Campus Life

Be a part of a community devoted to the study and practice of compassionate living, guided by nature herself.

Three distinguishing features express the essence of campus life at Earthville Institute:

Caring community

Earthville is warmly welcoming , inclusive, and collaborative. We are people of diverse backgrounds united in the aspiration to evolve toward our best-possible selves in service of co-creating the best possible world.

Healthy & balanced lifestyle

Everything about campus life at Earthville is designed to support well-being. From our daily schedules to the healthy food we eat to our meditation and yoga practices and more, there is strong support for living in health and harmony.

Beautiful natural setting

Nestled deep in the forest and watched over by the La Plata mountain range, our campus has a feeling of being held within nature. Many of our participants observe that the setting itself is a powerful support for their well-being.

Com-mu-ni-ty:
(1) a feeling of fellowship with others sharing common values, interests and aspirations
(2) a group of people living and working together with mutual support to achieve what no one could alone

The power of a caring, creative, contemplative community

The Earthville community is grounded in a core aspiration to find ever-better ways to take care of ourselves, of one another, and of the earth that supports us — and to discover how much better we function and feel when we devote ourselves earnestly to this gentle endeavor to do less harm and more good.

Shared values: We value kindness and gentleness, honesty and integrity, and humility and generosity. Our community culture celebrates unity in diversity and seeks to promote the flourishing of the individual in harmony with the collective and the planetary.

Shared purpose: Everyone who comes to Earthville Institute shares a common aspiration to cultivate compassion — in ourselves and in the world. That intention pervades both our work time and our personal time, infusing our conversations. It’s in the air.

Shared lifestyle: It’s so much easier to quit unhealthy habits when everyone around us is committed to a healthier lifestyle and relishing the benefits of it. As we pursue these aspirations together, we become stronger in new ways that are healthier and more sustainable — less harmful and more helpful.

Shared evolution: One of the greatest benefits of living together on campus is the endless opportunities to get to know one another and ourselves better. We learn to communicate, cooperate and collaborate so that community living is not merely tolerant coexistence but rather joyful engagement.

Shared responsibility = shared enjoyment

At Earthville Institute, we live and work as a community, with each person contributing to all the tasks that make residential life possible: washing dishes, sweeping floors, cleaning toilets, etc. Residents are invited to carry out these jobs meditatively, working in a relaxed and mindful way, taking pleasure in the task itself and in playing a supportive role in the smooth functioning of the community. The spirit is that everyone cheerfully does a little more than what we think is our share, and it all works out smoothly!

A learning experience is formed not only by the syllabus but also by the environment in which the learning happens: the community, its cultural values and practices, and the atmosphere generated by the place itself. At Earthville Institute, the whole environment is the syllabus, and all of these integrated cultural and curricular elements are caringly curated to support journeys of personal growth and skill development.

Compassionate Code of Conduct

To live compassionately means doing our best to protect all beings from suffering. This includes refraining from actions that could cause harm or distress to others, to oneself, or to nature. It also means treating everyone with kindness and respect.

All who come to Earthville Institute commit to uphold our Compassionate Code of Conduct:

Respect nature

We do our best to understand our impacts on the natural environment and to eliminate products and practices that harm nature. For example, we use only natural, plant-based products for cleaning and hygiene, we avoid single use plastics, and we do our best to minimize all plastic.

Please help us care for nature, and don't bring products with chemicals or plastic packaging.

Respect animals

To the greatest extent possible, we practice non-harming toward all sentient beings — even insects. Accordingly, we refrain from killing in any form, and our campus is 100% vegan, which means “not using animal products or anything that causes suffering for animals.”

Please help us protect all living beings and don't bring any food items of animal origin.

Respect humanity

The people in Earthville come from all backgrounds and from around the world, bringing a rich diversity of experience and perspective. We want all to feel safe, respected, included, and loved. We value gentleness, openness, curiosity, and kindness.

Please help us maintain an embracing environment, free of disrespect and abuse of all kinds.

Respect well-being

Earthville is a place for cultivating a clear mind and healthy body and for letting go of harmful habits. To maintain a supportive atmosphere for well-being, we ask all who come here to embrace your healthiest self and refrain from smoking, alcohol, and other intoxicants.

Please help us cultivate a vital and thriving environment, free of unhealthy habits.

Respect speech

Words are powerful, for better and for worse. In Earthville, we aspire to practice compassionate communication. We start with deep listening, seeking to understand one another well before responding. And when it’s time to speak, we aspire to speak with kindness and truthfulness.

Please help us hold space for all to be heard, listen well, and avoid false or hurtful speech.

Respect silence

One of the most precious aspects of the Earthville experience is the opportunity to rest the mind in silence, hearing only the sounds of nature and letting them guide the mind back home to peaceful ease. There are times for conversation and music, but also for sweet silence.

Please help us enjoy the sounds of silence and nature, and let yourself do the same.

PRACTICALITIES

Daily rhythms: A supportive schedule

The daily schedule at Earthville Institute is designed to support a healthy balance of work, study, reflection and rest. The exact daily schedule during a given period varies according to programs and circumstances, but a typical schedule is more or less as follows:

Wake up (usually by 6:00am)
Morning practice (meditation/yoga/exercise**)
Breakfast (typically 7 or 8 am, followed by cleanup)
Morning circle* (typically 8 or 9 am, depending)
Morning work/activity session
Lunch (usually 12:30pm, followed by cleanup)
Afternoon work/activity session (usually until 5:00pm)
Chores and cleanup (upkeep tasks, bathing, etc.)
Dinner (usually 6:00pm, followed by cleanup)
Group activities** or personal time
Quiet time (for meditation, reading, writing, etc.)
Lights out (quiet from around 9:30pm until breakfast)

*Circles: Every morning, we meet in a circle in front of the communal kitchen to make important announcements and discuss the day’s plan. Depending on the circumstances, we might circle up again before and/or after the afternoon session. It is important that everyone attends these circles so as not to miss important announcements, instructions, etc.

**Group activities: The morning practice and evening group activities are situational. Sometimes there are structured activities, while at other times there is no organized program, in which case those periods are available for individual practice or personal time.

If there is an evening activity you would like us to consider during your stay, please let us know. Activities may include group meditation programs, morning yoga or qi gong, documentary films, videos on meditation/wisdom traditions, topical discussions, etc.

Accommodations, food, & costs

Sleeping: For accommodation options during our programs, see our eco-campus page. Spoiler alert: at this early stage, it’s mostly BYO, as most people will be bringing their own tent, trailer, or RV, though we do have a very limited number of other options.

Food: We serve healthy, all-natural, balanced meals that are 100% vegetarian (plant-based, vegan), using local and organic ingredients as much as possible and soon from our own organic gardens as they sprout. Meals are typically served buffet-style. We provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, and healthy drinks. Helping to prepare meals with our foodie team is one of many enjoyable aspects of residential life at Earthville Institute. Note: We kindly ask our guests not to bring packaged snacks for both ecological and health reasons, which creates a great opportunity for those of us with junk food habits to get a taste of a healthier and more ecologically responsible lifestyle.

Costs: As we are a nonprofit educational organization, our goal is to make our programs accessible to everyone regardless of financial status. Accordingly we keep our fees as low as we can manage while providing a fair living wage for our local village employees. The exact fees for each program will vary depending on the program (see specific event pages for details).

Preparing for your Earthville experience

With our focus on sustainable and compassionate living, there are many things we do differently here. We provide all participants with information to help you plan for your time at Earthville Institute, including travel tips as well as a list of things to bring (and not to bring) and other useful info.