I went to Genesis Farm, an ecological learning center in western New Jersey, for a workshop on how to build resilient communities in light of the coming ecological and economic instability. Here is the main farmhouse at Genesis Farm:















The oldest part of the farmhouse was built in the early 19th century, and you can still see the hand-hewn beams in the (now modernized) kitchen.












The Dominican Sisters who own and operate Genesis Farm have tried to make their place as self-sustaining as possible. They grow chickens, raise bees, grow big gardens -- of course all the food they serve is vegetarian, much of it produced on or around Genesis Farm.

Here are the solar panels that provide much of the electricity. The building in the background is a library/conference space.














They've put in an open-air tipi, and one of the rituals we did started there, and included a welcome from the land. In the foreground you can still see part of the sacred circle the conference participants cast on the ground to make a ritual space.


















This charming hermitage is a straw bale house! Note the solar panel.













And of course no tour of Genesis Farm would be complete without a view of the composting toilet. ;-)
















The conference--about 20 participants--learned a lot about peak oil (i.e., the time when oil exploration/extraction/refining will reach peak capacity; we've probably already passed that point). But we focused on very hopeful visions of what our communities might look like as we power down from the era of cheap fossil fuels. Here is one of the break out groups being visionary.













I loved that the conference was at a place where we could practice much of what we were learning to preach. We built a hopeful, resilient community right there on the spot! Some of the more local participants brought things like homemade yogurt, applesauce, garlic, and other tasty delights to share with the group.


And OK, I knew New Jersey was called the "garden state," but I thought that was kind of a joke. I expected to see an industrial wasteland. I guess they let that stereotype go unchallenged to keep the riff raff out.












Next stop: New York City!