Community gathering at a large, open-air event under a thatched roof.

Saint Michael's Sustainable Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Town/Small City

Founding year

  • 2008

What we do

We are a functional sustainable community with a large surplus of beyond organic food and pristine water. We cultivate a polyculture of over 500 different types of plants, plus raise regenerative cattle, sheep, chickems, fish, and shrimp. We built the community years before the aqueduct was brought to our area. We have springs, rainwater collection, clean streams that start in our community, and many water storage cisterns (one is the first floor of our Modern Tree House, but you would never know unless you were told). On any given day we could provide food to feed over 50,000 people. Our design is to use as little labor as possible. Currently, the work crew is the owner and a local family of 3.
Intentional design integration touches every part of our community. Homes are built beyond LEED standards. All homes have either a rainwater collection roof or a livingroof or a hybrid of both. The landscaping is edible, for utility, and full of medicinal plants. We grow the medicines for ourselves and our animals. Our Permaculture Country Club is unlike any other Country Club in the most important ways possible. Our course takes people though a food forest. It uses no purchased water or toxic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides. The course has examples of regenerative agriculture, sustainability, and permaculture at every hole. It hosts the National Disc Golf Championship of Costa Rica every July. We are a community that produces more than we consume.

Our Mission

Our fist mission statement was to build a community that could truly be a solution and model for living sustainability and in harmony with nature. Now our mission is to continue as a model community and bring true sustainability to the rest of the world.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Sustainability practices
  • Water conservation and management
  • Regenerative agriculture or permaculture
  • Permaculture design
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Networking
  • Services Business

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2008
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2009
  • Started living together

Video

  • 22 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
56

How to join

We believe starting a community with great members is the best key for future success and harmony. We get to know the people that want to live here.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

please call or email to make an appointment in advance.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Conflict resolution approach

Only income from activities, crops, hardwoods of the Eco Village are shared.

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 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
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed

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

Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Outdoor Kitchen, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Waterfront access, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Dietary type

  • Vegetarian Only

Dietary restriction

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

Community activities and engagement

  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Ethical Business, Investment Group, or Alternative Currency
  • Organization, Resource, or Network
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Native
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions

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

  • Town/Small City

Smaller municipalities with local services but rural character.

Community type

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

Sustainability approach

  • Water conservation and management
  • Regenerative agriculture or permaculture
  • Permaculture design

Land practices in our community

  • The community practices permaculture

Self-produced energy

  • Over 66%

Energy sources used

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

Self-produced food

  • Over 66%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Over 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Food forest
  • Greenhouse / aquaponics

Source of water

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

Guest Book

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

Location

  • Puntarenus, Costa Rica

Saint Michael's Sustainable Community

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 ÂĽ 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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Communities

A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

Organizations

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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