Scenic view of a field with a tent and car near a forested hillside during autumn.

School of Integrated Living (SOIL)

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1993

What we do

School of Integrated Living (SOIL) is the educational branch of Earthaven Ecovillage. SOIL is a project of Culture’s Edge, Earthaven Ecovillage’s 501(c)3 non-profit. We bring together an experienced team of permaculture practitioners, conscious communicators, and unconventional leaders to provide classes that transform our students’ inner and outer worlds. Based out of Earthaven Ecovillage near Asheville, NC, SOIL has the unique ability to host hands-on, skill-building immersions in a living laboratory for physical, economic, agricultural, and social sustainability.
We envision a world where self-reliant, interdependent, and nature-connected people are deeply engaged in their local and global communities. These passionate people will make informed and responsible choices for their basic needs (food, shelter, water, and medicine), understand their impact on society, forge real connections with themselves and others, and ultimately contribute to a more sustainable and just world for all.
Sample In-person and online Program Offerings at Earthaven Ecovillage could include but are not limited to:
Deep Ecology & Yoga Retreat, Cultivating Conscious Relationships, Storytelling with Doug Elliott, Reaching Nature Connection, Conference, Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Week, Compassion Camp, Spiritual Activism & the Climate Crisis, Earthaven Ecovillage Visitor Weekend, Conscious Dying, Shoemaking, Natural Building, and Consensus Decision-Making/Self-Governance 101.

Our Mission

The mission of School of Integrated Living (SOIL) is to inspire and empower people to live responsible and creative lives by providing experiential education in integrated living and regenerative systems.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Sustainability practices
  • Regenerative agriculture or permaculture
  • Permaculture design
  • Natural / low-impact building
  • Activities
  • Education
  • Experiences

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1993
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1994
  • Started living together
  • 75 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
100

How to join

See the Earthaven Ecovillage website for membership information.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Register for an in-person tour here: https://www.schoolofintegratedliving.org/in-person-ecovillage-tours/
We also offer virtual tours here: https://www.schoolofintegratedliving.org/virtual-ecovillage-tours/

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: Yes
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes

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

Common House, Garden(s), Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Hot tub or hot springs, Outdoor Kitchen, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • About once a week

Community activities and engagement

  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing

Substance use culture

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

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

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.

Community type

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

Sustainability approach

  • 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
  • Hydro

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    329 acres

Guest Book

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

Location

  • North Carolina, United States

School of Integrated Living (SOIL)

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Need
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
  • Events
1 week ago

Healing Love Healing Money: Trust As The Foundation For A New Culture

Money, love and power are among the hardest things any community works with, and many of us carry the same fears into both: not having enough, losing what we have, and the sense that if someone else gets money or love, we won’t. Healing Love, Healing Money: Trust as the Foundation for a New Culture is taught by two intentional communities. Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle are from Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Center, a Buddhist-lineage community in the BC Rockies. Monika Alleweldt and Benjamin von Mendelssohn from Tamera Healing Biotope, a community of about 160 people in southern Portugal that has spent decades studying love, trust and relationship. Clear Sky has spent years working on its relationship with money, and our two communities found surprising parallels in the fears beneath both. Over four sessions we explore the roots of fear around money and belonging, love, possession and power, trust as infrastructure (community as a container for healing), and ethical livelihood. We use short meditations, body-based practices, reflection and small-group conversation. You do not need to be in a romantic relationship or live in community. When: October 27, Nov 3, 10, 17. All four sessions: 12–2pm Vancouver, 1–3pm Alberta, 7–9pm UK and Portugal, 8–10pm Central Europe. Note: US and some Canadian provinces change clocks on November 1, so the US west coast is 12–2pm on October 27, then 11am–1pm for the remaining sessions, and Eastern is 3–5pm on October 27, then 2–4pm for the rest. Cost: sliding scale Details and registration: https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/healing-love-healing-money-online/  
October 27, 2026 13:00 – November 17, 2026 15:00
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
4 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
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
3 days ago

Lot of Goodness

Are you seeking to live in a sustainable, wellness-oriented community that prioritizes nature and environmental conservation? Lot 6 in the Living Well Ecovillage offers the perfect opportunity to be part of a vibrant, self-sufficient community committed to holistic health and ecological harmony. This lot, approximately 1/3 acre in size, is equipped with city utilities and fiber internet access. It is located in a unique mixed-use community with a variety of land uses planned for the future, including small business/commercial spaces, tiny houses, cluster housing, and a 10-acre farm. Your home could face the street or look North to the Living Well Park &  Pavilion where we enjoy many activities together as a Community.  Lot 6 would be ideal for someone who wanted to be close to the action.  Maybe you’d like a large, shared home. Or a business location. The Ecovillage is home to a diverse range of homes, such as timber frame, Deltec, hempcrete, and Net-Zero energy designs—all built with green building principles in mind. This community prioritizes sustainability and wellness in every aspect of life. About the Living Well EcovillageSpanning 126 acres, the Living Well Ecovillage is bordered by the Deep River and Sandy Creek, offering stunning natural beauty and a tranquil environment. The Ecovillage includes shared spaces like a community garden, a Greenway/Rail Trail, and a neighborhood park. Over 53 acres of natural land buffer the river and creek, preserving the area’s pristine beauty and offering residents a true connection to nature. Your Dream Home AwaitsLot 6 is the ideal spot to build your sustainable home, surrounded by trees, rock outcroppings, and abundant wild edible plants. Experience breathtaking views and a peaceful setting, perfect for those seeking a slower, more connected way of life. A Community That Supports WellnessThe Living Well Ecovillage is not just about space—it’s about community. With access to the Folk School, residents engage in hands-on learning, sustainable practices, and personal growth, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose. Perfectly LocatedJust two miles from Highway 64 in Franklinville, North Carolina, the Ecovillage is easily accessible to Greensboro, Asheboro, and Siler City, and a short drive from Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte. It’s centrally located between the mountains and the ocean, with easy access to cultural and recreational amenities. Join Us in Building a Better FutureLot 6 offers more than just land—it’s an opportunity to be part of a community with a shared vision for a sustainable, resilient future. Ready to start the next chapter of your life in the Living Well Ecovillage? Visit Living Well Ecovillage for more information and to explore your future home. For an aerial and street level view, visit Google Maps.
Offer

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