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85 %
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17 Apr 2024
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Description
Some folks go to a cave in the mountains to focus on the work of survival: making fire with the friction of sticks, melting snow for water, constructing shelter from needle-covered branches. This experience is likely to elicit prayers of thanks to the trees and sun. But our place is not that. We have hot running water when the sun is abundant. We've spent the past 20 years setting up these life supporting systems so that we can just cut up that extra box of apples we gleaned and lay the slices on a tray in the solar dehydrator we made. It's great for making kale chips too.
Some folks see themselves harvesting arm-fulls of produce from a big field of lush crops, or food forests. Our place is not that. We live off rain catchment for all our water needs. So we are not just frugal when we need to be, but prayerful in relation to the water here in the high desert. We grow food in greenhouses which conserve water and require careful tending. We honor the desert landscape and do our best to restore her to health.
Some folks go on retreat to practice mindfulness, sitting on a cushion and gaining peace and insight that they bring back to their normal lives. Our place is not that. Our mindfulness is a way of life. We connect with the clouds and sun in an everyday way. They tell us when to open a window or draw a curtain, light a fire or restrain from using too much electric power. We are mindful of how we impact the land, what goes down the drain, how we show up for our agreements.
We practice this way of life to care for the living beings who sustain us. We live this way to be right with ourselves in a crazy world. We devote these life-ways to the healing of our planet, as unlikely as that may seem. Those who join us here at our place come to learn and enjoy these practices, to share in this devotion for whatever period of time this focus lasts. Within this dedication there is abundant room for fun, creativity and community celebration.
We live within carefully designed systems that we pieced together with handfuls of mud and salvaged car parts, essentially. After a couple decades here, our systems are pretty dialed-in. But we are always learning, unlearning, and adapting- fine-tuning and remodeling to keep it all regenerating. To keep our human community in alignment with each other as well.
We can show you sacred places in the hills and valleys of our place. Places where the ancient Puebloan ancestors speak through time. Places where the wind is always strong and the perspective wide. Creases where flood water plunges off rocks. Spots where the bobcat likes to mark her presence. You are likely to discover parts of your heart and soul in the depths of this land-loving experience.
Our sustainable center is an off-grid site which demonstrates sustainable systems including permaculture, land restoration, organic gardening, passive solar design, appropriate technologies, and wise water techniques. We build with natural and salvaged materials, cook with solar ovens, and rely on rain catchment. Rain is our only source of water for our entire site in this high desert climate, and we have accumulated years of experience learning how to make the most of this sacred gift.
Our project is a working demonstration site and educational center. We offer community events, classes, retreats, and residencies as well as volunteer opportunities. There is a lot to learn here, and we have a casual environment with clear expectations.
This is a great opportunity for those who like making food! Bake bread in the horno, make kale chips or granola in the solar dehydrator, forage a wide variety of herbs and greens. Make quiche with our fresh eggs in the solar oven!
Our center is well respected in our community and we are located in a queer friendly area full of artists and off-gridders, where fundraisers are often held for those in need. We are a couple miles from the village of Madrid, and a 40 minute drive to Santa Fe, an hour to Albuquerque.
Ask for our website info.
Contact us for an application! Thanks
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Get experience with hand crafted DIY sustainable water and solar systems and passive solar buildings made of earthen and salvaged materials. We will teach you how to cook with the sun. We have designed our sustainable systems to make it easy to live consciously with our resources. Our whole site is a living system in itself; plants growing, water flowing, people working, the sun heating everything we need it to. We find it a great privilege to live within this beautiful land with it's rich history of ancestral Puebloan use.
Usually people find renewal in how the essentials of life here feel so abundant. We find that it's easy to live on 3 to 5 gallons of rainwater a day. We smile with every solar cooked meal. There is a lot to gain from this lifestyle, and it requires certain attention from the residents. For example, you will need to remember to turn off lights and monitor the level of power in the photovoltaic system. This place asks of you to pay attention to what you pour down the drain. Salts, solids, and products with sodium are limited in order to keep the plants in the greywater system healthy. If you want to know what it means to live off-the-grid in a conscious way, this is a great opportunity.
Help
We look for community-minded volunteers who can be both hard working and flexible. A sense of humor is always appreciated. Workawayers will be asked to take on responsibilities like watering garden plots, chicken care, composting, and will keep track of the timing of these tasks.
Workawayers will maintain the community kitchen and take turns with meal preparation for our small group. Community meal prep time is included in work hours. We will generally work together on building or other projects 3 or 4 mornings per week and self-directed Workawayers responsibilities will be on other days as well. While we provide bulk foods as well as produce as it is available from our small garden, we ask Workawayers to provide supplemental ingredients for their own meals and snacks.
Minimum stay is one month. Depending on the time of year, our work focus may be seedling production, or building projects.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Accommodation
We have a 16 foot yurt designated as a space for volunteers. We also have 4 person tents with their own campsite so folks can have their own sleeping space too. Some times a strawbale cottage or tipi may be available. Our solar powered community outdoor kitchen is equipped with solar ovens, a propane stove and fridge, and a system for re-using greywater.
What else ...
We ask for 15 hours of work per week which gives you time to explore our beautiful land, peruse our extensive library, hang out in the funky village of Madrid (in walking distance), or visit different parts of New Mexico. We have been teaching the essential aspects of sustainable living in this climate for 18 years and we incorporate learning opportunities into life here based on the interests of volunteers.
You will want to have your own vehicle.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
20 hours total, usually 3 or 4 mornings a week plus independant projects at other times
