Windward is a cooperative community of over thirty years in the making, dedicated to preserving and developing village scale technologies needed to support a thriving sustainable community on marginal land.
We provide opportunities for deep learning through hands on, practical experience with the tools needed to build a life in balance with the natural world.
We come together with the belief that now is the time for radical change, and that nothing is more convincing than a working model of a better way.
With nature as our guide, we use our love, sweat and blood to build a life worth inheriting. Join us, for a weekend, for a season, or for a lifetime. Get Involved.
An Ethics Audit
Answering questions from Opalyn’s Ethics course
Welcoming the Class of 2020
Walt looks forward to the arrival of this year’s interns and apprentices
Glassing the Pearl
The glass panels arrive
Settling into Community
Chuck discusses their previous experience in community and settling into Windward
Isolation v. Intimacy?
Emily expounds on experiences and perceptions of community life here.
Transforming Trash
Willow brings beauty to a bathroom trash can.
Ship’s Dinner 2017
Check out photos from our annual celebration of Windward’s Founders coming to this land.
Staying Sane in an Insane World
Lindsay reflects on how Nature helps to ground our efforts during unsettling times.
Mid-Year Reflections
Emily reflects on insights and shifts after her second Surrender at Windward.
A Recap of the Village Helix
Photos from the Windward Open House on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-29, 2017
AgroEcology Update, Spring 2017
Fuels reduction, hedgerows, tree tubes, birdhouses, and more.
A Program of Mulch Independence
Qays of meeting a core need within our growing systems
Hello from Katie!
A Spring Apprentice Introduces Herself
Re-Membering the Web of Life
The Biological Imperative for Sovereignty, Interdependence and a Consent Economy
Life Begets Life
Jarvis discusses building soil life
Co-creating a Consent Culture
Economics, Governence & Sexuality
We Still Believe
A Politics of Love, Earth & Community
I’m Still Here!
Opalyn returns to the Notes
A Fall Back to Fundamentals
Jarvis Introduces himself
Introducing the Digital Studio
& Learning to Work with Blued Pine
Taking Death by the Hand
Lindsay shares her reflections on Death & Natural Burial
Ravens Stealing Eggs
And our attempts to stop them
Some of the Benefits of Membership at Windward
Things to look forward to after an Apprenticeship or Fellowship
Continuing the Journey Towards the Examined Life
An article Yosef wrote for his college’s student newspaper
Troubleshooting the First Stator
Yosef tries to discover what went wrong
A Letter From My Future
Emily shares what she wants to remembers from her Fellowship at Windward
Live your passion and relieve your student loans!
How living and working at Windward can provide for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Felling a Big Pine Tree
Taking down a big tree before it takes down the greenhouse
Calculating Lard Yield from American Guinea Hogs
Continuing the conversation about the “Million Calorie Diet”
The Rabbit Colony Experiment – a Detailed Report
Yosef shares highlights from this year’s rabbit colony experiment
Arriving at Now
Apprentice Emily introduces herself.
Building an Earth Sheltered Greenhouse
Andrew shares about a big-picture project that is stepping up our year round food production
A Summary of Rabbit Colony Experiment
Yosef shares a summary of findings from this year
Building an RPM Sensor
Yosef shares about a nifty instrument crafted for the axial flux alternator project
Continuing the Axial-Flux Alternator Project
Yosef shares about casting the alternator’s stator, and more!
A Working Definition of “Capital”
…and why it to matters to creating a post-consumer village
Developing Windward’s Large Scale Irrigation Infrastructure
Apprentice Andrew Bishop shares about one of his big picture apprentice projects
The Splendor and Beauty of Klickitat County
Lindsay shares images from a Summer Adventure
Breeding & Hatching Heritage Chickens
Apprentice Andrew Bishop shares the secrets of his successful run of incubating chickens
Learning to Recognize Sustainable Systems
A Whole Systems Fellow, Yosef, shares about the not-so-obvious realities of sustainability
Building a Bee Sanctuary
Andrew shares about our new Bee Hut and Pollinator Garden
Live Stake Propagation
Pioneering Windward’s broad-acre silvo-pasture systems
Winterizing Your Leather Boots
Dry feet all winter long!
Tanning Bunny Hides
Kari writes about her success with salt and alum.
Bunny Gratitudes
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Felted Projects
A look various practical and artistic felt projects.
Felting Windward Wool
Claire gives a detailed description of the felting process she uses.
Harvesting Feathers
Claire writes about harvesting Windward bird feathers.
Technology in Service of Community
Lindsay and Walt share their perspective.
Main silvopasture swale gets it’s first big test.
Coppice Agroforesty at Windward
An overview of our evolving practices
Announcing: Windward Whole System Fellowship
Learn about a new opportunity to immerse yourself in sustainable community!
Rabbits – Livestock Update
Opalyn shares about our current rabbits.
Water Harvesting Road Hardware
Checking erosion and putting water to work in the landscape.
Baby Bunnies – Growing (up)
Opalyn shares about the growth and shearing of the German Angora Rabbits.
Roof-Water-Fed Retaining Wall Hugelkultur Beds for the Dining Hall Patio
Andrew describes more developments in Windward’;s zone 1
Spindling Wool
Opalyn shares about spindling blended wools.
Wall-E needs a few more repairs.
Keeping Wall-E on track. 🙂
The Village Helix
Lindsay shares pictures from Windward’;s recent Open House
Partnering with Our Plant Allies
Andrew describes species selection for remeditation and agroforestry.
Finding Long-Term Climate Data in the US Using NOAA
Article Andrew recently wrote for PermacultureNews.org
As events unfold my attention turns to seating.
Opalyn shares her experience building a paracord-laced oak chair.
“Pan”ache
Pat shares the new additions to the chicken flock.
Rocks In the Garden!
Pat introduces our new plant labelling system.
Developing Windward’s SilvoPasture
Andrew describes this spring’s progress on this long-term project
Our German Angora baby bunnies are one month old.
Opalyn shares photos of our growing babies.
Life and Death With the Chickens
New member Pat shares about her work with Windward’s chicken flock
May Garden Update
Lindsay shares some updates from the garden
Rabbit Colony Experiment
Claire introduces and updates on The Rabbit Colony Experiment
Spring Zone-1 Garden Update
Andrew describes the further development of Windward’s zone-1
Our baby bunnies are growing
Opalyn shares photos of our growing babies.
I’m here to once again fall in love with learning
Evergeen intern Chelsea gives an introduction
Wall-E’s Transmission Rebuild is Complete!
Opalyn and Pat wrap up the repairs.
Our Rabbits!
Opalyn introduces our adult rabbits.
Creating Productive Food Forest Ecosystems
Lindsay shares images from the recent permaculture weekend intensive
Our Numbers are Growing – Again
Opalyn introduces baby bunnies.
Building A Hugel Bed in the Courtyard
Why Trees?
This video Lays it out
Weaving on a Peg Loom
Opalyn shares her experience of weaving on a peg loom.
‘Tis the Season to Dig and Plant
Lindsay talks about starting a new hugel bed for apple trees.
UPCOMING EVENT: Creating Productive Food Forest Ecosystems
Andrew shares more permaculture materials in advance of the event.
Seeding into Frost Heaves
Andrew shares his use of this cold-climate no-till technique.
Starting Seeds
Lindsay shares about the start of the spring garden.
Wall-E Needs a Transmission Overhaul!
Opalyn shares progress on Wall-E’s transmission rebuild.
- Part One Deciphering the The Problem And Taking Things Apart.
- Part Two Starting To Put Things Back Together.
Making Sense of it All
Lindsay reflects on the passing of a loved one
Fiber Conversion
Opalyn talks about a fiber display at the local library.
Windward Winter 2014
Claire’s photo essay.
Our Numbers are Growing
Opalyn introduces two little lambs.
Making “Bone Sauce”
A traditional technique for keeping deer off of fruit trees.
Animals
Art & Craft
Community
Construction
Energy
Food
Forestry
Integrated Systems
Village Industry