The Medicine Wheel Neighborhood

at EARTHAVEN ECOVILLAGE

Has Work-Exchange Positions Available
February thru November, 2013 (2 month minimum stay)

  Medicine Wheel Neighborhood needs Work Exchangers (WEXers) who
       -have good physical health, and emotional maturity
       -are comfortable with varied work and variable work schedules
       -are self-motivating and able to finish projects with little supervision
       -have a passion for living in collective households
       -have completed at least an Introduction to Permaculture class [see Below]

Preference is given to those who have some of these skills:
         -carpentry and construction    
         -household and kitchen management
         -plumbing and electrical          
         -food preservation
         -tool repair and maintenance   
         -organic gardening and orcharding
        -Permaculture training is a big plus

Level of Difficulty
Our lives here are physically demanding and psychologically and emotionally stimulating, so WEXers should be in good physical and mental health. This is not a good time to begin a severe spiritual or health regime change. If you’ve been living a standard American life, the change in culture, diet and exercise will be challenging enough.

Introduction to Permaculture class

All WEXers are REQUIRED to have some level of Permaculture training; at the very least, they will take a weekend Introduction to Permaculture class, offered once a month from February thru October. The class will cost $75 (for Earthaven residents), and will be open to other visitors.

Our Work Exchange works this way

[Please Note:  Our WEX program is designed to give people an experience of living in an ecovillage, and gaining useful knowledge – while providing us with labor that we can afford.  The exchange is not a “fair wage”; in fact, a WEXer is earning an equivalent of about $2.00/hr for your labor, in exchange for room rental.  If you are not comfortable with this economic arrangement, please do not apply.]

WEXers at Medicine Wheel are required to make a 2 month minimum commitment. We have a special interest in WEXers who wish to stay for longer and integrate into Medicine Wheel and the Earthaven community over the course of a full year – or for a lifetime!  [We are definitely seeking new members!]

To avoid unnecessary paperwork, we share a trial period of 2 weeks with each new WEXer, before final commitments are made.

Medicine Wheel House provides
    a room in the House (and/or campsite if preferred)
    use of House facilities, including kitchen, showers (indoor and outdoor), common spaces, and office with telephone
    an opportunity to live and work in a collective household and low-tech Permaculture demonstration site
    an opportunity to engage in Earthaven life – attend meetings and social events, and create connections not only with members of Earthaven, but also the students, visitors, interns, apprentices, and work-exchangers of other members and businesses at Earthaven.
    an opportunity to participate in other classes and workshops at reduced fees.

 WEXer provides
    15 hours of labor per week to Medicine Wheel Collective
    participation in cooking, cleaning, and household chores (minimum of 8 hours/week)
    participation in house meetings (1-2 hours/week)
    2 hours/week of garden/kitchen work for the Medicine Wheel Kitchen [see below]
    food fee of $175/month, for 24/7 access to the kitchen and gardens [see below]
    4 hours labor/week to Earthaven
    Earthaven fees, in the amount of $30 (+ $15 if you’re bringing a car) per month, plus a one-time $25 processing fee
[Please Note:  Your total commitment is at least 30 hours/week.  For this reason, we ask that WEXers, at least for the first 2 months, do not pursue income-generating work.]

Renter Residents

[Please Note:  As a renter, you will have the same responsibilities to the house as any other resident here, excluding the 15 hours/week to MW Collective, See above.]
Medicine Wheel House also accepts rent-paying residents who are considering membership at Earthaven. Room rents range from $150-$250/month. Renters also have house chores and participate in all house meetings, and must meet all Earthaven requirements and fees for new residents on the land.
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The Medicine Wheel Kitchen

All Medicine Wheel WEXers and residents participate in the Medicine Wheel Kitchen plan. In addition, membership in the Kitchen is open to residents of other neighborhoods of Earthaven.

Our Kitchen provides abundant organic, local ingredients from our garden, the farms at Earthaven, and other local providers. Our current meal plan accommodates a balanced vegetarian whole foods diet – grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits, eggs, butter, oils and condiments, and some bread.  Although we are comfortable with occasion meat preparation in the kitchen, we’ve come to realize that a person with daily meat needs is not usually a good fit for us.

Members have the option to purchase dairy, meat, or other items not on the meal plan; there is a small personal fridge for their storage.  Many personal items can be purchased from other Earthaven members – meat, cow & goat milk, bread, fermented products, etc. – or from The Trading Post, which also offers coffee, chocolate, ice cream, & other decadences.

The Kitchen members are committed to group dinners every evening. We cook vegetarian meals, with the option for dishes containing dairy on the side.

All members of the Kitchen cook at least one night each week, and do prep & clean-up once a week. New cooks can double up with more experienced kitchen members until they learn how to produce a meal for a dozen people – and then they become lead cook for the newcomers!

Members usually cook their own breakfasts and lunches, and are encouraged to harvest from the garden.

Kitchen members
      -pay $175/month for food
      -provide 2 hours/week toward providing food for the kitchen,   
       including work in garden and harvesting on nearby farms
    
Kitchen members commit to
      -helping with clean-up after dinner every night, for at least 10 minutes
      -cooking or assisting the cook one night/ week
      -one dinner cleanup shift/week
      -weekly kitchen meetings
      -bi-monthly “work parties” for deeper cleanings of kitchen/shared spaces

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What to bring
AND OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION

+    Clothing for any extreme – wet, cool, hot, buggy
+    Shoes to work and hike in + sandals for every-day
+     Indoor shoes or slippers – the floors are cold sometimes.
+    Raingear & sun hat
+    Flashlight/lantern [There are no street lights at Earthaven!]
+    Water bottle
Optional Items to bring
+    Camping gear - including tent, ground cloth, canopy, sleeping pad, bedding
+    Favorite books, videos, or other reference material
+    Favorite tools for landscaping, forestry, bushwhacking, etc.
+    Lawn chair or camping chair
+    Musical instruments (non-electric)
+    Laptop computer, with plug. There’s DSL available, but we don’t have WIFI.

Pets, domesticated animals, and wildlife
Earthaven does have a strict pet policy and we ask that you do not bring pets.
Some people at Earthaven raise chickens, rabbits, goats, cows, and pigs for some of our food, as well as fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Earthaven is also home to a diverse mix of flora and fauna; there are poisonous plants and snakes and we ask that you respect our biodiversity.  If you are extremely allergic to poison ivy or bee stings we ask that you come prepared with appropriate medicines.

Climate. Summer weather is warm with daytime temperatures up to 90 degrees F. and overnight temperatures in the 60’s. Rain is common and can be heavy [we live in a temperate rainforest]. Be prepared for insects such as mosquitoes, no-see-ums and chiggers. Sometimes overnight temperatures can dip into the 40’s, so bring warm clothing, too.

Because of our climate, our forest – and therefore most of our houses – are often home to various molds and mildews.  If you are allergic to mold, please do not apply.  You’ll be miserable!

Electricity. Earthaven is off-the-grid and derives its electricity from solar panels and a small hydropower station. Please be prepared to conserve energy and resources while you are staying with us. Our house is wired for mostly DC electricity, with only a few outlets available for regular AC appliances.  Inquire before bringing anything that plugs in.

Phones. Medicine Wheel House has unlimited long distance service, so you won’t need a phone card. Cell phones don’t work at Earthaven – nearest service is about ½ mile away. Internet is available at the Council Hall – a 5-minute walk from Medicine Wheel – if you bring a laptop, but it must have a cable; no WIFI is available.

Water. Earthaven’s drinking water comes from springs and a well on the land and is not treated with chlorine; the well water is legally approved by the NC Health Department for drinking. Medicine Wheel has both roofwater rain catchment and spring water. We encourage you to bring your own water bottle to carry with you at all times.

Toilets. Residents use various forms of composting toilets, most of them located outside.  A flush toilet is located at the Council Hall for the use of our visitors.

Social Life
Life here can be intensely social (though there are also lots of places to hide out and be a hermit when you need to). 
   
Mostly, we have fun working and living together!  After dinner, there are conversations & hanging out; sharing skills, crafts, music; late-night saunas (the Earthaven swimming hole and sauna are conveniently located right across the road from Medicine Wheel) and gathering around the wood stove or the fire circle on cold winter nights. We do ask that our new folks refrain from romantic liaisons [see attached document] for the first month of their stay here; we want all their lust to be focused on Permaculture!

Medicine Wheel House hosts a constant flow of visitors to Earthaven – students, work exchangers, visiting friends or relatives of members, or people seeking membership at Earthaven.  So, in addition to enjoying the intimate company, in your daily life, of 5-10 others (the MW family), you’ll also be expected to enjoy (or at least tolerate) the comings and goings of lots of strangers in your life – many of them asking the same naïve questions that you were asking when you first arrived!
 
Earthaven social life includes women’s Moon Lodge gatherings, men’s groups, study groups of all sorts of things, parents & kids groups, chi gong, yoga, dance, etc., on an ongoing basis. And, any excuse for a party will be seized upon, whether it be a seasonal celebration or a birthday party, or just a full moon night.

Much of Earthaven’s social life occurs in the context of meetings and work parties, and sort-term residents of Earthaven are invited to attend them, with few exceptions.
 
Once or twice weekly, Medicine Wheel Kitchen’s nightly meal is prepared and taken to the site of our Earthaven-wide community cookouts, where kitchen members can eat while enjoying the company (and potluck offerings) of Earthaven members and residents from other neighborhoods. Grilled seafood and organic meats from local farms are also featured at these cookouts for a very reasonable extra fee.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Lyndon or Patricia:  828 664 0067 or ehpa@bellsouth.net
Medicine Wheel House [where you will be able to receive calls]: 828-669-0027