Windward

Get Involved With Windward!

We often think of Windward’s structure as a set of concentric circles that revolve around the land and the vision we hold for our community.

The inner circles are the long term, onsite members, the people who call Windward home. The next circles are apprentices and interns who are trying out community life for a season, to learn something new or see if Windward is a good fit for them.

The outer circles include alumni of our programs, and a diverse group of people contributing time, skills, money and insights toward this cooperative endeavour.

We strive to incorporate anyone who is willing and able to contribute meaningfully to what we are doing. Here’s some more info about the different ways you can get involved.

Come as an Apprentice or Fellow!

Coming to Windward through a 12-week Apprenticeship or Fellowship is an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the raw materials of sustainable community, to garner new insights into the simplexity of nature, and to learn new skills to better partner with people and nature.

If membership is something you want to explore, Apprenticeships and Internships are a form of two-way audition that can lead directly to recognition as an Assistant-Steward Member and onto recognition as a full Steward of the community (i.e. to a sustainable home to live in and a right livelihood to pursue.)

If you’ve got the passion to live and help live sustainably, this is an opportunity to get on with it, not someday, but now.

Learn more about Apprenticeships
Learn more about Fellowships

Become a Member of Windward

Windward is set apart from many communities in that we have a clear path for new people to earn a direct stake in the community and work toward full stewardship/membership in the community.

The early stage of any path to membership is to come live with us for a season so we can mutually see if moving forward together is a good fit. Basically, the path to membership starts with an apprenticeship or internship. So, if you’re interested in begining the journey to membership, we encourage you to check out the apprenticeship and Fellowship programs.

If you have the vision, we have the tools; so if you dream of being part of a village of artists and artisans determined to create a sustainable life close to the land, we’d like to hear from you. Write to us at wind****@**rge.net and begin a conversation today.

Donate to a project, or contribute to the scholarship fund

For many years, we’ve worked with good people throughout the country who want to share their surplus with us, and contribute to our community’s goals by making a tax-deducatable donation to the Windward Center.

Each year Windward offers approximately a dozen internships to earnest young people wanting to be part of the solution and create a sustainable culture rich with Earth Healing, Stewardship and Community.

We consider this work a way of paying-forward for all the help we recieved from mentors, friends, and strangers in our life.

If you feel the same way, please consider a donation in support of our continued efforts to offer transformative, empowering and well grounded programs in the future.

Become a True-Fan of the Biomass2Methanol Project

Biomass2Methanol (B2M, for short) is an open-source energy project to empower rural communities by down-sizing industrial fuel technology, enabling the ecologically sound production of biofuel at the Village scale.

B2M is a grass-roots, volunteer run project being spearheaded by Senior Steward Walt Patrick. We’re seeking a broad-base of support from True-Fans of Windward who are

• Excited by the potentials of a biomass energy economy, based on forest stewardship to empower sustainable communities into an energy scarce future.
• Concerned about the legacy we leave behind for future generations, and are
• Interested in supporting the R&D necessary to create a model mobile village-scale biofuel plant.

Check out Biomass2Methanol.org for an in-depth look into the The Big Picture, Key Concepts, Current Work and more about this exciting project!

Come to Our Annual Open House!

Each year we host a weekend open-house event focused on building sustainbale community and learning good skills. We call it the The Village Helix.

If you’re wanting to visit Windward to learn and share traditional skills, or participate in the deepening of Windward’s larger community-ties, we’d love to see you at The Helix!

Host Events in Our Campground

Is your community looking for a spacious, natural, privite campground in the heart of the cascades to host an event? If so, We’d love to hear from you!

Email our community inbox, wind****@**rge.net, and we can begin the conversation!

Find Another Way to Help

If you have other ideas about how you can help out, let us know! Here are a few ideas:

• Make a donation of goods or services
• Add a neat book to our Library
• Book us to speak at your event!
• Host a workshop at The Village Helix
• Spread the word about Windward in your community
• Make a one-time monetary donation