Hope to see you at the 2015 Building Resilient Communities Convergence October 8–11 at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, CA! The Laytonville Ecovillage is a Community Partner and we look forward to a dynamic gathering of movers and shakers in the local sustainability movement.
Register soon if you’re coming to our next workshop at the end of September!
Build A Rocket Stove Water Heater
September 26th/27th, 2015
Tuition: $250
This is going to be a fun and innovative workshop demonstrating how a rocket stove can efficiently heat water. The weekend will be followed by a three-day rocket stove/natural building gathering. Stay tuned for more details.
We’re seeking founding members!
Become part of pioneering an ecovillage—two beautiful parcels are for sale, with approved septic design for four bedrooms. We’re forming a working group of like-minded folks who would be interested in sharing land and bringing down the cost of buying land and building homes. See our FAQ page to answer common questions.
For information on parcels for sale, go to
Report Back from this summer’s workshop with Solar Kelly
We had a wonderful, informative weekend workshop learning about off-grid solar pv systems at the Laytonville Ecovillage! “Solar Kelly” Larson did an excellent job of leading us from theory to hands-on practice and finishing with a functional off-grid system that has lot’s of common off-grid components. This course filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge and working with Kelly was a good collaboration. We had students coming in from Reno, Arizona, and Ohio! And as usual, the kids were front and center with the work and learned a lot. “Solar Kids” are the best!
Work-Trade with us in 2015
We are seeking individuals to work trade at the Laytonville Ecovillage through October. Work trade involves fifteen hours of work a week in exchange for living on ten acres of beautiful Mendocino County land and participating in weekend workshops on sustainability. We have a friendly eight-person community, community garden, chickens, outdoor solar shower, large outdoor kitchen, and are walking distance to town. Most tasks and projects are light impact (you will not be expected to exceed your physical capacities) while offering opportunities for implementing water conservation and management, land stewardship, food production, ecovillage development and operations, and integrating permaculture principles and techniques. A full description of the work trade opportunity is available on our website, including application process. After reviewing the description please direct any questions or requests for an application to laytonvilleecovillage@gmail.com, We look forward to hearing from you!
Internship Opportunities
LEV is offering two internship tracks this season:
(1) General- Launching an Ecovillage
(2) MBA Students—New Economy/Sustainable Business Models Internship
Launching an Ecovillage Internship at LEV:
We are an emerging, permaculture-inspired green community three hours north of the Bay Area. The ecovillage internship offers an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in all aspects of sustainable community development, from applied permaculture, ordinary maintenance tasks that are required of all homesteads, and research topics of your choice.
Interns this season at LEV will be able to take part in projects that range from food, water and energy systems to participation in the “invisible structures” coming into form at the site as we search for new members to join our community. Domains of work-study can be tailored to your interests
Internships provide a unique opportunity to spend a season or two at our rustic wilderness homestead and forming ecovillage, immersed in study of regenerative design. Internships are available each Spring–Fall season at 30 hours/week, with a minimal Internship of 3 months. We are looking for highly motivated, self directed folks who love the natural world and approach life with an attitude of integrity and optimism, and who are willing to learn new ways of living, working and serving. Areas of service include all aspects of gardening, events, grounds and maintenance, cleaning and beautifying of community spaces, construction, study of renewable energy systems, and ecovillage planning. Studies include organic gardening, alternative building, permaculture, stream and pond restoration, natural history, environmental ethics and activism, living in Place, wilderness homesteading, harmonizing with the seasons, creating beauty, celebrating community, spirituality, and land stewardship.
PODCAST
Tony Sirna, co-founder of Missouri’s Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, describes its formation.
Join Fans of Laytonville Ecovillage
Laytonville Ecovillage’s Communications Director, Juliana Birnbaum, PDC, MA, authored this award-winning 2014 book featuring profiles of 60 examples of permaculture sites around the globe, with contributions by Paul Hawken, Vandana Shiva, David Holmgren and Starhawk. Get an inscribed copy here or at your local bookseller. Juliana is trained in cultural anthropology and recently co-founded The Western Gate Teahouse and Book Commons in West Marin, a nonprofit community outreach project of the international Permaculture Research Institute.