People building a treehouse in a forest with ladders and wooden beams.

Rainwater Collective

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Disbanded
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2018

What we do

The dream of the Rainwater Collective is a regionally appropriate, regenerative lifeway that improves the soil, removes carbon from the atmosphere, puts water back in the aquifers, reconnects us with each other and the Earth and builds cooperative culture and a network of resilience among our friends and neighbors. We are deeply committed to permaculture, appropriate technology, antiracism and antioppression work, compassionate and skillful communication (including conflict transformation and restorative justice), and nonviolence. We’ll have a high level of interdependence and resource sharing- community kitchen with shared meals every day, shared community garden, barn, sauna/bath-house and small individual or family dwellings. The community is entirely off-grid, with a small solar system, and we rely on rainwater rather than a dug well.
Rainwater is an aspiring “ecohamlet”- the goal is 10-15 people stewarding 17 acres, in collaboration with a network of other small communities and permaculture homesteads in the Piedmont bioregion.
Founder’s statement:
Rainwater occupies the ancestral land of Occaneechi, Saponi, Eno, Tutelo, and Shakori native peoples, farmed and stewarded by several subsequent generation of Black farmers whose access to land was then systematically undermined (90% loss) in the last century. My (Rachel’s) ability to originally purchase the land and access to the resources to found the community is inseparable from the many advantages conferred on me by white supremacy. As a community currently founded by two white people, we aspire to participate in multiracial, multigenerational efforts to address these traumas by engaging openly and vulnerably in conversations about race, class and power within the community, by exploring opportunities to participate in material steps towards decolonization in conversation with Occanneechi stakeholders, and by weaving a reparational lens through our relationships with the wider community. In particular, we are committed to a model in which community members who benefit from whiteness return a portion of their time and energy towards local BIPOC-led projects.
Key values: ⦁ Spreading hope through lived possibility ⦁ Designing for resilience ⦁ Gratitude and gift economy ⦁ Nurturing relationships ⦁ Dismantling systems of oppression ⦁ Nonviolence and right use of power

Our Mission

We envision a world in which humans live regeneratively in cooperation with the ecosystems of which they are a part, in which culture supports our connection to each other and to the land, and in which a web of community and ecological resilience grows stronger even as the “old story” of global industrial capitalism is crumbling down around us.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Commune
  • Sustainability practices
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Water conservation and management
  • Regenerative agriculture or permaculture
  • Permaculture design
  • Natural / low-impact building
  • Activities
  • Farming
  • Education
  • Others

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2018
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2021
  • Started living together
  • 2 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
6

How to join

Step 0: Reach out and introduce yourself by email, then by phone
Step 1: Visit, wwoof, get to know existing members
Step 2: Provisional membership (all rights of full member except can’t block or own land)
Step 3: Associate membership (all rights of full member except don’t co-own land)
Step 4: Full membership, full participation in decisionmaking and co-own land

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Please contact us by email to introduce yourself and let us know a) what your interest is in Rainwater (membership vs. woofing, see below) and b) what your past experiences in community have been, if any. We will exchange a few emails with information and then we would like to talk on the phone and get to know you.
We are interested in getting to know folks who might join the community, in a role somewhere in between co-founder and joining member. We also enjoy hosting visitors who are not necessarily looking to join the community, but would like to learn about living off-grid. Wwoofing is a great option for folks who are curious about intentional community, want to learn about some of things we are doing on the land, or just want to have an interesting adventure! You can learn more about our wwoofing program here: https://wwoofusa.org/user/930826. We welcome wwoofers of all ages, backgrounds, and ability levels, with a particular emphasis on those who are interested in longer-term stays. Wwoofers live at Rainwater, participate in day-to-day decision-making, and work 20 hours/week in exchange for lodging and food.
In terms of eventually adding long-term members to the community, we are most interested in considering folks who have lived in community before or who have substantial experience with consensus governance in the context of activism or other collaborative projects, or who grew up in a strongly interdependent/collectivist cultural context (e.g. many BIPOC individuals).

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Decision-making process

  • Full Consensus

Everyone must agree before moving forward.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Conflict resolution approach

Influences include Yana Ludwig, Laird Schaub, and tree bressen. Our membership process includes trainings in consensus, NVC, antiracism, and permaculture.

Economic model

  • Complete Income-Sharing

All member income goes into common pool for community use.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes (40 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
The community is mostly income-sharing: members contribute a fixed amount weekly (40 hours?) that includes both paid work and community labor. A small allowance is provided by the community, and members can do additional paid work if they have money needs not met by the community. Shared by the community: gardens, tools, shared kitchen and almost all food, barn, bath house, out house, most dwellings, cars, healthcare. Typical member will work part-time, keep both income and expenses low, have a meaningful and fulfilled life outside the money economy.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Hot tub or hot springs, Outdoor Kitchen, Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately all meals

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Community activities and engagement

  • Transition Town (post-petroleum and off-grid communities.)
  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • WWOOF'ing, Guest Farming

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Religions
  • Buddhist
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions

Gender composition

  • Majority cis (over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Commune

    Communal living with shared resources, property, and often income or work responsibilities

Community type

  • Partially built or remodeled with recycled or environmentally friendly materials, and/or using natural building methods

Sustainability approach

  • Renewable energy systems
  • Water conservation and management
  • Regenerative agriculture or permaculture
  • Permaculture design
  • Natural / low-impact building

Land practices in our community

  • The community practices permaculture

Community type

  • Partially built or remodeled with recycled or environmentally friendly materials, and/or using natural building methods

Some or all of the buildings are...

  • Partially built or remodeled with recycled or environmentally friendly materials, and/or using natural building methods

Self-produced energy

  • Over 66%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar
  • Biomass (from wood or other organic materials)

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Shared kitchen or food co-op

Source of water

  • Rainwater capture and storage for use (barrels, cisterns, etc.)
  • Land area size
    17 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • North Carolina, United States

Rainwater Collective

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
6 days ago

Beautiful 3+ Bed, 2.5 Bath Townhome in Established West Emerald CoHousing, Seattle

A rare home is available at West Emerald Cohousing, an established all-ages intentional community in West Seattle. For those considering a move to the Pacific Northwest—or hoping to join a mature community rather than one still in the forming stages—West Emerald offers decades of community life, beautiful gardens, shared resources and a peaceful setting within the city in a convenient location since 1999. This unit has a unique floor plan that is ideal for co-buying, co-living, or for one household. The home itself offers a flexible 3+ bedroom, 2.5 bath layout: Garden-level room with a separate exterior entrance and half bath—ideal for a home office, studio, guest space or client-facing business Main-level bedroom and full bath, laundry, making one-level living possible Open great room with large windows overlooking gardens filled with birdsong Well-designed kitchen with generous storage and pantry Two additional light-filled spacious bedrooms and a full bath upstairs Thoughtfully maintained and updated Located at the end of a common pathway for added privacy and garden views, Just feet from parking, which is out of view West Emerald community amenities include: Common House with gathering and activity spaces Community meals and events Mature gardens and shared outdoor spaces Workshop/maker spaces and bike barn Exercise room EV charging opportunity Excellent Metro access to Downtown Seattle just minutes away Nestled into a dell, it’s Seattle’s best-kept secret South Seattle College and lifelong learning, NW Wine Academy, the Seattle Chinese Garden are nearby, with easy access to Alki Beach, Lincoln Park, magnet schools, ferries, and the shops and restaurants of the West Seattle Junction. 6000 17th Ave SW, Seattle, WA Is a wonderful opportunity to have your own comfortable, private home while becoming part of a vibrant and well-established Seattle all-ages cohousing community. For more information contact the friendly Realtor at 206-579-9066, or at ki**********@**********te.com who will be happy to meet you there or do a facetime tour.
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
3 months ago

Do you feel called to help co-create a small, newly forming eco-spiritual community?

Old structures are crumbling. New ways of living are calling. We are answering that call. Wild Grace is an eco-spiritual community located in the Sierra foothills 30 minutes from Grass Valley, California. We recently completed new homes for those who feel called to our vision. Currently there are four of us living on this sacred 80 acres of land although we are a hub for an expanded neighborhood community. Many join us weekly for potlucks, expressive dance, Qi Gong, monthly musical gatherings, and seasonal celebrations in our temple, as well as tending to our orchard. We are excited to welcome others to join us on the land who are dedicating their lives to spiritual growth and ready to live in a more focused and intimate heart-centered lifestyle. Might that be you or someone you know? The fundamentals are simple. Spirit. We listen personally and collectively together most mornings, usually starting with a musical offering, a prayer, or a short reading, followed by about 40 minutes of what we call “sacred silence.” Heart Circles. About once a week we gather to share and listen. We are informed by authentic and compassionate communication practices. Nature. The land itself—an 80-acre oasis of field and forest perched above the wild and scenic South Yuba River—calls for our stewardship in the gardens, orchard, greenhouses, and general care. In turn, nature feeds us abundantly, both literally and spiritually. Interbeing. We join with others to share inspiration and connection as we host monthly gatherings of song, story and prayer that draws from the larger community in addition to other events we share with our closer neighbors. As we attend to these fundamentals, Grace flows to and through us—often in “Wild” or unexpected ways. Grace catalyzes through us, but is not something we possess. Because we all are connected, we feel that Grace actively transforms n
Need
  • Communities with Openings
7 days ago

Looking for Founding Members to Join us

We are looking for someone who lives in Oregon or would like to live in Oregon who wants to help us clean up our new far, property and start building some off grid housing, compost toilets, fireplaces for cooking and building the farm out. We have about 10 acres and several barns, power on site for small wall tents for campers, solar panels we can setup and sooo soo much more to do.  Ideally this person would be around our age, late 20’s -early 30’s, family friendly as we have a daughter and family out sometimes. We are not looking for “anarchist” who see the glass half full and wants to ‘burn down the system’ as we farm and sell to the public, we rely on the system to pay our bills… that is really the only caveat. No hard drugs and no hard political opinions as we prefer to focus on our back-to-the-land culture, not the problem we cannot control outside the farm.  You tired of the noise and want some solitude? To get your hands dirty and build a farm from the ground up with a bunch of like minded people. All I want to do is feed people and have fun while we do it. I don’t want to try and fix the world, just rebuild the one directly around us into an oasis that we can enjoy each and everyday while keeping our moral compass pointing north. Some things to know – We do smoke pot. We like electronic and bass music sometimes and organize festivals and renegades, we still like to have fun, but when on farm, you would never know. We are super easy to be around and just want some friends who can enjoy this farm opportunity and make the most of it with us.  Kids are OK! Pets on a per person basis. Rent is negotiable ($100-300/month) with work trade being mandatory at 4 hours per week. Anything beyond that goes towards rent. Please reach out if interested or have any questions.    Kindest Regards, DJ & Reagan 
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
2 weeks ago

Co-housing Unit For Sale in Portland Oregon

Light-filled 976 sq ft, 3-bedroom, 1-bath end unit in Columbia Ecovillage, Portland’sestablished cohousing community in the Cully neighborhood. With windows onthree sides, this ground-floor home gets natural light all day, even onPortland’s grey ones. The open living and dining area has warm hardwood floors and flows into akitchen with solid wood cabinets and granite counters. The dining roomwindows look straight into a native vine maple — a wall of green from springthrough fall. There’s good storagein the unit, plus an extra storage space in the community storage building.A ductless mini-split provides efficient heating and air conditioning, andthe plumbing was fully replaced in 2026. The primary bedroom has a full-width closet behind a sliding barn door; thesecond bedroom’s closet sits behind a pair of French doors. The thirdbedroom has no closet, which makes it a flexible room — guest room, office,or playroom. Step out the sliding glass door onto your own covered patio, which opens onto the community grounds: organic gardens, personal garden plots,greenhouses, a grape arbor, a bamboo grove, native plantings throughout, andtrees everywhere — including a truly massive old black walnut. The orchard alone is a reason to live here — to name a few:apples, pears, plums, figs, mulberries, chestnuts, walnuts, grapes,blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, in several varieties each. A75,000-gallon rainwater catchment system keeps it all watered through thesummer. Kids have a playhouse, sandbox, small soccer field, a favorite climbingtree, and a parking loop where bikes can circle but cars can’t; adults havea workshop, garden shed, fire pit, quiet space and big community porches. The common hall is the heart of the village: a commercial kitchen anyresident can use, a kids’ play area, pool table and ping pong, and asoapstone stove that burns every winter evening. Residents can reserve it forevents for almost nothing. The historic farmhouse has guest rooms owners canbook for visiting family (about 30 nights a year). Shared laundry rooms(three washers and dryers) come with indoor drying racks and outdoorclotheslines, and there’s a craft room and a trade room where things you nolonger need find a new home next door. Potlucks, communitymeals, work parties, and acres of safe space for kids to roam makethis a rare chance to own a home and a neighborhood at the same time. Built in 1973 and fully remodeled in 2008–09 for energy efficiency and healthy indoor air — metal roof, HardiePlank siding, and standard community-built finishes throughout. Nothing to update, nothing deferred. The $522 monthly HOA coverswater, sewer, and garbage, plus the roof, siding, exterior paint, and allstructural maintenance — and it’s what pays for the grounds, the common hall,and everything else described above. And it’s close in: Cully’s cafés andparks are a short walk or bike ride away, the rest of Portland’s food,music, and neighborhoods are minutes beyond that, and the commute downtownor to the airport is easy by car, bus, or bike – 3.7-acre grounds with organic gardens, personal plots, greenhouses, native plantings, and mature trees (huge black walnut)- Orchard: apples, pears, plums, figs, mulberries, chestnuts, walnuts, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries- 75,000-gallon rainwater catchment feeds the gardens year-round- Workshop, garden shed, fire pit, quiet space, community porches  
Need
  • Forming Communities
1 month ago

Looking for: people building relational capacity, with a view to community

What’s here now: An intention, a framework developed over five years, and a programme running in central Victoria to find people to build with. No land, no group, no timeline. The question this is organised around: What makes a community of people living together sustainable over decades – where people enjoy being there, conflict is low, and the conflict that does arise gets handled in ways people value. The distinctive premise is capacity before formation. Most communities form first and build relational skill afterwards, usually under pressure. This one proposes doing it the other way round: people build the capacities first, and the group forms from people who have them. That includes a working idea about collective capacity – that a group has a ratio, and below some threshold it can’t metabolise its own conflict and starts consuming itself. Roughly: in a group of twenty, perhaps three or four with high capacity, most in the middle, and very few without. Untested, and something this project exists to find out. Governance: Sociocracy, with the intention of testing it meaningfully at scale rather than adopting it nominally. What’s actually happening: A three-week residency at a property near Castlemaine, and a practice group running before it. The medium-term aim is twenty to forty people at a rented facility. The long-term aim is a support hub sharing the framework more widely. What I’m looking for: People who want to build this capacity seriously, and who might eventually want to build something together. Not necessarily people who want to live here – the current property probably isn’t the long-term site. Happy to hear from anyone this resonates with, including people already in community who’d rather share what they’ve learned than join anything.
Need

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