Minnesota Ecovillage Project

We are an intergenerational ecovillage working to 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. 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.