Bellavia Gardens Archives - Earthaven Ecovillage

Raised Beds Anyone?

Written by NikiAnne Feinberg on April 13, 2021. Posted in Bellavia Gardens, Gardens, Permaculture. No Comments on Raised Beds Anyone?

There are many different ways to garden, from the no-work method of Ruth Stout to the double-dig method of John Jeavons. Most of us at Earthaven have our hands in the soil on some level, even if minimally. Our very own Dr. Monique Mazza seems to excel at everything she does. And gardening is...

Earthaven Tiny Housing Boom

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on August 3, 2018. Posted in Bellavia Gardens, Ecological Design, Hawk Hollar, Off-Grid Living, Persimmon Grove. No Comments on Earthaven Tiny Housing Boom

Simultaneously this year, three new members in three different neighborhoods are working on setting up their own unique versions of the tiny house. Near the front of the property, in the Forest Garden neighborhood, Liz Diaz and Joseph Rasband have just moved into their creation. Joseph built the...

New Micro-hydro Plant Amps Up – Adds Power for Two Neighborhoods

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on March 28, 2017. Posted in Articles, Bellavia Gardens, Hydro Power, Medicine Wheel. No Comments on New Micro-hydro Plant Amps Up – Adds Power for Two Neighborhoods

above: Spillway at the new micro-hydro installation. At long last, the second micro-hydro station at Earthaven is up and running, serving the delighted residents of Medicine Wheel and Bellavia Gardens neighborhoods. Through an ingenious design by neighbor Leon Birstein, each neighborhood is served...

Bellavia Gardens (among other neighborhoods) is Becoming a Co-op!

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on March 22, 2016. Posted in Articles, Bellavia Gardens, Governance and Legal, Medicine Wheel, Neighborhoods. No Comments on Bellavia Gardens (among other neighborhoods) is Becoming a Co-op!

by Arjuna da Silva Some Earthaven neighborhoods are balancing collective and personal ownership issues by forming housing cooperatives. While used in other parts of the country, housing co-ops are new in our region and could be a reasonable model for other ecovillages, especially in rural areas. One...

Really Local Economy

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on January 7, 2014. Posted in Bellavia Gardens, Community Service, Natural Building. No Comments on Really Local Economy

This past summer, long-time Earthaven member Mollie Curry and her partner, Steve Kemble, supervised the final plastering of Bellavia Gardens’ neighborhood composting toilet, known as the Ojo de Conejo (eye of the rabbit) Lounge. Folks from around the village, eager to get muddy, joined Gaspar and...

Earthaven Fire Warden Starts Fire

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on September 10, 2013. Posted in Bellavia Gardens, Regenerative Agriculture. No Comments on Earthaven Fire Warden Starts Fire

by Arjuna da Silva Who better to start a fire than the “fire warden” of your local safety committee? My neighbor, Marjorie, stood firewoman duty around a burn of dead and diseased tree stock and other brush that she and neighbor Gaspar recently set on an overcast day that promised to rain … sooner...

Member Profile: Gaspar Robles

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on April 6, 2013. Posted in Articles, Bellavia Gardens, Members, Village Economics. No Comments on Member Profile: Gaspar Robles

by Rae Jean A couple of days ago I had a most pleasant visit with Gaspar. We sipped hot herbal tea, munched on pecans and exchanged some wonderful stories at his cozy space in the Bellavia Gardens neighborhood. Gaspar came to Earthaven in the summer of 2003 and became a member soon after. He is a...

Lessons in Bamboo: Love it but Don’t Leave it Alone

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on March 28, 2012. Posted in Articles, Bellavia Gardens, Ecological Design, Food, Permaculture. No Comments on Lessons in Bamboo: Love it but Don’t Leave it Alone

by Arjuna da Silva Previous owners gifted Earthaven’s main street with a healthy stand of bamboo that’s now prolific near the Forest Garden Learning Center. Early Earthaven members added additional stands around the community. What a beautiful and useful plant (we thought)! Bamboo IS beautiful. AND...

The Land Where we Live

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on June 12, 2011. Posted in Bellavia Gardens, Nature. No Comments on The Land Where we Live

We are growing this ecovillage in the glorious Western North Carolina mountains. For those readers who haven’t been here, this is a quite accurate peek into our lush, green, summer world. Hillside above Bellavia Neighborhood. Misty morning after 10″ of rain. Local Mountains. Creeks...

Many Hands Make Light Work

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on April 5, 2011. Posted in Bellavia Gardens, Community Service, Natural Building. No Comments on Many Hands Make Light Work

Over 30 people participated in a work party in the Bellavia Gardens Neighborhood on Saturday, February 26. Earthaven members, guests and work exchangers pulled together on beautiful sunny morning to clean up after the construction of “Leela,” the naturally built home of Arjuna da Silva. Volunteers...