Creating an Eco Village
Phase One – Exploring
What would it take to live another way?
That’s the question a small group of us have committed to explore. Over the next year, fifteen of us will gather monthly, sometimes on Zoom and sometimes in person, to dream, learn, listen, and wrestle with what it might mean to create an eco village.
We don’t have all the answers. In fact, the whole idea feels huge. Building an eco village touches on everything from land access and housing to community rhythms, spiritual life, and how we care for the earth. It often feels overwhelming.
But there’s something powerful about just starting. About gathering a group of people willing to ask the questions, take the first steps, and explore the unknown together. As the old saying goes, every adventure begins with a single step.
It’s a way for us to mark the journey, share what we’re learning, and invite others to come along. We’re sharing it here because we believe we’re not the only ones thinking about these things. Our hope is that by telling our story honestly, it might encourage others to start exploring too.
This will be an honest space. A place to share what we’re discovering, what’s inspiring us, and what’s proving difficult. It will include highlights from our monthly gatherings, profiles of communities doing beautiful work, resources we’re learning from, and reflections on big questions like land, money, food, faith, housing, and shared life.
We’re not building anything just yet. This first year is about exploring:
What models are already out there?
Who can we learn from?
What does “eco village” even mean in our context?
What is a shared vision that is emerging?
We’ve committed to meeting for one year. At the end of that time, we’ll take stock. Maybe a clear next step will emerge. Maybe not. But either way, we believe this kind of exploration matters, and we want to track the journey with enough honesty that others can follow along, learn with us, and maybe even start their own.
So whether you’ve been dreaming about eco villages for years or are just curious, this is your invitation: come follow along as we take our first small steps into a big, brave idea.
Welcome to Hazelnut Village — Phase One: Exploring.
And in a small, hopeful way, we’re beginning to create glimpses of this at Landscapes our gathering this autumn for those longing to explore faith, land, and community in deeper ways. There are around 20 tickets left, and we’d love to see you there. It’s a chance to walk the land together, share stories, and continue the conversation about what kind of future we’re planting, and how we might grow it, together.
