Ecovillage at SEED Community Members' Organization, near Cahuita National Park

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2009

What we do

Founded in 2015, the Ecovillage at SEED Community Members’ Organization promotes the ecovillage and sustainable ways of living in Costa Rica. “A seed is a unit of consciousness that has body, charge and intelligence and tends to develop from potential into the actual under proper conditions. Seeds are created, transmitted and earthed in order to achieve change –change in one’s world, life or identity”. Jan Fries
Our ecovillage is comprised of members who own ½ hectare (~1.25 acre) private lots within the 150-hectare (~370 acre) sustainability focused SEED Corporation property. SEED is an acronym for Society for Ecological Education and Development. The five SEED Corporation partners all have ecological education and development backgrounds, and each owns or co-owns a residential property in the ecovillage.
The Ecovillage at SEED, founded in 2010, is one of the corporation’s primary projects. Another is the ongoing operation of the self-sustaining SEED integrated farm, which is adjacent to the ecovillage. These two projects together effectively create an agricommunity. The growing ecovillage community is independent from the corporation.
Individuals, couples and families that are interested in living a potentially carbon-neutral, sustainable lifestyle are eligible for membership in the community. Ecovillage at SEED community members have the opportunity of benefitting from the experience and knowledge of fellow ecovillage members. All SEED ecovillage residential property owners are invited to join the community as fellow members and share their skills with the group.
The Ecovillage at SEED is located in the foothills of the Talamanca Mountain Range, in Cahuita District, Talamanca Canton, Limón Province, Costa Rica. The topography of SEED is a mix of valleys, hills and rivers, at 70 to 120 meters above sea level. The Carbon II River, Cañajira River, Hone Creek and Cane Creek form the boarders of the SEED Corporation property. It’s a bit remote, but being removed from the tourist oriented beach area was one of the founding SEED partners’ objectives.
Currently the seventeen families that own or co-own lots make up the Ecovillage at SEED community membership. Most members are from North American, with the majority of those being Canadian. There are also members who are citizens of Columbia, Costa Rica and Germany.
Bamboo homes have been constructed on three private lots, with one of them being used as an educational center, and the fourth and fifth private residences are underway, using timber frame construction. Additionally, a number of community members have building plans in various stages of development, with some ready to break ground. There are also about a dozen SEED Corporation farm buildings, with most made from bamboo.
At this time Ecovillage at SEED residents are mostly weekend and seasonal. One SEED Corporation partner and his wife live year-round in their large bamboo ecovillage home. In addition, usually farm employees, sometimes with families, are also living on the farm in SEED Corporation buildings. The other SEED Corporations partners live between one and three hours away.
As of this date, four of the 20 lots plotted and offered by the SEED Corporation are still available. Several of the first lots purchased are available for resale. The original purchase of these first lots sold provided the corporation with then much needed cash for development start-up. See the below community listings for details about property available for resale.
Puerto Viejo is the largest village in the canton. The website https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/index.php has a lot of general information about the region, ranging from how best to get there to what schools are in the area. Please contact SE************@***il.com with any questions, and I or another community member will respond.
Tom Macaulay, for Ecovillage at SEED Community Members’ Organization
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Here are some southern Costa Rica Caribbean coastal area links that may be of interest.
https://www.facebook.com/costaricaguides/videos/10155312459139223/UzpfSTE1Nzk1MzY4MjI6MTAyMTQ4MTA0OTIwMDc0MjE/
https://www.facebook.com/JaguarRescueCenter/videos/1895489470482242/UzpfSTE1Nzk1MzY4MjI6MTAyMTQ2MjU5NDM5MTM4MzQ/
https://www.facebook.com/PuertoViejo/photos/a.10152308047594979.1073741827.6270369978/10152828673329979/?type=3&theater
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/articles/producing-biodiversity-on-costa-rican-banana-farm
http://costa-rica-guide.com/nature/national-parks/cahuita/
https://geckotrail.com/travelguide/puerto-viejo-southern-caribbean/
http://thecostaricanes.com/9-animals-might-see-cahuita-national-park/
http://www.ticotimes.net/travel/2016/11/photos-limon/
http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/11/02/fall-migration-at-kekoldi-costa-ricas-million-raptor-watch-site
http://www.ticotimes.net/2016/10/31/puerto-viejo-chocolate-festival
https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/jp3bj3/meet-the-couple-growing-tropical-supergreens-in-the-costa-rican-jungle
http://www.ticotimes.net/travel/2016/10/gandoca-manzanillo/
https://www.facebook.com/puertoviejoopenpro/videos/1864303960295720/UzpfSTE1Nzk1MzY4MjI6MTAyMTQ5OTI4MzU1MjU4OTU/
https://ticotimes.net/2018/08/10/in-search-of-sustainability-in-limon
http://travelconsciously.com/indigenous-tourism-costa-rica-bribri-yorkin/
https://ticotimes.net/2019/01/17/puerto-viejo-deep-dive-cancun-crossroads-preserving-culture-forged-byhardshipfbclid=IwAR0XmUbLZJ_z2e1evIb5xtpjJGEi9H9fKW-ir3ixJ15IWMWjcuNwAnKsSd
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/27/heres-where-you-can-retire-abroad-with-a-low-cost-of-living.htmlfbclid=IwAR2iissRH2Z9PqfFW2v2BiagPuaFqStahJRuIwOnSuMyeqX4YHN1KTvEIbw
https://educateinspirechange.org/nature/costa-rica-plans-to-be-the-first-plastic-free-and-carbon-free-country-in-the-world-by-2021/
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Property currently available for resale.
Lot 2 Description: .5+ wooded hectare (~1.25 acres), located on a bluff high above one of the rivers that boarder SEED, with two primary building sites. 
Price: US$45,000 
Contact: Dennis Gaumond – dg***@****en.net
Lot 17 with residence Description: Casita Costa Rica is a beautifully handcrafted custom jungle home. This partially equipped home is completely off-the-grid. With 5391 square meters it has enough land to be fully sustainable. It comes with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, and has with an outdoor shower as well as a bodega for your tools and garden equipment. 
Price: US$114,900 with all papers in hand. Contact: WhatsApp: 503-889-6604 or 506-8866-6078; Text: 503-889-6604; Email: ho***********@***oo.com ; Website: https://m.facebook.com/SouthernCaribbeanHome

Our Mission

We’re an ecovillage within an international partnership that’s developing sustainability prototypes in ecological education and development.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Networking
  • Others

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2009
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2016
  • Started living together
  • 23 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
37

How to join

Membership comes with the completion of the purchase of a lot.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Make contact to schedule a tour.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Modified Consensus

Generally seek agreement, but have backup methods when consensus isn’t reached.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: $0
Regular fees: $0
Labor: Encouraged or suggested
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Lots currently are priced at 30K, 40k and 50K.
There’s an annual community fee, primarily used for access road repair, which can vary yearly.

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

Garden(s), Swimming pond or pool, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Waterfront access, Gym or sports area

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Dietary type

  • Kosher Only

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • Transition Town (post-petroleum and off-grid communities.)
  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Organization, Resource, or Network

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Baha'i Faith
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Jewish
  • Muslim
  • Hindu
  • Quaker
  • Sufi
  • Hare Krishna
  • Native
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions
  • Unitarian Universalist

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a single individual, couple, or Family Trust

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

Self-produced energy

  • Over 66%

Energy sources used

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

Self-produced food

  • 33 - 66%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Over 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    134 hectares

Guest Book

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Location

  • Limón Province, Costa Rica

Ecovillage at SEED Community Members' Organization, near Cahuita National Park

Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 months ago

Community House in SE Portland Seeks Membership!

Ellis Street Community House is seeking kind, present, and engaged new housemates with experience in community living. We are currently 3 adults, one baby, and two cats living in a 6 bedroom, 3 bath house on ¼ acre of land near Powell Butte nature park and the Springwater Corridor bike trail. We expect to be joined by a shy and sweet 2 year old in the next few months. For us, living in community is a collaborative process, one that helps improve our quality of life. We’re able to eat great food, keep the place clean, maintain a garden, and hold a space large enough to host guests and events by working together. We have an extensive community library and art/craft material collection, as well as a great tea selection, stocked pantry, and functional kitchens ready for feast-making, canning, and fermentation dreams. We make kombucha, ginger beer, sauerkraut, bone broth, natto, and apple/pear butter on a rotating basis. With two fridges and two deep freezers we can save blueberries and blackberries we harvested from close by and get meat directly from farmers. We hold potlucks and other events like bonfires and game nights about once a month, and make a house dinner together weekly. We maintain a home free from artificial fragrances and voice-activated technology. The larger downstairs room is available for $740 per month. The smaller downstairs room will be available for $600 per month starting on September 1rst. The main kitchen is on the second floor. We also have private outdoor space for someone sleeping in their home on wheels available for $200-500 per month depending on the size of the vehicle. This would include membership in the community and use of the common spaces. Guest space is available for friends and relatives of residents – upstairs there is an office/guest room for longer visits, and the couches/pads in the common areas are available for shorter stays. The home has heating and cooling through an efficient heat pump, and we ju

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An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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