News Notes – July 2010

Greetings from Earthaven Ecovillage! We’re enjoying the hot, hot days of summer, with tomatoes and basil from our gardens and swimming in the creek!

          Now you can read about Earthaven daily life in the Earthaven blog, featuring anecdotes and photos from Earthaven residents. Recent articles report on the Salvation Alley cleanup, garlic harvesting, and preventing birds from striking windows.

Tanya Carwyn became a full member on June 13. Since our Spring newsletter, Kaitlin Hetzner, Jonathan Swiftcreek, eli Swiftcreek, and Karen Taylor have all become Provisional Members. You can read the second installment of Jonathan’s journal about being incoming member in this newsletter.

Left: Tanya being lifted to the song: “Tanya, you are beautiful. Tanya, you are strong. So wonderful to be with, we’ll help you carry on. Tanya, hear our loving song.”

In construction news: The Council Hall addition, featuring a small kitchen, bathroom, and hookup of the Taylor water stove is complete! Many thanks and kudos to Todd, Darren, Brian, Greg, Paul, Geoff, and all the folks who carried it through! Rudy Ballentine and friends started building his home in the Loving Acres neighborhood and the Natural Building School apprentices have started the rubble foundation for the circular starwell in the new Village Arts Building.

           Kimchi organized a Potluck Potlatch about sharing resources on July 7. A potlatch is a way for people to pass on things they no longer need, similar to a white elephant exchange except the gifts are intended to be useful rather than humorous. The Potluck Potlatch was also attended by Earthaven members Suchi, Debbie Lienhart, Goodheart Brown, and Chiwa.

Right: Kimchi explaining how the potlatch works.

Culture’s Edge and Earthaven Ecovillage are hosting a gathering on August 14 & 15 for people who are eager to use their heads, hearts, and hands to build community resiliency. See the articles about the Transition Town movement and about the gathering in this newsletter.

          In Earthaven business news: The Southeast Wise Women are preparing for the sixth Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference at Lake Eden October 1-3, Steve Tormarenamed his teaching and consulting business The REAL Center, and Mihaly Bartalos and crew completed an extensive Appalachian-style railing project with mountain laurel.

          The Earthaven office is seeking the donation of a used laptop that will be our new “networking computer hub” and offer villagers a place to surf the Internet. If you know of anyone who might like to support a growing ecovillage with an extra laptop, please ask them to consider donating it to Earthaven Ecovillage!