Join us for an introduction to the EcoVillage!
April 29, May 27, June 24
Saturday’s from 10:30-Noon ET
March 7 & 21, April 11 & 25
Tuesday’s from 5:30-7pm ET
We’re a group of individuals and families who have joined to build an extraordinary life together. The one thing we all have in common is a desire to know our neighbors. The Rachel Carson EcoVillage will be a multi-generational community that includes people from as many cultures and backgrounds as possible. We welcome individuals of every race, ethnicity, culture, age, ability, gender identity, and sexual identity to join us in creating an inclusive, caring and diverse community.
Our site is located 20 miles north of Pittsburgh in Gibsonia on Chatham University’s Eden Hall campus, the home of the Falk School of Sustainability and Environment. There we will have opportunities to participate in campus activities, have access to campus amenities and be able to contribute to the university’s advancement of sustainability.
Our goals include learning to enjoy, protect and contribute to the abundance around us as well as enhance the quality of our lives as part of a larger thriving environment. Surrounded by meadow and forest, yet within a few minutes walk of campus facilities, our site will have common gardens, walks, and places for socializing. The ecovillage will be a homeownership community of 35 private units ranging from studios to three bedrooms. Our shared common house will have a dining room, a large kitchen, and
guest rooms
We envision the Rachel Carson EcoVillage as a caring and cooperative community. We plan to become a positive part of our local environment, both human and natural. Our buildings and site will be designed to connect us to nature and to each other: to promote personal interactions and easy sociability, where kids play in safety and neighbors lend each other a hand. We will share property, facilities, resources, and to some extent our lives, but just as important, we will respect each other’s privacy, autonomy and personal property. The ecovillage will offer easy connections with neighbors without sacrificing the privacy of our own home and yard. This balance will be woven into the fabric of our lives.
The entire development will be built to high standards of energy conservation, which will reduce utility bills to a fraction of their cost compared to conventionally built housing. Our materials will be selected for long-term durability and affordability as well as better air quality. Our natural site infrastructure aims to improve the quality of the soil and water and foster a healthy human-inhabited ecosystem.
Between now and our targeted move-in in 2023, we are planning our community, practicing sociocratic decision-making, and enjoying each other’s company. We’d love for you to join us!