Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
- Mary Oliver
We are gathering a team to build and inhabit an intergenerational ecovillage where we can live lightly on the land by the power of the sun. We are working together to reclaim forgotten knowledge about how to be human -- recovering ancient wisdom and technologies, re-learning how to live in community, and restoring the land.
This village is a humble collective of people wishing to abandon economies of consumption, competition, and exploitation. It is a laboratory for experimentation in different ways of being human, a workshop for ecological ingenuity, a playground for creative expression, a retreat for the solace of green things, a dance party in the woods, a seed for a better world.
Construction begins Summer 2024.
We believe humans are meant to live in shared community, as an antidote to the isolation and loneliness that characterize our society. We intend to create a place where people of all ages can share in life together– share meals, share labor, share knowledge, share caretaking responsibilities, share crisis, share joy. We desire to weave a fabric of social support to create stability in times of both joy and crisis.
We believe that an ecovillage offers a model for human living that is more secure in the face of climate change and empowers us to sustain ourselves simply and ethically. Most of all, we believe that a life lived in harmony with nature in community with others is more meaningful than a life of technological alienation and social isolation;. We are not motivated by guilt of what has been or by fear of what may be. We are called by curiosity and wonder, by joy and generosity, and by humble gratitude for all the gifts the Earth will give us as we simply learn to receive.
The community practices non-hierarchical self-government using principles of sociocracy learned from the wisdom of indigenous societies and modern collectives. Seeking to be liberated from supply chains, we are learning how to live in relationship with the land through traditional agriculture and alternative construction practices – growing and processing much of our own food, building homes and furniture from natural and reclaimed material, and learning to live with the rituals and rhythms of the seasons.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
- Wendell Berry
The ecovillage is located about 90 minutes north of the Twin Cities, on 66 acres of diverse Minnesota ecosystems: oak and maple forests, birch and aspen, tamarack bogs and duck ponds and a flowing river.
We see ourselves not as owners or developers, but as stewards and caretakers of the land during our short time on Earth.
Our Values
We are guided by the central values of stewardship, belonging, interconnectedness with nature, non-dominance / non-competition / non-violence, consent, preparedness, humility, awe, simplicity, creativity, fun, hospitality, hope, joy, whimsy, and wonder.
We are a community dedicated to learning, research, growth, experimentation, and education.
We embrace our responsibility for the world we inhabit and the climate crisis in which that world finds itself.
We affirm the dignity and prioritize the safety of Queer / Trans / LGBTQ+ people.
We are committed to anti-racism and the dismantling of white supremacy.
We support gender equality and actively work to dismantle the patriarchy.
We are anti-capitalists and believe a better way of living and working together is possible.
We are family-friendly, affirming the value of intergenerational as well as chosen family.
We embrace a growth mindset, valuing progress over perfection.
We relate to one another through conscious informed consent mediated by non-violent communication.
We practice self-governance by principles of sociocracy.
We make decisions led by empirical evidence.
We pledge our allegiance to Reality.