Upcoming In-Person Classes

SOIL’s In-Person Classes offer experiential learning in the unique living laboratory of Earthaven Ecovillage. Classes at Earthaven are informed by over 29 years of experience with village life in an intentional community dedicated to sustainability, education and activism.

You’ll have the chance to learn, live, work and laugh alongside our pioneering residents in a biologically diverse forested mountain setting.

Join us for Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Week and really get to know the village and residents with a service learning component as we continue to build infrastructure and realize the Earthaven permaculture vision. A shorter Experience Weekend is also available.

We also offer in-person and virtual tours of Earthaven Ecovillage.

See the full lineup below…

Permaculture expert Zev Friedman leading a fire circle at a Permaculture Design Certificate course

Upcoming Programs

Tour group in front of Earthaven Ecovillage Council Hall

Earthaven Ecovillage Tours

Most Saturdays

Tours are a great entry point into learning the history, purpose, and development of Earthaven Ecovillage. These tours are designed to provide a deeper understanding about living in community as well as the strategies and solutions possible for doing things another way.

Bird soaring over Gateway field

Extraordinary Realities

April 6-7, 2024

An experiential introduction to the essentials of compassionate spirit relationship, communication, healing, and divination. The workshop is based on the practice of shamanic journeying, which can lead to a more integrated, empowered, and sustainable life with direct access to divine healing and wisdom.

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Village Terraces building at Earthaven Ecovillage

Developing Off-Grid Infrastructure

April 13, 2024, 1 – 4 pm

Personal sustainability in a land-based context. Hear about Earthaven’s off-grid infrastructure systems, including water, waste, power, access, and buildings. Gain ideas and learn what questions to ask to assess the land and explore systems appropriate for your project.

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Herbs drying

Bioregional Herbalism

May 11, 2-4 pm, with optional Sunday work party

Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of nature’s pharmacy. Discover the time-honored traditions of herbal medicine as you explore the unique flora that thrives in these ancient mountains. This course combines traditional knowledge with modern understanding, offering a holistic approach to herbalism.

Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend group

Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend

May 23-26, 2024

Do you want to learn skills, gain insights and get to know the Earthaven community? Get an inside look at the radical social and ecological experimentation that has taken place in this land-based community for over 29 years.

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photo of a happy woman removing a plant from a truck

Ecovillage Action Week

May 27-31, 2024

Be an active participant in the everyday rhythm of life and work at Earthaven Ecovillage. In this hands-on, service-based program, you’ll work side-by-side with residents, making meaningful contributions while exploring Earthaven’s neighborhoods, and expanding your ideas of alternative living.

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Of Ginseng, Golden Apples, and Rainbow Fish

Doug Elliott Storytelling Concert

May 31, 2024

Enjoy dinner and an evening of stories, songs, and lore celebrating our human connection to some amazing wild critters. The program is flavored with lively tunes, fantastic folklore, natural history fact stranger than fiction, and more than a few belly laughs.

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A drawing of a story about animals

Reaching Nature Connection Conference: Storytelling

June 1-2, 2024

Storytelling presenters Lia Grippo and Erin Dews will take participants on a storytelling journey to develop capacities for using stories as effective teaching tools for nature connection and beyond.

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Making vegetable trellises

Gardening in Harmony with Nature

June 8, 1-4 pm

Growing garden vegetables can be easy and fun. How can that be? Soil microbes and farm animals are employed to generate fertility for our growing plants. Wisdom from the peasant farmers of the world shows us appropriate technology at a human scale. Following the cycles of the earth and the sun brings rhythm to our actions.

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Permaculture Design Certificate course design project

Permaculture Design Certification Course

June 16-29, 2024

Earn your Permaculture Design Certificate while nurturing connection in this 14-day course grounded in the integrated life of Earthaven Ecovillage. In addition to the core PDC curricula, this special course will include a unique layer of how to approach bringing permaculture alive in your community.

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Monique, Gaia, and Aiden in the garden

Soil Health, Human Health

July 13, 1–4 pm, with optional Sunday work party

Delve into the connections between nutrient-rich soils, plant vitality, and the health impacts on the plants we consume. Gain insights into gardening practices that not only nurture the Earth but also foster robust human health and ecological harmony. Grow more nutritious vegetables for your family.

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Hands in a circle in the Earthaven Council Hall

Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Week

July 21-27, 2024

Join the homesteads, farms, and businesses of Earthaven Ecovillage for a hands-on, skill-building program in sustainable and climate-resilient community life. A residential immersion into the interconnected physical and social systems of our unique off-grid intentional community.

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Dining room in Leela at Earthaven Ecovillage

Natural Building Tour

August 10, 10 am – 4 pm

See inside naturally built homes and talk with their residents and builders! Earthaven is known for its wide range of natural buildings. This expanded Earthaven Ecovillage tour will focus on the natural buildings, providing rare access to the interiors of homes. Residents and builders will share their experiences in building and living in these buildings.

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Compassion Camp at Earthaven Ecovillage

Compassion Camp

August 15-18, 2024

Our annual event focused on Nonviolent Communication, featuring classes and experiential learning. An experience designed to foster compassion and connection in our hearts, communities and world, and to spread the seeds of justice and love.

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Fermented vegetables

Vegetable Fermentation

September 7, 1–4 pm, with optional Sunday work party

Embark on a flavorful journey of vegetable preservation and probiotics! Join us for a hands-on experience where you’ll learn the art and science of transforming fresh vegetables into delicious, gut-friendly delights. Explore the ancient craft of fermentation essential techniques, fermentation vessels, and cultivating beneficial microbes.

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Learning about holistic farming

Earthaven Internship Program

September 21 – November 2

A Six-Week Immersion in Ecovillage Living. Be part of an intimate cohort of interns for six weeks, gaining practical land-based skills while connecting with the people and projects of our off-grid, permaculture-based intentional community. This experiential service-learning program is designed to be an opportunity for meaningful contribution and relevant skill-building.

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mandala of autumn leaves

The Re-membering Retreat

September 26-29, 2024

Explore what it means to Belong. An intimate journey reconnecting to the deepest parts of ourselves, to ignite more authenticity, meaning, and pleasure in all our connections. Set aside the hustle and drop into a ritual space where we can re-collect what is most meaningful and tend to our grief, our longings and our relationships in ways that are nourishing, grounded, and life-giving.

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Hands holding a peony flower

Home Funerals, Home Burials

October 26, 1–4 pm

A half-day introduction to death care at Earthaven. After experiencing eight deaths in eight years along with extensive study with our mentors, we are sharing our experiences with others who are looking to feel empowered to care for and honor their dead from their homes with their family and friends. Learn your rights and options.

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Corn and sumac mandala

Biochar, Milpa Farming & Ecstatic Tortilla Griddling

November 9, 1–5 pm

An afternoon of griddling fresh tortillas while discussing milpa culture. “Milpa” describes an ancient and elegant community-scale indigenous farming way that integrates annual crops, tree crops, fungi and animals, through the long-term management of forest succession, creating a nutrient-dense cuisine as well as fiber, medicine, firewood for cooking, building materials, and cultural continuity. 

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