A living laboratory for a sustainable human future.

‘Tis the Season of the Students

by NikiAnne Feinberg

 

Several weekends in a row this past April, we had the pleasure of hosting college groups from the College of Charleston, Furman University, and Elon University.

We dig bamboo, but how many shoots can we eat?! Bamboo needs maintenance to keep it from overextending its boundaries. Here, students help remove bamboo sprouts from a former mini-grove. The voracious grass was coming too close to home and residents chose to remove it.

 

 

Earthaven’s Group Educational Tours (GET) program offers tours and experiential learning opportunities for student groups year round. Service-learning programs are increasingly popular and have become a hugely successful complement to traditional academic learning environments. Hands-on learning allows participants to create an authentic connection with their world and embody academic lessons more fully, while enhancing critical thinking and teamwork skills.

 

Students from Elon University help Johannah Femling start a layered “lasagne garden” at the Forest Garden Learning Center. Their Philosophy prof, Anthony Weston, also worked on the site but was out of camera shot.

 

 

We view education as primarily a social learning activity. The process of immersion into an active, living culture of sustainability solutions, critical thinking, and  systems orientation makes for not only an integrated, holistic approach to education but a rare opportunity to see experiments in action. Please inquire about how your group can get a taste of the integrated life through Earthaven’s GET program.

Students from Furman University in South Carolina and Wes Dripps (center), Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, helped members build a stairway up the grassy slope to their home.

 

 

 

 

NikiAnne Feinberg has over a decade of experience with experiential, nature-based programs in both the non-profit and academic sectors. SOIL is the manifestation and culmination of her life experiences in sustainable living, experiential-education leadership, and program management.

bamboo, college, lasagne, NikiAnne, students, university

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Upcoming Events

Virtual Earthaven Tour

Saturday, April 22 @ 2 – 4 pm ET

There’s nothing like experiencing ecovillage life first hand, but taking a virtual tour of Earthaven is a close second! 

The tour highlights ways in which Earthaven is striving to be a holistic, sustainable culture. The introductory overview tour examines the concept of sustainability at Earthaven through social, ecological, and economic lenses. Not only will you get a glimpse of what has worked through time, but also hear about what has been challenging. And you will have a chance to ask questions!

Doug Elliott with Groundhog

Storytelling Concert and Dinner with Doug Elliott

March 31, 2023

Buzzard Wrestling, Turtle Chasing, and Other Wild Tales

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.

Playing at the Reaching Nature Connection Conference

Reaching Nature Connection Conference

April 1-2, 2023

East Coast Outdoor Conference for Early Childhood Educators, Teachers, Counselors, Parents and Mentors.

With this year’s theme, Joyful Play, presenters Lia Grippo and Sharon Buczaczer will immerse participants in joyful singing and the freedom of play, all in the spirit of the young child.

Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend

May 25-28, 2023

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 27 years.