Activities

Member School of Living

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Activities

AV is actively engaged in providing service and outreach to the local and regional community as well as operate several small eco-business enterprises.

Service Activities:

Outreach to Young People – America’s children have statistically become the most violent people on earth and millions of them are on mood altering medications. We believe one of the key elements missing in many children’s lives is a wholesome and safe environment that is free of physical and emotional violence in which to grow and thrive. Our view is that children grow up best in a holistic setting in which their social, dietary, intellectual, and spiritual needs are met in an integrated system. Our plan is to develop a program for kids to participate in a holistic environment. Projects include our summer camp, working in the Community Supported Agriculture Farm, hiking and camping, and spiritual practice at the O-An Zendo. Learn more.

Center for Peace and Non-violence - Ahimsa is the sanskrit word for "no harm" or nonviolence. In the religious sense it refers to the practice of non-injury in thought, word and deed to other living beings. In this vein Ahimsa Village will serve as a center for peace and non-violence. In collaboration with the O'An Zendo we envision providing educational opportunities for people to learn and practice non-violence in their daily lives. One of our projects is practicing compassionate communication based on Marshall Rosenberg's work. Learn more.

Eco-Business Activities:

AV plans to be actively involved in small green business activities. Our current plans center on the following business ideas:

Sustainable Living Education Center – a dual purpose sustainable living educational center and barn for farm operations will be built and powered using all green materials and technologies. This center will be used to conduct workshops and teach classes on sustainable living issues such as living on less, home gardening and food preservation, energy conservation, renewable energy options, etc. The lower level will serve as space for farm operations. In addition to the Center, sustainable systems will be incorporated throughout the farm including conservation practices, renewable energy, permaculture design, and green building technologies. The goal is to serve as a working example of sustainability to the local and regional community. Specific plans include:

Utilizing solar and wind energy to power the farm.
Creating a small biodiesel production facility.
Engaging in alternative “green” building projects at the farm with the dual purpose of creating functional buildings and educating the public about green building.

CSA Farm – AV is currently in the process of developing a service-oriented Community Supported Agriculture Farm in partnership with the O-An Zendo. We have named the project: No Harm Farm. The CSA model has been very successful in the United States. It is estimated that there are over 1,000 CSA operations in the United States today. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs directly link local residents and nearby farmers, eliminating "the middleman" and increasing the benefits to both the farmer and the consumer. In a CSA program, a farmer grows food for a group of local residents (called "shareholders" or "subscribers") who commit at the beginning of each year to purchase part of that farm's crop. The shareholders thus directly support a local farm and receive weekly or monthly supply of fresh, high-quality produce. To learn more or get involved contacted Kelle Kersten at magicjubilee@yahoo.com, 814-355-0850. More information about CSAs is available at http://www.localharvest.org/csa.jsp

Other eco-business ideas:

Develop several agroforestry products into small business enterprises.
Develop an organic fruit (blueberries and raspberries) business – either selling wholesale to TOG (Tuscarora Organic Growers), retail (local stores or CSA) or a combination of both.
Become a part of Garden Harvest program (based in MD). This organization grows organic food for urban poor.
Medicinal Herbs and Tinctures
Healthy foods bakery
Digitization service - digitizing ephemera, pictures, important documents for local people and organizations.
Independent Researcher - conducting web-based research.
Holistic Healing practioners
Artisans (e.g. pottery, weaving, soap making, etc)
Permaculture design consulting
Green building/healthy house consulting