Lost Valley Educational Center is an

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

and

ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community with the goal of becoming more socially, culturally, economically, and/or ecologically sustainable. An ecovillage strives to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural envi ...

located on acres of mostly forested land in

Dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, approximately southeast of Eugene. The center was founded in 1989 and is located on the grounds of the old headquarters of the

Shiloh Youth Revival Centers The Shiloh Youth Revival Centers movement was the largest Jesus People communal movement in the United States in the 1970s. Founded in 1968 as a small communal house (House of Miracles (communal house), House of Miracles) by John Higgins, a for ...

About Lost Valley

The nonprofit educational center is dedicated to the practices of nonviolent communication and personal growth,

permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principle ...

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

, and

simple living Simple living refers to practices that promote simplicity in one's lifestyle. Common practices of simple living include reducing the number of possessions one owns, depending less on technology and services, and spending less money. Not only is ...

. Its mission is to create and foster mutually beneficial relations between humans and all parts of the web of existence. Between 20 and 30% of the food consumed on site is grown in its gardens. Some of the natural features on the land are gardens, a large meadow, forests, ponds, and a creek. Some of its projects include numerous

natural building material Building material is material used for construction. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, rock (geology), rocks, sand, wood, and even twigs and leaves, have been used to construct buildings. Apart from naturally occurring materia ...

structures, solar ovens, solar showers, beekeeping, a hot tub, and a sauna. It hosts workshops throughout the year, such as the ''Holistic Sustainability Semester and'' the ''Permaculture Design Certificate'' course.WiserEarth
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History

Origin

The site of Lost Valley was originally a part of the Shiloh Youth Revival Centers. Known as "The Land" to its members, the original late '60s buildings were made from the recycling of donated houses. In the 1980s the Shiloh organization sold the property to a group of people intent on starting their own eco-village. The intent was for the Lost Valley Educational Center to be both a community and an educational center. For years the main educational focus of Lost Valley was a heart-centered workshop program called, "Naka Ima" which evolved into an evolutionary interpersonal growth workshop called
Heart of Now
which is currently run off-site, in the city of Eugene.

Other Communities in Oregon

Lost Valley is one of several intentional ecovillage communities in Oregon, including

Aprovecho Aprovecho is the name of two non-profit organizations located in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Aprovecho Sustainability Education Center is a not-for-profit organization based in the vicinity of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Its focus is on sustainable living, ...

research center, located in the outskirts of Cottage Grove
Cougar Mountain Farms
and Maitreya Ecovillage located in nearby Eugene.

Gallery

File:Lost Valley Center 2.jpg File:Lost Valley Center 4.jpg File:Lost Valley Center 11.jpg File:Lost Valley Center 10.jpg File:Lost Valley Center 12.jpg File:Lost Valley Center 13.jpg

References

External links

* {{Coord, 43.891182, N, 122.82807, W, type:landmark_scale:5000_region:US, display=title 1989 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Lane County, Oregon Ecovillages Education in Lane County, Oregon Intentional communities in the United States Nature centers in Oregon Oregon culture Simple living