Permaculture Eco-Village in NE Washington has Openings - Potential Permanent Residency
We have openings for people to come plug into our Eco-Village project. Could be a couple or not, families or singles. We seek people for whom this opportunity resonates with their own vision forward in permaculture. The land here is calling out for Earth Stewards to come and be part of its ecosystem.
The Eco-Village is a 20-acre sanctuary seeking devotees, not in any religious sense, although it is often a spiritual quest that drives someone to embrace permaculture. We are looking for people who are devoted to creating rural self-sufficiency for themselves, through permaculture, in community. We offer an environment free of economic rent and ask only for active, mindful, creative participation.
We seek farmers and builders to each contribute an average of 20 hours a week, or more if it moves you, with reasonable time off. Please note: This is not an employment opportunity. It is a lifestyle choice. This is joining a joint project.
Potential residents should have had experience with or eagerness to try simple, rural, outdoor-oriented living and the work ethic that goes along with it and be prepared to provide your own shelter in a place where the climate can range from below freezing in winter to summer temperatures over one-hundred degrees for days at a time (RV, travel trailer, yurt, mobile tiny house or fully equipped outdoor camp). Shared kitchen and bathroom facilities are available in the main dwelling. Various potential income sources exist.
Potential residents should also read the Eco-Village Policies that are being developed to serve as guiding principles in mapping out the future of the Bezaleel Israel Eco-Village. They are being developed with the intention of becoming part of the document that will establish the Land Trust.
Builders (Infrastructure Journeyperson)
Our priority for 2025 is seeking builders who are into permaculture whose primary role would be contributing to building and maintaining the eco-village and farm infrastructure including structures, machinery, equipment, irrigation and energy production facilities. You would work closely with Bezaleel Israel who terraformed this land over a thirty five-year period and built the existing infrastructure largely by himself. BZ has 60 years experience being a Jack-of-all-trades. Mechanical work on almost everything (except modern computer cars). Converting Diesel engines to run on recycled vegetable oil, maintaining a fishing boat, tractors, logging equipment, aircraft, commercial refrigeration, metal fabrication, acetylene and arc welding, rural construction, concrete, using heavy equipment for land development, alternative energy, farming, gardening, seed saving and teaching permaculture. There's no compensation for the builder/infrastructure apprenticeship beyond a share of the food the farm produces, shop space, access to tools and equipment and no economic rent to pay (common expenses are shared), so it makes most sense for someone who seeks permanent residency to apply for this apprenticeship with the mind that the fruits of the work put in become collectively owned by you and the Eco-Village. Personal improvements can be individually-owned. Anyone with the kinds of skills listed here would be able to easily find part-time paid work locally or find other means for income on or off the eco-village grounds. Work contributed to the farming operation also has the potential to generate some income. For more information on this, see the Infrastructure Journeyperson page.
Farmers
For the three years (22, 23, 24) we demonstrated that we can generate significant cash flow and many satisfied customers operating a microfarm here (the BZ Permaculture Farm Collective), selling to friends, weekly at the local farmers' market, at seed swaps, plant sales and the Barter Faire as well as online, but we haven't had enough committed farmers join the project to maintian the pace of production required to operate a market garden and still have time for building the Eco-Village. So we're not going to be travelling to market weekly and cranking out succession plantings in 2026 unless the situation changes. If not, we're going to continue to be home more, working on the place. Unless something fundamentally changes, we are reducing our cropping plans for 2026. We will grow some potatoes, squash, onions and garlic and sell some now and then, and we'll grow our own food. We also have varieties that we grow out for seed that we will be maintaining, so there will be lots of quality time spent in the garden, but we will also need to tear ourselves away from those pleasures on a regular basis to work on the Eco-Village.
Because we see a robust market garden and agrarian-based micro-enterprises as essential components of a resilient and regenerative permaculture eco-village, we are still seeking folks who love experiencing soil, plants and sharing the surplus and who can commit to put in the time and intention required. If we had a great farming team together, we could all be self-employed farmers who collectively tend the gardens, pastures, food forest, livestock and seed bank and share equitably in the fruits of that labor in the form of delicious food, money and the incalculable value that comes from living the life. Until there is a sufficient number of folks involved, we won't be farming the place as intensively as in 2022-2024. The potential is still here for this land to perpetually provide food and sustenance for a small group living here as well as being a trusted food producer for our local community, In the mean time, we who are here now will preserve and enhance that potential with our stewardship. It is the mission, the whole idea.
The Process: Applying for an apprenticeship at the Eco-Village
Anyone can apply as a volunteer and come to work as your schedule allows, providing your own shelter if you plan on staying overnight unless we have a guest bed available. Others we hope would be interested in trying out a long-term committment to the project. Either way, folks can introduce themselves to us by filling out a two-question pre-application online (or in an email or by snail mail). From those applications we will choose folks to answer a few more questions, get references, do a phone interview and have a site visit, if feasible.
The two questions are:
1) Please describe in 300 to 1000 words your experience with regenerative agriculture, permaculture principles and practices and your love of voluntary simplicity, Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share.
2) Please describe in 300 to 1000 words your experience with simple, rural, outdoor-oriented living, physical labor, any previous collaborative group living and any special skills you have (such as farming, forestry, construction, fire safety, food forestry, cooking for groups, mechanics, etc.).
If we accept your application as an apprentice candidate, we will welcome you to join us on the farm.
If you're invited, you will be required to fulfill one or more 60-day trial periods which may include meeting specific conditions during the trial period. Then, after a successful 60-day trial, you will be granted Apprenticeship or Journeyperson status including membership in the Eco-Village Collective, expiring and renewable at the end of each calendar year (Dec. 31). Upon becoming an Eco-Village Collective Member you will sign the Eco-Village Mutual Contract which defines how the Village is managed. Upon signature, you will have a voice in how the Mutual Contract is worded and interpreted as well as in all the affairs in the life of the Village; all of which are serious commitments and important responsibilities. Under certain conditions, membership in the Eco-Village Collective may become permanent.
Level 1 - Apprentice
After a successful 60-day trial period, a Level 1 Apprentice may become an active member of the Eco-Village Collective for a term that would end on, and be renewable on, the last day of each year (Dec. 31).
A Level 1 apprentice can commute to the Eco-village or reside on the land.
Level 2 - Apprentice
A Level 1 Apprentice who has participated at least seven months may apply to the Eco-Village to become a Level 2 Apprentice which includes the potential for long-term membership and residency.
A Level 2 Apprentice is an active member of the Eco-Village Collective for a term that would end on, and be renewable on, the last day of each year (Dec. 31).
A Level 2 Apprentice must reside on the land year round except when on vacation. At the conclusion of five years, a Level 2 Apprentice would be eligible to request permanent residency as a Resident Steward.
Journeyperson
After a successful 60-day trial period, someone who already has developed skills that are needed at the Eco-village could become a Journeyperson Eco-Village Collective member for a term that would end on, and be renewable on, the last day of each year (Dec. 31),
A Journeyperson may request building materials belonging to the Eco-Village that are stockpiled on the land for use in building their own structure and obtain them at no cost.
A Journeyperson must reside on the land year round except when on vacation. At the conclusion of five years, a Journeyperson Eco-Village Collective member would be eligible to request permanent residency as a Resident Steward.
Resident Steward
At the conclusion of five years of collective membership, an Eco-Village Collective member would be eligible to request permanent residency as a Resident Steward. A Resident Stewards’ membership in the Eco-Village Collective is permanent except if terminated as a result of an exit procedure or resignation.
Resident stewards recognize their role as mentors.
If approved as a Resident Steward, a non-transferrable lease with a term of up to 99 years may be issued by the Land Trust (once the land trust is fully established). The lease would make available a small personal space for the leaseholder to enjoy in an area of the property already designated in the permaculture design for structures being built and may include space for a private household garden. Long term leases terminate if the lessee is no longer an Eco-Village Collective member.
Participation
Level 1 and Level 2 Apprentices are expected to contribute labor to benefit the Eco-Village Collective and/or the Farm Collective amounting to an annual average of 20 hours of labor per week, as seasonal needs require, with at least 20% of that labor being contributed to the farming operation.
Journeypersons are expected to contribute an annual average of 20 hours of labor per week, as seasonal needs require, utilizing their skills primarily to benefit the Eco-Village with at least 10% of their labor being contributed to the farming operation.
A Resident Steward is expected to continue contributing labor to benefit the Eco-Village and the Farm Collective past the age of 65, however the requirement to average 20 hours labor per week is waived.
Collective members understand that there will be occasions when more hours will be required and that 10- to 12-hour days will sometimes be required based on the seasonal needs that must be collectively met at any given time.
Collective members may take reasonable time off.
Level 1 and 2 Apprentices and Journeypersons are expected to spend at least two hours studying permaculture each week following a self-determined course of study, the fruits of which are regularly shared with the Eco-Village Collective.
All Collective members are expected to independently provide for their personal household's monetary needs, sleeping quarters (if none are available), domestic needs such as food (beyond what the Collective Farm can provide), warmth, electricity, waste handling and commit to share in paying common expenses.
Exit Procedure
The Eco-Village Collective and the Farming Collective reserve the ability respectively to expel any member, with the exception of Bezaleel Israel, utilizing an exit procedure that operates on a "Consensus Minus One" basis. The member whose membership is in question is not afforded the authority to block the decision on their membership status for the duration of the exit procedure. Everyone else would have to agree to end the membership. In the event that agreement is not reached, an alternative outcome of an exit procedure may consist of a set of conditions intended to address the issues and concerns that initiated the exit procedure. Disputes are settled by community mediation or settled by a third party ally of the Eco-Village.
