Extended Campus
Abundance Ecovillage
Abundance EcoVillage is a place where village design, energy, shelter, water, gardening, farming, waste recycling, and landscaping are done in way that is in tune with natural law. In tune with natural law means, at a minimum, that the systems used to obtain the services listed above do not destroy or damage the larger systems of the earth that maintain a hospitable environment for life on our planet.
The Ecovillage is designed to provide these services in a way that not only sustains but enhances the ability of the earth to clean our air and water, and in general provide a beautiful and safe place to live.
Village residents work to be in harmony with the more subtle influences on the land through the use of Sthapatya Veda. Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is the recent revival and restoration of this ancient Vedic architectural design by renown Vedic scholar and sage, His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It prescribes the proper dimension, proportion and placement of buildings in relation to the rest of the cosmos, so that the structures, by their dimensions, proportion and placement, give a feeling of "at home in the universe", maximizing the positive influences from the cosmos and minimizing the negative ones.
By design, the ecovillage seeks to foster opportunities for informal, positive, interesting, and regular interactions between a diversity of residents. The ecovillage aims to foster, support, and provide a voice for diverse lifestyles and points of view. The village is host to films, lectures, and workshops on sustainability, and concerts at on an outdoor stage.
Living in the ecovillage allows an individual to live in an environment that is in harmony with various aspects of natural law. Living in the ecovillage allows one to gain the blessings of natural law through Sthapatya Veda and to give blessings back to nature through permaculture design.
Cypress Villages
Less than two miles north west of the Eco-Design Center sits Cypress Villages, a 140-acre permaculture sub-division. Developer Dan Walker and architect Martha Norbeck modeled the area after Village Homes in Davis, California.
Our Vision: to build a diverse, multi-use residential area where residents will forge a strong connection not only with their environment, but also each other. A place where energy-efficient homes are built with respect for the land. A place where children play in safety and fresh, ripe produce is a short walk away.
To learn more visit www.cypressvilages.com
Abundance Nursery
Established in 2007, and managed by Brian Robbins, a member of the SLC teaching team, the nursery at Abundance Ecovillage is well under way. Solar and wind powered systems as well as rainwater irrigation are in place. The nursery specializes in edible and useful plants for use in home scale perennial food systems. Paw paws for pudding, persimmons for jam, herbs for tea, nuts for roasting and flowers to toss into summer salads will be available. Additionally, stories will be will be shared as to where the plants are from, as well as suggestions of uses in the home and garden for craft, food, beautification, or medicine. Plantings are being grown in compost that is free of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The nursery is surrounded by a infant food forest -- about a third of which has been planted. Amongst the species growing are cultivars of Asian pears, pears, storage apples, perssimmons, paw paws, heartnuts, plums, nut pines, chestnuts, wild sweet cherries, and quite a few other varieties both common as well as rarely seen. To the Northwest a windbreak has been planted offering: fuelwood, pine nuts, bee forage, and medicinal fruits. The food forest and nursey offers plants and living examples to help visitors create edible abundance amongst family and friends back at home. Brian plans to begin selling trees and produce in 2010. You can contact him with questions at happyhomesteader
gmail [dot] com
Midwest Center for Mini-Farming
The Mid-west Center for Mini-Farming is in the early stages of developing educational offerings at the SLC Campus. The Mid-West Center for Sustainable Mini-Farming serves as a national and international resource to help individuals, communities, and organizations to become more self-sufficient through sustainable, holistic farming practices. Our organizational mission is to establish and maintain a vibrant research, demonstration and training mini-farm that teaches people to better feed themselves while building up the soil, enhancing environmental health and creating abundance.
Goals of the Mid-West Center include:
Creating and operating a 5,000 square foot, 40-Bed research/demonstration/training mini-farm on SLC’s campus.
Operating Abundance CSA farm to provide complete diet (based on 2,400 calories a day) year round to local families.
Create a community seed bank to encourage locally adapted open-pollinated crops.
Offer lectures, classes, workshops and training on the GROW BIOINTENSIVE Organic Sustainable Gardening and Mini-Farming method.
Offer lectures, classes, workshops and training on natural beekeeping.
Collaborate with other institutions and organizations for cross fertilization and development in the area of sustainable mini-farming.
Radiance Dairy
Radiance Dairy a few miles northwest of Fairfield is where Francis Thicke raises about 80 jersey milking cows.
Francis welcomes interns to help with early morning and late afternoon milking, and pays them in delicious yogurt, milk, and cream.
The dairy is organic and no antibiotics or growth hormones are used on the cows.
The entire 236 acres of Radiance Dairy is planted in forages, making use of a rotational grazing system with 60 paddocks. Each paddock is 2-3 acres -- the balance of the farm is in hay fields -- which is grazed as needed.
Cows are milked twice per day and moved to a new paddock every day. "It's easy to move them since they have to come in to get milked anyway," said Thicke. "We bring them in and switch the gates after they are all in so they can get to a new patch of grass after they are done being milked."
Vedic City Greenhouse
Maharishi Vedic City Organic Farm™ is located at 2037 140th St. 6 miles north of Fairfield Iowa on hwy 1.
Established in 2003, the farm consists of 160 acres of prime Iowa farmland that has been in certified organic production for over 13 years. We also have more than 80,000 sq. ft. of greenhouses growing a wide variety of fresh, organic produce, which meet the very highest standards for pure organic food. In fact, for 5 years now we have met the exacting standards of Whole Foods Markets’ Midwest Regional Distribution Center who apply a higher standard of quality than any chain in the country and we have successfully marketed lettuces, bok choy, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green beans, and more without ever having a shipment rejected.
In addition to vegetable production we have about 20 fruit and nut trees and plan to add an additional 50 trees this spring. We will be greatly expanding our raspberry patch this year and will also be adding 50 more blueberry bushes. Last year our 1 acre, mostly June-bearing, strawberry patch was under water for most of June, we have high hopes for a great crop this year.
We look forward to supplying the highest quality, healthiest, and tastiest produce available anywhere. Grown under exacting standards in fertile organic soils, our produce is picked and packed within a day, then delivered fresh to our CSA members.
Mullenneaux’s Homestead
Article's about the Mullenneaux Homestead:
Iowa Source
Radish
Tiny House Blog
