I wanted my 70^th birthday to be a gift to myself, as well as to my community, and to celebrate it with my friends here at Earthaven. It began with a work party and open house, then a potluck and celebration.

So many people came to help. I was amazed by how much work got done here at our Earthship, and by the joy and generosity of those who participated. Two members, Bob and Alice, came a day early to prepare our tool shed for painting. The day of the party, the shed was painted, railings and stairs were sanded and treated, firewood was collected and stacked and flower beds were weeded.

One work exchanger, Deb, dug a ditch along the front of the house so Geoff could repair the stucco, and another, Lindsay, entertained our two grandchildren, taking them to the orchard to pick strawberries.

People kept coming with small gifts and food for the dinner, and the day ended with songs and hugs and Eli’s famous carrot cake.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate a milestone birthday, and a reminder of the many benefits of living in community. Several people said, “We should do this more often. Who is next?”

Sue Stone and her husband Geoff have lived at Earthaven since 1999. Sue has served the community in many leadership and committee positions, in addition to helping Geoff build their 1200 sq. ft. Earthship. She also enjoys gardening, reading and playing piano, and her passion is creating beauty.

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Geoff Stone’s wife, Sue, had been reading about intentional communities for years before he paid much attention. He already considered community to be an important part of his life and had always been active in community groups, local festivals, and church groups. When his corporate career was about to end, he realized that his lifestyle was going to have to change. “I was in the corporate world and I decided that it was not for me, and I started to think how we could make that work financially if I left.” That’s when Geoff decided to think seriously about intentional communities.

Geoff and Sue paged through the communities directory, made a list of potentials and then systematically visited them to narrow down the options.

Geoff can often be seen tooling around the village on his solar-powered golf-cart.

“It was a process of learning that was kind of interesting and fun…learning about ourselves and matching it up with what was out there.”

They decided on Earthaven and arrived in 1999. Initially, they ate three meals a day in the Hut Hamlet Kitchen and got a real taste of community life.

“I had a lot of romantic notions of what community life would be like, being all together, cooking together. We became aware of how important it was for us to have a little more routine, more control over our own lives. It was communal living and that is an experience everyone should go through to understand themselves a little bit and say, ‘Gee this is something I love’ or ‘I need some boundaries here.’”

Sue and Geoff Stone beside their tire wall.

Geoff and Sue decided to build an Earthship (house of tires) based on a workshop they took years before. Geoff said the process was pretty straightforward with detailed instructions from the architect. “I said to myself, ‘I’m not a builder but I can do this.’ I am proud of what we built. I feel that what we did is something other people can take pieces of to maybe build their own and make the world a little better.”

After twelve years of living in community, Geoff feels fortunate to have his own space and at the same time, be a part of something larger. “We’re so wasteful here in the United States and I see Earthaven as being a tiny step in the right direction. We’re walking our talk to some degree and that feels good.”

Davene Wasser came to Earthaven in April 2010 with her family to simplify her life and live more closely to nature. She is a writer, editor, educator, and artist. After a year and a half at Earthaven, Davene and her family have moved on—to Central Virginia.

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