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.
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
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. Website: https://m.facebook.com/SouthernCaribbeanHome
We’re an ecovillage within an international partnership that’s developing sustainability prototypes in ecological education and development.
Membership comes with the completion of the purchase of a lot.
Make contact to schedule a tour.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
Generally seek agreement, but have backup methods when consensus isn’t reached.
Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
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.
Garden(s), Swimming pond or pool, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Waterfront access, Gym or sports area
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.
Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
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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