Earthaven is an ecovillage in Western North Carolina, about 50 minutes from Asheville.
Earthaven Ecovillage is an intentional community that was founded in 1994 on 329 forested, mountainous acres.[1] As of 2021, it has about 75 adult residents and 25 children.[2] Ecological living at Earthaven includes permaculture-based site plans, natural building, renewable energy, and organic farms and gardens.[3]
Earthaven’s common land is owned by a homeowners association and its 12 residential neighborhoods are owned by separate entities, mostly housing cooperatives and LLCs.[4] Earthaven’s cultural and educational activities are carried out in collaboration with the nonprofit School of Integrated Living.[5] Earthaven’s practice of sustainable living is governed by its Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions.[6]
Earthaven's neighborhoods include undeveloped lots, single-family homes, duplexes, apartments, tiny homes, an earthship, and cohousing. Residents are responsible for their own finances, food, and housing, although several neighborhoods have shared kitchens and meals.[7] The entire community gathers at least once a week for cookouts and potlucks, and there are community-wide celebrations of seasonal holidays. There is no single spiritual practice at Earthaven. Various groups of residents gather frequently for meditation, dance, yoga, rituals, and other events. Earthaven has a local currency, known as the Leap. Residents exchange goods and services for leaps, barter, or cash. Many parents at Earthaven collaborate on home school enrichment activities for their children.[8]
Earthaven’s mission and vision is "to create a village which is a living laboratory and educational seed bank for a sustainable human future. In the midst of planetary change the Earthaven experiment helps inform and inspire a global flowering of bio-regionally appropriate cultures." Earthaven carries out its mission by offering in-person and online tours, workshops, and customized educational programs.
Earthaven was covered in a 2020 New York Times Magazine article on intentional communities[9] and in a 2017 episode of the Theory of Everything Podcast.[10] It has also been featured in the Washington Post Magazine,[11] Off The Grid News,[12] and the Invention Nation TV series on the Science Channel[13]