Rachel Carson EcoVillage

  • Community
  • 0 followers

About the Community

  • Forming
  • Suburban

What we do

Rachel Carson EcoVillage at Providence Heights is a multi-generational community dedicated to practicing sustainability. Located adjacent to La Roche University in McCandless Township, PA (11 miles north of Pittsburgh) we are the region’s first cohousing community.

Located within walking distance of a grocery store, book store, restaurants, movie theater, hospitals and public transportation we will also be in close proximity to downtown Pittsburgh, one of America’s most livable cities. The local public schools are recognized for academic excellence.

The Rachel Carson EcoVillage is a caring and cooperative community. Our buildings and site are designed to connect us to nature and to each other: to promote personal interactions and easy sociability, while at the same time, allowing us the privacy of our own residences.

The entire development will be built to high standards of energy conservation, keeping our energy costs down. Our materials have been selected for long-term durability and affordability as well as better air quality. Our 35 units community offers a range of home sizes, with pricing from approximately $215,000-$550,000. Construction will be complete in 2026.

For more information: www.rachelcarsonecovillage.org

Register for one of our virtual Introductory Sessions by emailing [email protected] or texting 412-573-1927

Our Vision

We’re a group of individuals and families who have joined to build an extraordinary life together.  The one thing we all have in common is a desire to know our neighbors.  Our EcoVillage  will be a multi-generational community that includes people from as many cultures and backgrounds as possible.  We welcome individuals of every race, ethnicity, culture, age, ability, gender identity, and sexual identity to join us in creating an inclusive, caring, and diverse community.

Our Mission

We’re a group of individuals and families who have joined to build an extraordinary life together.  The one thing we all have in common is a desire to know our neighbors.  Our EcoVillage  will be a multi-generational community that includes people from as many cultures and backgrounds as possible.  We welcome individuals of every race, ethnicity, culture, age, ability, gender identity, and sexual identity to join us in creating an inclusive, caring, and diverse community.

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Ecovillage

Video

  • 43 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
43

How to join

We broke ground in February 2025, and have 8 homes available. Those interested in membership can find full details at   https://rachelcarsonecovillage.org/equity-membership/or write to us at [email protected] to attend an introductory session.

 

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Governance structure

  • Sociocratic/Circle-Based

Organized in circles or domains with distributed authority.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: $150
Monthly fees/dues: $25
Labor: Encouraged or suggested (2 hours/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: Yes (some debt)
Members must secure their mortgages individually

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Swingsets & play areas, Recreational vehicles, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Suburban

Residential areas outside city centers but within metropolitan regions.

Self-produced energy

  • 33 - 66%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%
  • Land area size
    8 acres

Reviews

Location

  • Pennsylvania, United States

Rachel Carson EcoVillage

Promoted Needs and Offers

Need
Need
  • Communities with Openings
12 months ago

Water Birch Co-op. Urban living in central Denver.

Large, lovely house built in 1900, two blocks from Cheeseman Park in downtown Denver.  5000 square feet. The house was a Buddhist Meditation Center for 20 years before we got it and has lovely, calm vibes. We currently have ten people and have room for one more. We are an intentional community sharing dinners, 3 living rooms, 2 new kitchens and a kitchenette, & 5 baths. Staple food (organic) is bought together. The group is self-regulating as a co-op; it decides together how the house runs. There are chores ;-) Average cost per room is about $1000 ranging from $650 to $1354. Currently available room is $875. We are just finishing renovation of three bedrooms on the third floor  they are $875 each and share our largest, newest bath (shower and separate claw foot tub) and a brand new kitchenette  they all have beautiful windows and lots of light. PLEASE CHECK OUT COMMUNITY LISTINGS FOR MORE INFO. Initial lease for 3-6 months while we and you decide if we are a good fit for each other.  Deposit in the amount of one months rent is required prior to move in.  We do background checks on all members. Utilities are currently $130 per person per month and are all-inclusive.  They will change if costs go up, that amount is insufficient to cover utilities, or more people mean the cost per person goes down.  WiFi is via mesh network from gig-speed fiberoptic service.  Heat is with radiators.  Cooling is evaporative.  We have a storage room in a nearby commercial facility.  And a new large workshop in the garage. Shared food is $125 per month per person; it is a pass-through cost divided evenly among residents; it does NOT include meat or alternative protein nor any alcohol.  We will not be surprised if that needs to go up some soon ($10 or 15). We have two dogs and three cats in the house  that seems like a sufficient quantity of furry friends for now. Our community intentions include: Communication with compassion. Shared space and life. Shared meals. Shared staple foods which are non-GMO and Organic. Group decision making. Safe, inclusive space: queer and trans friendly, anti-racist, non-violent, and feminist. The purchase of the house by the co-op in about five years. The expansion of the co-op, possibly to include other housing types (like separate apartments). Weekly meetings and house committees to manage our community. We are considering implementing Sociocracy as an organizing method. Quiet hours are from 10:00pm to 8:00am. We are looking for community members who: Want to live in a community not just have a place to sleep and eat. Want to live in a beautiful, clean, and organized house and are willing to help make and keep it that way. Residents should expect to spend 16 hours per month towards this goal. Are curious, compassionate, flexible, and open to living with others who will undoubtedly have different ideas about many things. Are interested in pioneering a new co-op. There will be work involved to get there. Are responsible and communicative. Embrace enthusiastically that living in community requires introspection and personal growth. Are not joining the community as a way of running away from something.

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