The Sustainable Living Coalition is a group of enthusiastic individuals activiely working to create communities that are: environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just places to live. The SLC was incorporated in 2004, and is an IRS Recognized 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.

The SLC is working to provide a focal point allowing organizations in Iowa to carry out innovative projects, and provide hands-on education and training. The founding SLC vision was: To enrich our local and regional communities by building coalitions and creating educational models for the purpose of developing sustainable practices and policies.

Empowering through Education

We offer many education opportunities on topics including: permaculture, natural building, food, culture, renewable energy, organic gardening, and waste and water management.  Through support and partnerships, we host nationally recognized experts, who teach and share their knowledge with the community and students from around the world.

Empowering through Action

The SLC is actively working every day to reduce the personal and collective impact of humanity on the planet and make the world a better place.  SLC facilities are built with natural materials, use solar and wind energy, manage water and waste on site, and grow organic food.  We actively demonstrate how easy and rewarding it is to live an environmentally conscious life.

Empowering through Partnership

The SLC prides itself on being a hub for sustainable networking in Southeastern Iowa, the Midwest, and the country.  The SLC partners with individuals, corporations and educational institutions in order to enact meaningful, tangible change in our communities. We actively seek new partners, and enjoy weaving a strong net of resource sharing and communication.

Two Econests (12x12 bunk houses) are under construction at the Campus. Construction techniques include: timber framing, conventional framing and rammed clay-straw infill with plaster finishes.

Sustainability Education and Enterprise Development (S.E.E.D) Center:

In 2006, thanks to a grant from Iowa Great Places, major support from Grinnell College, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and dozens of other contributors,  the SLC purchased and began developing a 12 acre permaculture education campus north of Fairfield. Known as the “Sustainability Education and Enterprise Development Center” or the SLC SEED Center for short, this previously unused agricultural plot is now home to a large straw bale building, renewable energy systems, rain water catchment systems, and the beginnings of a beautiful permaculture inspired garden.

The Gypsy Wagon is a mobile bunk house. Both rooms contain a set of bunk beds with built in storage. Lights and outlets are powered by a single 75 watt solar PV panel and battery back-up. The wagon was built using entirely local and recycled lumber.

The campus is completely off-grid: all electricity is provided by a 1.8kW solar array and a 1kW wind turbine.

Buildings are constructed using locally sourced materials, local craftsmen and volunteer labor.  The 40′ x 30′ main building is a pole barn with staw-bale infill, used for indoor classroom space.  Work currently being planned include: installation of flagstone or concrete floor, insulation in second floor walls and roof and final plaster coats inside and out!

The SLC Welcome Center Kiosk is nearly complete.  It serves as the entrance to the Campus and the trail head for the Abundance Ecovillage Walking Tour.  The kiosk is constructed from lumber reclaimed from an industrial waste stream.  Additionally, the kiosk has a living roof with a variety of plantings include seedum and chives.  The living roof was created as a Senior Project by Jamie Fritch, a MUM graduate.

The geography includes a ridge that sweeps from the west to the north and provides a long south and east-facing hillside. Food forest plantings are being actively established on an ongoing basis.  The growing season is from April to September.

In the summer of 2011, 2400 poplar trees were planted on two campus acres, thanks to our friends at onehundredtrees.org.

The SLC Welcome Center Kiosk

Big Green Summer:

Our flagship project, the 10-week summer internship known as Big Green Summer, provides educational and practical experience in imagining, creating, and advocating for beyond-sustainable communities – human settlements that work with nature’s design to celebrate the abundance of life on earth. Students live in a laboratory for what they are learning – high performance buildings built of natural, local materials, utilizing solar and wind power, with organic gardens, rain collection, and community service.

Students take part in classroom study as well as participate with over 30 guest instructors  in hands-on projects including: renewable energy, organic agriculture, local food systems, perennial crops, agroforestry, edible landscaping, water and waste systems, building with natural materials, using biofuels, architecture, biology, beekeeping, bio-intensive gardening, gardening, metalworking, tree crops, urban planning, and much more..  Student learn about the the transformation required by our current social, cultural, and political institutions in order to make the transition to a sustainable economy practical, possible, and desirable!

Other Learning Opportunities: 

We offer a vast array of workshops, classes and other educational opportunities throughout the year, both at the SEED Center and in local communities. Some classes we offer include: Introduction to Permaculture, Permaculture Design Certificates, Solar Hot Water Installation, Tree Planting, and many more. We also offer opportunities for interns to get hands-on experience working with a non-profit in many areas, including media and communications, administrative work, campus construction and maintenance, and organizing and teaching workshops.

Our past projects include:

Southeast Iowa Buy Fresh Buy Local
Beaming Bioneers: Bringing Bioneers to Fairfield
The Peaceful Diet Conference
The Angoon Conservation Initiative
Big Green Summer at Surya Nagar
Renew Fairfield

Please make a donation or pledge of support to move the SLC Mission forward

 The Sustainable Living Coalition in an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) organization.

YOUR GIFT IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE AS PROVIDED BY STATE AND FEDERAL LAW.

If you are donating toward a specific project, please use the box labeled “provide special instructions to the merchant” during payment at PayPal.
Creating a sustainable world means rethinking and redesigning every aspect of human endeavor. This is the great work of upcoming generations. Programs of the Sustainable Living Coalition inspire, teach and advocate for a world that is: environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just.
Your donation to the Sustainable Living Coalition is critical to this mission. Our success to date has been due to the incredible generosity of kind donors like you.
The SLC and its vital activities can be supported in many ways, including, but not limited to donations of cash, stock, motor vehicles, real estate and bequests. Please contact us at info@sustainablelivingcoalition.org

Checks may be sent to:
Sustainable Living Coalition
c/o
2151 185th, Lot 1
Fairfield, Iowa   52556

The Sustainable Living Coalition SEED Center is located at the the corner of 185th and B street in Fairfield, Iowa.

Our email address is: info@sustainablelivingcoalition.org

The SLC SEED Center is within a 2 mile bicycle ride from downtown Fairfield, IA  and includes easy access to: Maharishi University of Management, whole foods stores, cafes, restaurants, bookstores and a movie theatre.

In 2006, Mother Earth News Magazine selected Fairfield as “One of the 10 Best Places to Live That You Have Never Heard Of”.  Also in 2006, Fairfield earned a Great Places designation by the state of Iowa. To learn more about Fairfield, you can visit the City of Fairfield website, the site of the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, and the Weekly Reader’s community website.

Host your event at our Campus!  We offer off-the-grid meeting space in quiet, surroundings for groups that want to get away from daily distractions, great for workshops, planning sessions, seminars, retreats and conferences.   Table and chair space is available for up to 30 people.  Projector equiment is available for presentations or films.

Campus is Located:

The SLC prides itself on being a hub for networking in southeastern Iowa, the Midwest, and the country.  Thank you for helping us to educate and inspire the next generation of sustainable community designers. Our work would not be possible without the kindness and generosity of countless individuals and organizations who donate time, materials and money. A big heartfelt thanks to you all!

Corporate and Foundation Support: Xantrex Technology, Inc. - Schnieder Electric - Interstate Batteries - Clipper Windpower- Chesea Green Publishing - New Society Publishers – Agrestal Fund and Arcadia Fund – Everybody’s Whole Foods – Radiance Dairy – Vedic City Farms – One Stop Rental – America’s Pride Tofu – Vedic City Organics – MUM Organic Greenhouse – Habitat for Humanity – Buy Fresh/ Buy Local – Iowa Progressive Asset Management – Choice Earth CSA Farm – Artlife Society – Smart Homes – Abundance CSA Farm – Green Building Supply – Aurora Farms – Abundance Ecovillage – Surya Nagar Farms – Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage – Dr David Fisher, Potato Research Project – Dr Sam James, Earthworm Research Project – Fairfield Entrepreneurs Association – Sohodojo – Wilder Foundation – Fairfield Trails Council – Ripple Brook Farms – Havelka Construction – Elements Power Company – Abundance Nursery- Iowa Natural Heritage Group

Project Partners: Potluck Creative Arts – KRUU Radio 100.1 FM LP – Fairfield Entrepreneurs Association – Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage – Fairfield First – Sierra Club – The Iowa Great Places Project – Pathfinders RC&D – Grinnell College – Sweetwater Bunkhouse

Individuals and Families: Anonymous – Jon Spar – Oliver Bock Family Fund – Cicela Family- Lonnie Gamble and Family – Hap Mullenneaux and Family – Grover Stock and Marie Silva – Brad Young and Family – Carol Berg

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Please report any errors, omissions or corrections to: info@sustainablelivingcoalition.org