I hope this community faired very well during and after Hurricane Helen's devastation of Western NC. I live on the NC coast and would love to visit this extraordinary community next time I'm in Black Mountain.
Thanks for this view into off-grid communal living Kirsten. I'm hoping to start a food and energy self-sufficient community in rural WI near Eau Claire using hyper-efficient housing combined with rocket stoves and thermosyphon systems for winter heat and hot water. Using solar, batteries and buried air tubes for AC in Spring-Fall, solar and batteries for powering mini splits too. Ruth Stout gardening with no weeding or watering (as shown in this video), in-ground greenhouses year-round, trying to get things a little simpler than what these fine folks have done. Great work there.
That soil restoration shown at 11:09 is so dang impressive. I garden in the same red clay base, same mountain soil, and I am in awe of the amount of topsoil they have rebuilt. Just wow. Good work!
@@veen88 I don't know whom you are asking. I think that the people in the village don't have to give anything back to society. By being self-sufficient and environmentally balanced, they already contribute, so that there are a few less people causing problems. If they want to contribute more to society, then they can share knowledge.
Brava! Well done! As someone who knew a fair number of the original members of Earthaven I am blown away at how it looks today! A lot of what I 'knew' about how Earthaven functioned behind the scenes for power and water, and especially about the styles of building in a sustainable community, suddenly made sense with the great visuals and what people said about what they were doing. The aerial shots gave me a grand sense of the size of the community that I had never imagined as that large. I learned a lot! Thanks for making this film, Kirsten!
Amazing what you have done here! I recognized three of my art pieces on the walls in the first duplex at the 5:15 mark. Thank you for purchasing my art so long ago. First Solo, Nature Choir and Duet. I would love to reconnect with you! 😊
@@dalienhart small world - I grew up in Colorado and my dad worked at HP in Loveland, the first HP production plant when a group of engineers and their families moved West from Palo Alto in the late 1950’s when the company was tiny. A different sort of adventure.
I love this inspiring community and the diverse presentation. Multiple interviewees, neighborhoods, sustainability features, and styles of living. These folks clearly work hard towards a common goal. Thanks for the reminder of what it is to belong.
I don't see many of these projects doing any mushroom farming? It's a keystone of vertical integration that for some reason isn't being used that often. all the sawdust, all the straw and plant waste, seed hulls, spare grains can be upcycled into a complete protein while simultaneously creating soil
Wonderful video! There is a typo in the description, it should read Hurricane Helene. As Katrina was to New Orleans; Helene was to the Southern Appalachians. It was that devastating..so many beautiful areas were drastically altered and damaged, and stretches as far north as Damascus VA. Description might need to clarify if any of the footage precedes their significant hurricane damage. In any case, thanks so much for raising awareness!
Great goodness and graciousness in planning and seeing the cooperation through it all. Love the micro-hydro and all the solar. Smart designs for home and habitat. And that soil - gorgeous!
This is well thought out... when to be part of a community and provide autonomy 19:45. Especially as there are times when folks don't get along as expected.
A note about the taro root at the beginning. Taro isn't popular outside of regions where its traditionally used for a few reasons. It doesn't store as well as other staple starches like potatoes, it's a tropical plant, and it must be cooked properly to be safe to eat.
Kudos to the community tightness and off grid living even though I can tell it's not my style of community. Major props if your hydro generator is completely gravity with no electricity moving the water. You can move water uphill with a Water Ram pump too which I am sure you know too so more for other viewers. Other alternative energy is really important since solar panels don't work optimally during cloudy days and of course at night.
Same here, I don't think I'd be able to that either. I got my own little slice on the edge of a small town so all my needs are close but I do grow my own food and use a ram pump from a creek and pump it up to the top of my garden to fill a couple large tanks for those dry periods I get every year. Not sure a ram pump would ever be able to pump enough water to supply a micro turbine though but they are great for filling totes on higher ground.
yeah I agree HOA is a dirty word, but theirs makes sense and is justified, they could rename it to something more “town” or “village” oriented to make it sound less threatening. some HOAs are pure evil.
@robertfrawley some sort of over arching organization or structure is necessary in order to maintain order and longevity in perpetuity. Call it what you want, HOA, local government, co-op board, but there has to be a set of common rules and structure that everyone abides by and a system of self governance.
Yeah same here, not my cup of tea and every time someone mentions the word “council chamber” it gives me a cult like vibe and I guessing they have “elders” running the show!
@@johnnniec Why should the members themselves make the rules? What other model besides this hierarchy have you heard of being tested anywhere? I'm talking about another structure, not just leaving things to chance. There is another structure besides hierarchy and that is each on has value in their opinion which is quantified and the vast majority decides any proposal put forth, and anyone can put forth a proposal. If the membership thinks its not worth the time then they just ignore it, meaning, it doesn't get popular attention. We are losing out with the idea that a group of people can decide for everyone. I would think it is in everybody's best interest for the individual to have a say in open forums, then formalizing it by taking the numbers of those who agree vs those who disagree. It's not complicated to do. It's just a bit complicated explaining it.
Love this! I hope this is the future, especially for ppl who can work from home. As a kid it would be heaven growing up in the land of wonder, adventures. Good to have space in between. Humans are complicated, good to have space. Wonderful. Didn’t see any dogs and cats?
Only three dogs in the community, with a few neighbors. Cats need to be indoors unless they are farm cats because we don't want them to kill too many birds. One of my indoor cats got his tail in the video.
@ thank you. I get the cat rule. Here in the EU they have made a kinda law against cats bc of the bird killing, nest raiding by cats. They are forbidden techinically. I live in The Netherlands. We complain bc we had topay a yearly tax for our dogs but not for cats. Not fair at all. We have Small back gardens divided by walls. I feed the little birds and Crows on the street. They know me. In my garden the neighbors cats have learned they are not allowed in my garden. Spray bottle of water they don’t enter anymore. The little birdies hang out in my vines and the neighbors big bush. We all love the sound and watching them flutter here there and everywhere.
It was Hurricane Helena. I guess I haven't received any of their emails since the hurricane. I hope they're okay. ( I live up the road, but it's a very long and winding road and I haven't been down that way for a long time. I know how bad it was in some places though.) Edit: i see you posted their gofundme.
This type of community can be admired for working together and using sustainable practices. It’s on a larger scale than many communities with similar focus. I’ll admit I prefer shoes that reveal similar commitments that are more likely to be able to be adoptable by very large numbers of our population. Farmers who have learned to farm in a relatively large commercial scale while introducing practices that are better for the soil a d the animal community are cool videos. I never miss any of your videos.
Love it. Love this place. But, I hope the tire garden wall, has a barrier between the soil & tires. Tire break down over time, leaching very bad toxins, including 3 Forever Chemicals.
Mostly damage to roads and bridges, which have been temporarily repaired. A tree fell on the Hobbit House, which is shown at about 4:22, so the top floor has been removed and it will need major repairs. Fortunately, no one was living in it at the time. Also, the old cabin that we were using as a Freestore was flooded and lost too much of its foundation, so it will be demolished. The hydro silted up, but was repaired long before the grid power came back on line. Overall, we're grateful at how little damage there was and that no one was injured.
It seems the best designs for living areas are site-specific for cost efficiency. Enough conventional amenities to invite use, then new(old) technologies to explore alternatives, with the appropriate trade-offs in time/effort/cost...those who adapt stay; those who don't move on...
I think the concept is amazing, good people working together and living cooperatively. I wonder how these types of communities have access to medical needs. Are they so healthy that general medical treatments are not required?
Since it's an independent incomes community, it's pretty much the same as our rural neighbors (some with insurance, some without). We also have several of herbalists and other healers. Everyone has their own ideas and choice about health care.
nice." note: at one point in american electrical history almost every town and or city had their own generators . the first such installation was in sonora ca for powering the mines there the town also got electricity and was installed by ge and nikola tesla as per a private in house history as published by ge for their employees . eggscllent . at a certain point in california usa was ordered to unify all of the independant generators .
We are glad you asked. They fared comparatively well but had serious damage in their roads and some of their fields, plus minor damage in buildings. They have a recovery fund that we also included in the text: Earthaven Recovery Fund: www.gofundme.com/f/earthaven-recovery
So, not a criticism; but, they are not really "off grid". They aren't attached to the "grid" but, with all of the resource reliant power tech, they are actually still reliant upon the grid. Maybe not directly but indirectly. All of those energy/power tech Lithium-ion batteries, converters, inverters, solar panels (components etc.), are only there because of the use of "the grid". I haven't mentioned what this operation would have to have to store energy to make up for energy negative days, seasons etc. Also, most people do not know that the lifespan of solar units is not necessarily as long as they say. The solar corps will tell you they should last 25 to 30 years. In fact there's discrepancy; whereas some folks say that components start to go bad as early as 10 to 15 years. I get it; it's about Freedom. However, there has to be truthfulness of the reality. It is just a reliance on another system. If any of those components failed; you'd be reliant on the system to replace them. What if you could not get it? Still, it is a wonderful village and seemingly beautiful way of life. I wonder; could they do it if they didn't have those tech systems to live?
Good point and we have a range of levels of tech in our systems. This video happened to focus on a couple of the larger systems. The owner of Soluna (the 3-story) is an electrician who designs and installs these systems, so his experiment was how to generate and use an amount of electricity based on mainstream averages. Some folks choose to really minimize electricity needs and cook on a rocket stove. Most are somewhere in between. The best foundation is having good passive solar design to minimize needs for heat and electricity.
Interdependence. That's life. Need a surgeon, some doctor that your village doesn't have? Etc. etc. Off the grid allows for remote isolated living and not directly dependent on the city and it's surveillance, rules, etc. How much technology you want is up to you. Some people use wood as fuel and not even gas, eat plants and animals and do only use natural tools. Others have more modern lifestyles and needs-wants. The most expensive part is the batteries. Also electronic devices (such as computers, laptops, etc.) would not likely last decades as well...
In the beginning, there was no grid. Is it better to have a grid or not have a grid? The grid eliminates a lot of routine, backbreaking personal effort. Provided it can be green and cost-effective, give me centralised drainage, sewage, power supply, and water supply. But to each his own.
It's a Lime plaster. 3 parts masonry sand (ideally the orange kind, sometimes called Colombia masonry sand), 1 part hydrated lime, and 1/2 cup of grog.
@@ikarigear NikiAnne says that it’s a very fine clay dust. You can find it in ceramic stores. Here’s what the oracle says… Grog, also known as chamotte, is a granular material obtained from grinding calcined (fired) clay at high temperature (between 1400 and 1600ºC).
Siting the buildings away from the creeks, including the houses on the slopes kept them from being flooded. (The cabin that was flooded was there before the community and was right next to the creek.) We're investigating wetland restoration techniques to absorb flood water, which would protect some of the roads from flooding.
Yes, we were impacted by the flooding, but not nearly as badly as many people in the region, for the reasons @dalienhart describes, as well as the fact that being off-grid meant our power systems were functioning when the grid wasn't. Among other strategies, we're exploring how better riparian buffers as well as planting more of the native River Cane in appropriate areas of the creek banks would reduce the impacts of future floods.
the places i have lived the neighbor from "hell was people who took it to serius, often around 1/4 of people not like they are doing alot of work, they just wanted to control everything
Doesn't this lifestyle require that you are financially secure? This means that it is available to mostly retired people, since it would be unlikely that a working person could live like this. It is a senior retirement community.
The majority of our people are “working people”, some very low income (by circumstance or choice). The cost of living here is substantially lower than any city and a lot of rural areas.
I love these videos about brilliant, alternative communities, but often find myself feeling frustrated for two reasons. I know that an eco-village would never work for me because I really need to be in a large city. Also, I am always focussed on the challenges facing mainstream society - the mass - and despite how wonderful these places are, they could never provide the solution(s) to earth's 8 billion people. But, I've just realized my way out of my frustration: I am thinking of Jesus' parables of the kingdom as seeds, like the mustard seed. Each of these little communities is like the mustard seed, that grows into a huge bush, that then provides shelter for the birds of the air. We can't see how, exactly, all these little seeds are going to contribute to the whole, but that's the mystery of the kingdom of God.
This a rhetorical question? How does anybody pool money together to get cheap land in unincorporated western North Carolina? How would anybody? You just do it. It’s not a lot of money. Not 30 years ago.
It started as forested land with an owner loan. The original founders each put down $10k and then got loans from friends to pay off the owner loan. Development was slow and took a lot of hard work.
No internet!! I love the idea but I need all the creature comforts of modern society. Atleast have Starlink internet and hot water for showers and I’ll be good.
Very nice buildings and sensible people but it still have some problems that are hard to get around: People like to have comfort and modern appliences and lots of stuff that are made in China like solar systems etc. They most have some money to keep it running and even if they are off grid i guess they still want high tech health care for cancer treatment and heart surgery so it would be a problem if everybody did this?
If you’re looking for a large scale solution for the rest of us, you may like a new channel I just discovered called Edenicity. It’s about how to incorporate permaculture concepts into modern cities.
Very expensive place to live. Not for the poor hippy AT ALL. $8,000+ in membership fees plus 800-1100$ in yearly dues, rent food etc. let’s not forget having to deal with the bureaucracy of a council/guild AND HOA. THIS IS PER PERSON. Good luck affording as a couple trying to make it.
The way she said “nope”, “you’re picking up on it” and just her demeanor makes her seem kinda bitter… not sure if you got that vibe. Would have been cool to hear from her husband who built it 😢
I hate the idea of being part of a community yet I love my friends in Portugal. I just hate being dependent on people. My favourite is the priest who renovated his house in the mountains of Italy. The old guy is the most interesting he is more old school lower tech. The problem with all the high tech stuff is the cost and what do you do when society falls apart. Look at the fires in California society is falling apart. The canary in the coalmine was when they started picking on the Amish, the democrats do not like you being independent I don't like earthship construction because of the brutal hard work involved. I have done earthbag and that was bad enough, tyres look even worse though they are easier to move. I have a stealth cabin in the UK I may fix it out with go cart tyres. Pending?
We have to be dependent on others, it's just that in the past people depended on their neighbors but today people are dependent on industry and government.
This neighbor seems ok but compare to Amish community it’s not organized most of buildings are weird the farms are too small no one would produce enough food or anything for themselves.thirty years experiment?? They don’t think they failed!They need a real farmers to show them how to grow vegetables and animals.Too many people staying in a small land it’s looking nasty!
I hope this community faired very well during and after Hurricane Helen's devastation of Western NC. I live on the NC coast and would love to visit this extraordinary community next time I'm in Black Mountain.
Thanks for this view into off-grid communal living Kirsten. I'm hoping to start a food and energy self-sufficient community in rural WI near Eau Claire using hyper-efficient housing combined with rocket stoves and thermosyphon systems for winter heat and hot water. Using solar, batteries and buried air tubes for AC in Spring-Fall, solar and batteries for powering mini splits too. Ruth Stout gardening with no weeding or watering (as shown in this video), in-ground greenhouses year-round, trying to get things a little simpler than what these fine folks have done. Great work there.
That soil restoration shown at 11:09 is so dang impressive. I garden in the same red clay base, same mountain soil, and I am in awe of the amount of topsoil they have rebuilt. Just wow. Good work!
yes producing cannabis does need good soils and lots of it 😂
Seems like a real model of cooperation. That's not easy to do for 30 years. Kudos to everyone involved
Ye most fail
@@tuclance Name some.
The question remain at the end
What are you giving back to society
You use solar panel, batteries, machines, home equipment
@@veen88 I don't know whom you are asking.
I think that the people in the village don't have to give anything back to society. By being self-sufficient and environmentally balanced, they already contribute, so that there are a few less people causing problems.
If they want to contribute more to society, then they can share knowledge.
@@eugenetswongThey do share thier knowledge thru visits and classes and work exchanges.
I am amazed at the ingenuity of this community.
Brava! Well done! As someone who knew a fair number of the original members of Earthaven I am blown away at how it looks today! A lot of what I 'knew' about how Earthaven functioned behind the scenes for power and water, and especially about the styles of building in a sustainable community, suddenly made sense with the great visuals and what people said about what they were doing. The aerial shots gave me a grand sense of the size of the community that I had never imagined as that large. I learned a lot! Thanks for making this film, Kirsten!
Amazing what you have done here! I recognized three of my art pieces on the walls in the first duplex at the 5:15 mark. Thank you for purchasing my art so long ago. First Solo, Nature Choir and Duet. I would love to reconnect with you! 😊
@@lorisalisbury1111 @dalienhart
I got these when we lived in Colorado! I've always enjoyed them.
@ I thought you must have lived around Ft. Collins. I just built a new art studio in North Idaho. I love what your doing now in your community!
@@dalienhart small world - I grew up in Colorado and my dad worked at HP in Loveland, the first HP production plant when a group of engineers and their families moved West from Palo Alto in the late 1950’s when the company was tiny. A different sort of adventure.
Born and raised WNC native, and ever since I heard about Earth Haven, I've always been so proud of what they’re doing.
Keep it up, you great folks!!
I love this inspiring community and the diverse presentation. Multiple interviewees, neighborhoods, sustainability features, and styles of living. These folks clearly work hard towards a common goal. Thanks for the reminder of what it is to belong.
One minute in and that kid is amazing! Most kids can identify thirty fast food restaurants but this kid has her plants down!!!
I don't see many of these projects doing any mushroom farming? It's a keystone of vertical integration that for some reason isn't being used that often. all the sawdust, all the straw and plant waste, seed hulls, spare grains can be upcycled into a complete protein while simultaneously creating soil
Several people grow mushrooms; it's just not on the video.
well im sure cannabis plants made more sense for most of these places
when you need to bring in truck loads of soil the work is done quick
I'm absolutely sure someone in this community is growing mushrooms...😅
What do you mean @@Hansen710
Wow, I am impressed. This is so inspiring , you are planting seeds for many others to do this...
.
Thank you❤
Wonderful video! There is a typo in the description, it should read Hurricane Helene. As Katrina was to New Orleans; Helene was to the Southern Appalachians. It was that devastating..so many beautiful areas were drastically altered and damaged, and stretches as far north as Damascus VA. Description might need to clarify if any of the footage precedes their significant hurricane damage. In any case, thanks so much for raising awareness!
i'm really enjoying your eco friendly/communal living series you've got going on. Thanks Dirksen family
Woo-hoo! Happy Sunday all! A new video to soak up the beauty of!❤
It makes me so happy that they planned ahead for possible accessibility needs!
The main results I see in this experiment is love and caring for each other 👍
Love this, thanks for sharing their story and the tour. I am in the beginning phases of a very similar project at The Jungle Temple in Costa Rica
I love you guys! I'm so glad I found this channel, found these communities exist!
Great goodness and graciousness in planning and seeing the cooperation through it all. Love the micro-hydro and all the solar. Smart designs for home and habitat. And that soil - gorgeous!
This is well thought out... when to be part of a community and provide autonomy 19:45. Especially as there are times when folks don't get along as expected.
A note about the taro root at the beginning. Taro isn't popular outside of regions where its traditionally used for a few reasons. It doesn't store as well as other staple starches like potatoes, it's a tropical plant, and it must be cooked properly to be safe to eat.
You can canning all of those vegetables, that’s what I do with them.
Luckily you only die once
I grew up eating a lot of taro at my village . You can cut taro into thin slices and dry it and save it for future cooking , still taste delicious.
Also you can leave it growing rill when you want it.
Kudos to the community tightness and off grid living even though I can tell it's not my style of community. Major props if your hydro generator is completely gravity with no electricity moving the water. You can move water uphill with a Water Ram pump too which I am sure you know too so more for other viewers. Other alternative energy is really important since solar panels don't work optimally during cloudy days and of course at night.
Same here, I don't think I'd be able to that either. I got my own little slice on the edge of a small town so all my needs are close but I do grow my own food and use a ram pump from a creek and pump it up to the top of my garden to fill a couple large tanks for those dry periods I get every year. Not sure a ram pump would ever be able to pump enough water to supply a micro turbine though but they are great for filling totes on higher ground.
@gld1010 I'm curious, why isn't it your type of community and what is your type of community?
Nikki!!!!! So great to hear your voice!!! Love you!!!! -FairyAnn
Very nice. So many gems in western nc. I have many friends from earth heaven. Great community.
Loving it all!!!! Hoping it keeps going so others can continue the model onwards.
I love the fact that the older generation are able to teach the younger one ....... soooo important!
Thank you for making this video 🎉❤ Always very inspiring 👏💚
I LOVE this, thank you Kristen!
I was really enjoying this Till, I heard HOA
it makes sense in this context
yeah I agree HOA is a dirty word, but theirs makes sense and is justified, they could rename it to something more “town” or “village” oriented to make it sound less threatening. some HOAs are pure evil.
@robertfrawley some sort of over arching organization or structure is necessary in order to maintain order and longevity in perpetuity. Call it what you want, HOA, local government, co-op board, but there has to be a set of common rules and structure that everyone abides by and a system of self governance.
Yeah same here, not my cup of tea and every time someone mentions the word “council chamber” it gives me a cult like vibe and I guessing they have “elders” running the show!
@@johnnniec Why should the members themselves make the rules? What other model besides this hierarchy have you heard of being tested anywhere? I'm talking about another structure, not just leaving things to chance. There is another structure besides hierarchy and that is each on has value in their opinion which is quantified and the vast majority decides any proposal put forth, and anyone can put forth a proposal. If the membership thinks its not worth the time then they just ignore it, meaning, it doesn't get popular attention. We are losing out with the idea that a group of people can decide for everyone. I would think it is in everybody's best interest for the individual to have a say in open forums, then formalizing it by taking the numbers of those who agree vs those who disagree. It's not complicated to do. It's just a bit complicated explaining it.
Thank you very much for showing this!! X
Absolutely beautiful and inspiring way to live. I hope I can one day afford to buy myself a little piece of land and live nicely like that...
Wauw, you alwas come up with such inspirational communities. Love it!
Love this!
I hope this is the future, especially for ppl who can work from home.
As a kid it would be heaven growing up in the land of wonder, adventures.
Good to have space in between. Humans are complicated, good to have space.
Wonderful. Didn’t see any dogs and cats?
Only three dogs in the community, with a few neighbors. Cats need to be indoors unless they are farm cats because we don't want them to kill too many birds. One of my indoor cats got his tail in the video.
@ thank you. I get the cat rule. Here in the EU they have made a kinda law against cats bc of the bird killing, nest raiding by cats. They are forbidden techinically.
I live in The Netherlands. We complain bc we had topay a yearly tax for our dogs but not for cats. Not fair at all. We have Small back gardens divided by walls.
I feed the little birds and Crows on the street. They know me.
In my garden the neighbors cats have learned they are not allowed in my garden.
Spray bottle of water they don’t enter anymore. The little birdies hang out in my vines and the neighbors big bush. We all love the sound and watching them flutter here there and everywhere.
So wonderful to see so much going on here. Your vid is topnotch. Splendid.
Thanks! It was a joy to film.
Beautiful. Harmony with Mom and each other. The solution.❤
I could watch a two hour extensive tour/episode of these type living situations.
Love the videos, keep them coming. 😊
Thanks for posting and sharing.
It was Hurricane Helena. I guess I haven't received any of their emails since the hurricane. I hope they're okay. ( I live up the road, but it's a very long and winding road and I haven't been down that way for a long time. I know how bad it was in some places though.)
Edit: i see you posted their gofundme.
Wish it was me....Long ago I livef in Finfdhorn Ecovillage Scotland, ❤from DK❤
This type of community can be admired for working together and using sustainable practices. It’s on a larger scale than many communities with similar focus. I’ll admit I prefer shoes that reveal similar commitments that are more likely to be able to be adoptable by very large numbers of our population. Farmers who have learned to farm in a relatively large commercial scale while introducing practices that are better for the soil a d the animal community are cool videos. I never miss any of your videos.
more videos like this please!!
Looks very much like a Swiss village complete with the pastures, hills and small clusters of homes. Love it!
I love the idea of the village
11:03 this much top soil is very impressive!!!
Fantastic, all the way around.
Love it. Love this place. But, I hope the tire garden wall, has a barrier between the soil & tires. Tire break down over time, leaching very bad toxins, including 3 Forever Chemicals.
We stopped doing tire walls about 15 years ago.
How did this community fare with Hurricane Helene? Hope it survived...
I’m wondering that myself
Mostly damage to roads and bridges, which have been temporarily repaired. A tree fell on the Hobbit House, which is shown at about 4:22, so the top floor has been removed and it will need major repairs. Fortunately, no one was living in it at the time. Also, the old cabin that we were using as a Freestore was flooded and lost too much of its foundation, so it will be demolished. The hydro silted up, but was repaired long before the grid power came back on line. Overall, we're grateful at how little damage there was and that no one was injured.
@@dalienhart thank you for answering the question. it was my main concern too
Such excellent videos!!!
Un très grand merci.
It seems the best designs for living areas are site-specific for cost efficiency. Enough conventional amenities to invite use, then new(old) technologies to explore alternatives, with the appropriate trade-offs in time/effort/cost...those who adapt stay; those who don't move on...
Me gustaría que se ponga la opción de subtítulos en español muchas gracias bendiciones
I think the concept is amazing, good people working together and living cooperatively. I wonder how these types of communities have access to medical needs. Are they so healthy that general medical treatments are not required?
Since it's an independent incomes community, it's pretty much the same as our rural neighbors (some with insurance, some without). We also have several of herbalists and other healers. Everyone has their own ideas and choice about health care.
Awesome community!!!
nice." note: at one point in american electrical history almost every town and or city had their own generators . the first such installation was in sonora ca for powering the mines there the town also got electricity and was installed by ge and nikola tesla as per a private in house history as published by ge for their employees . eggscllent . at a certain point in california usa was ordered to unify all of the independant generators .
Restoring the commons... nice
How did this area fare during and after the hurricane that damaged the Ashville area?
We are glad you asked. They fared comparatively well but had serious damage in their roads and some of their fields, plus minor damage in buildings. They have a recovery fund that we also included in the text: Earthaven Recovery Fund: www.gofundme.com/f/earthaven-recovery
This community kind of reminds me of a similar intentional community in Virginia called "Shannon Farm."
The Earthaven founders studied a lot with Shannon Farm.
How did they fare during Helene?!? Hope they are good.
that was answered earlier
Love the lizards at the end!
Are those what's called Boomers? They used to have them in Arkansas. I have never seen one.
I really like seeing this ❤😊
If there are HOA dues and rental costs, then how do people live here?
So, not a criticism; but, they are not really "off grid". They aren't attached to the "grid" but, with all of the resource reliant power tech, they are actually still reliant upon the grid. Maybe not directly but indirectly. All of those energy/power tech Lithium-ion batteries, converters, inverters, solar panels (components etc.), are only there because of the use of "the grid". I haven't mentioned what this operation would have to have to store energy to make up for energy negative days, seasons etc. Also, most people do not know that the lifespan of solar units is not necessarily as long as they say. The solar corps will tell you they should last 25 to 30 years. In fact there's discrepancy; whereas some folks say that components start to go bad as early as 10 to 15 years. I get it; it's about Freedom. However, there has to be truthfulness of the reality. It is just a reliance on another system. If any of those components failed; you'd be reliant on the system to replace them. What if you could not get it? Still, it is a wonderful village and seemingly beautiful way of life. I wonder; could they do it if they didn't have those tech systems to live?
Good point and we have a range of levels of tech in our systems. This video happened to focus on a couple of the larger systems. The owner of Soluna (the 3-story) is an electrician who designs and installs these systems, so his experiment was how to generate and use an amount of electricity based on mainstream averages. Some folks choose to really minimize electricity needs and cook on a rocket stove. Most are somewhere in between. The best foundation is having good passive solar design to minimize needs for heat and electricity.
Ive done it for 11 yrs. My grandmother did it for 80.
Interdependence. That's life. Need a surgeon, some doctor that your village doesn't have? Etc. etc. Off the grid allows for remote isolated living and not directly dependent on the city and it's surveillance, rules, etc. How much technology you want is up to you. Some people use wood as fuel and not even gas, eat plants and animals and do only use natural tools. Others have more modern lifestyles and needs-wants. The most expensive part is the batteries. Also electronic devices (such as computers, laptops, etc.) would not likely last decades as well...
In the beginning, there was no grid. Is it better to have a grid or not have a grid? The grid eliminates a lot of routine, backbreaking personal effort. Provided it can be green and cost-effective, give me centralised drainage, sewage, power supply, and water supply. But to each his own.
It comes with a cost especially the cost of having to do what you're told.
@ I don't understand what you mean. Everything has some sort of price tag attached.
Sounds like a lot of experimenting. Are they documenting and sharing their experiments?
Kristen never adresses the " GET OUT" vibes.....
Can we do cash only
Love the concept; put off by the disorganization, disarray and mess.
Anyone know what did they put on the zip panels? Looks like renderer or plaster/stucco of sort? I was surprised to see that it goes right on the zip.
It's a Lime plaster. 3 parts masonry sand (ideally the orange kind, sometimes called Colombia masonry sand), 1 part hydrated lime, and 1/2 cup of grog.
@@dalienhart Thanks! I assume by grog you mean fire sand not a cocktail =)
@@ikarigear NikiAnne says that it’s a very fine clay dust. You can find it in ceramic stores. Here’s what the oracle says…
Grog, also known as chamotte, is a granular material obtained from grinding calcined (fired) clay at high temperature (between 1400 and 1600ºC).
Are they ok now? Did the permaculture help with the flooding? If they are safe, they have so much to offer their neighbors for how to rebuild!
I'm wondering this too.
Siting the buildings away from the creeks, including the houses on the slopes kept them from being flooded. (The cabin that was flooded was there before the community and was right next to the creek.) We're investigating wetland restoration techniques to absorb flood water, which would protect some of the roads from flooding.
We found that areas with bamboo were more effective at resisting the effects of flooding
Yes, we were impacted by the flooding, but not nearly as badly as many people in the region, for the reasons @dalienhart describes, as well as the fact that being off-grid meant our power systems were functioning when the grid wasn't. Among other strategies, we're exploring how better riparian buffers as well as planting more of the native River Cane in appropriate areas of the creek banks would reduce the impacts of future floods.
Wonder if they've experienced neighbor from "hell" syndrome?
the places i have lived the neighbor from "hell was people who took it to serius, often around 1/4 of people
not like they are doing alot of work, they just wanted to control everything
Di Malaysia ada Rumah Panjang. Boleh melawat Sarawak
Do you have a specific community that you prefer most?
Their turbines housing seals are blown and aren’t running efficiently. Let them know it needs to be fixed
They are running better after the repairs from Hurricane Helene.
Doesn't this lifestyle require that you are financially secure? This means that it is available to mostly retired people, since it would be unlikely that a working person could live like this. It is a senior retirement community.
Overall, it's less than Asheville and the neighboring area.
The majority of our people are “working people”, some very low income (by circumstance or choice). The cost of living here is substantially lower than any city and a lot of rural areas.
Would be a good place to set up a community rabbit 🐇 meat farming spot. Rabbits are a cheap meat source.
Easy to raise and replenish too.
One of our families has rabbits and others have had them over the years.
Also delicious and healthy
Where is this ?
Can you read the description?
@@imim1884 North Carolina
@@dpclerks09
Why do ppl always hve to be rood.
@@mfpJ4ever
Thank you kindly 🙏
@@imim1884 No problem
Energy poverty is so cool.
So many of our systems, our bridges,dams,even buildings are designed safely-- for normal circumstances. But an entire city in rough terrain, nope. W
I love these videos about brilliant, alternative communities, but often find myself feeling frustrated for two reasons. I know that an eco-village would never work for me because I really need to be in a large city. Also, I am always focussed on the challenges facing mainstream society - the mass - and despite how wonderful these places are, they could never provide the solution(s) to earth's 8 billion people. But, I've just realized my way out of my frustration: I am thinking of Jesus' parables of the kingdom as seeds, like the mustard seed. Each of these little communities is like the mustard seed, that grows into a huge bush, that then provides shelter for the birds of the air. We can't see how, exactly, all these little seeds are going to contribute to the whole, but that's the mystery of the kingdom of God.
How did U find this "experiment"? Would u live here?
The Lizards did it for me. Im in
Where did these original people get all the money for the land and building houses with gadgets?
This a rhetorical question? How does anybody pool money together to get cheap land in unincorporated western North Carolina? How would anybody? You just do it. It’s not a lot of money. Not 30 years ago.
@@nicolasboullosa things are still cheap around the world, if we dont want everything for us self
It started as forested land with an owner loan. The original founders each put down $10k and then got loans from friends to pay off the owner loan. Development was slow and took a lot of hard work.
Diversity restorative development ❤
Dear lord. Helene comes to mind.
No internet!! I love the idea but I need all the creature comforts of modern society. Atleast have Starlink internet and hot water for showers and I’ll be good.
You can be off-grid and use the internet. They do. They aren’t anti-technology. They just run their own energy network
I think the permanent "rent" model is the way to get away from homes as investments and speculation!!
Pam here ….. how badly were they affected by Hurricane Helene?
Rich people.
Very nice buildings and sensible people but it still have some problems that are hard to get around: People like to have comfort and modern appliences and lots of stuff that are made in China like solar systems etc. They most have some money to keep it running and even if they are off grid i guess they still want high tech health care for cancer treatment and heart surgery so it would be a problem if everybody did this?
If you’re looking for a large scale solution for the rest of us, you may like a new channel I just discovered called Edenicity. It’s about how to incorporate permaculture concepts into modern cities.
what is unschooling?
It's one of many forms of home schooling.
Nontraditional schooling where you follow your child's interests and allow them to learn from daily life.
It’s where lazy parents contribute to more idiots running around.
🔥🔥
Very expensive place to live. Not for the poor hippy AT ALL. $8,000+ in membership fees plus 800-1100$ in yearly dues, rent food etc. let’s not forget having to deal with the bureaucracy of a council/guild AND HOA. THIS IS PER PERSON. Good luck affording as a couple trying to make it.
I wonder if the cops ever come by
The way she said “nope”, “you’re picking up on it” and just her demeanor makes her seem kinda bitter… not sure if you got that vibe. Would have been cool to hear from her husband who built it 😢
I hate the idea of being part of a community yet I love my friends in Portugal. I just hate being dependent on people. My favourite is the priest who renovated his house in the mountains of Italy. The old guy is the most interesting he is more old school lower tech. The problem with all the high tech stuff is the cost and what do you do when society falls apart. Look at the fires in California society is falling apart. The canary in the coalmine was when they started picking on the Amish, the democrats do not like you being independent
I don't like earthship construction because of the brutal hard work involved. I have done earthbag and that was bad enough, tyres look even worse though they are easier to move. I have a stealth cabin in the UK I may fix it out with go cart tyres. Pending?
True!
We have to be dependent on others, it's just that in the past people depended on their neighbors but today people are dependent on industry and government.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
they thought aboout wherrelvhairs
This neighbor seems ok but compare to Amish community it’s not organized most of buildings are weird the farms are too small no one would produce enough food or anything for themselves.thirty years experiment?? They don’t think they failed!They need a real farmers to show them how to grow vegetables and animals.Too many people staying in a small land it’s looking nasty!
17:22 She is gorgeous!
פשוט קיבוץ. אין חדש תחת השמש.😅