together to share what works and what doesn't.  What can we do for young people for whom a college degree no longer guarantees a job and a livelihood?  

My new friend Tina from Earthsong in Athens shared a great idea where they're trying to bring baby boomers with money and a desire to live in community together with young people who have talents that need to be nurtured to support one another.  I love the idea of that kind of cross fertilization and support for one another.  I don't want to live in a community of people who look just like me.  I want to live in one where all the generations are respected for the energy and talent they bring--at whatever point they are in their lives.