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ecovillage lifestyle

Grounding: A Reflection After 20 Months of Living in Sun Clover Ecovillage

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This article was written by Luvian Iskandar.

When I first discovered the idea of ecovillages and saw existing ecovillage communities in various countries, I was instantly captivated. I became fascinated with how people choose to live together while intentionally and holistically designing their way of living upon shared values of regenerative living. I saw a community of people that understands the global socio-environmental problems (climate change, inequalities, etc.) we are facing and choose to take matters into their own hands instead of waiting for change to come.

For my master’s program, I wanted to study the development process of ecovillages as I had the feeling that I might be involved with one in the future. After looking around for feasible study sites around me (I was studying at National Dong Hwa University on the East Coast of Taiwan), I was introduced to a new ecovillage initiative called Sun Clover Ecovillage which was only two hours away from my campus. It is a community started by a husband and wife who moved to rural Taiwan from the city to build a space where people can live a more healthy lifestyle while cultivating a strong connection with each other and nature. For my research, I got the opportunity to join the initiative as a participant observer for eight months, being involved in all of the daily activities. 

Through my immersion there, I learned and experienced a lot about the things that happen in the initial stage of an ecovillage community and also developed a deep relationship with the Sun Clover family. In fact, I enjoyed my experience so much that I ended up back in Sun Clover and became a resident there for a year after I completed my studies. During that year, I feel that I grew and healed a lot as a human being. I feel more connected with myself, people, and the environment around me. I have just recently moved back home to Indonesia, so I thought it was a good time for me to share some of my experiences and reflections from the 20 months I spent in Sun Clover Ecovillage.

daily activities in Sun Clover include farming rice, food processing, cooking, eating, taking care of the baby, tidying up the house, taking care of our garden and chickens, building projects, and much more.

When I first came to Sun Clover, I came as an ecovillage enthusiast whose idea and experience of ecovillage came solely from articles, books, and videos I found online. I brought along with me my interpretation and imagination of how life would be completely different in an ecovillage from the way of living in the mainstream: how people live a very low impact lifestyle through living simply and intentionally, having a deep connection with nature, living in natural structures that mimic their surroundings, having food grown from our very own multi-variety gardens, living with a community of people that supports each other, practicing nonviolent communication all the time. My imagined version of an ecovillage definitely falls into the utopian side of the spectrum (not that that’s a bad thing) but with it, I also have this mentality “if I just go to an ecovillage, all of the world’s problems -as well as my own- will disappear!”.

Rice farming using natural farming methods

My experience of living in Sun Clover is very different from this imagined version. Being a new ecovillage initiative, Sun Clover is more like a family rather than a community of people. There were only the two co-founders and their baby when I first came (I was the first person who lived with them for an extended time). We were living in a regular concrete house that the family rented. We were farming rice using more eco-friendly methods of natural farming and selling our rice online, but we didn’t have a garden where we grew our own food. Instead, we purchased all of our groceries from the market. 

At times, I was wrestling in my head with the mismatch between my imagination and the reality I was experiencing. It took me a while to realize and accept that even though the ecovillage that I imagined was similar to where Sun Clover is moving towards, we’ve got to start somewhere and the mismatch is simply a part of the journey. 

Living in Sun Clover made me realize a lot of the practicalities of starting an ecovillage. For example, one of the reasons we were not growing our own food (although we do have space for a garden) is because we simply didn’t have the time and energy to do it. Our natural farming rice farm requires a lot of our time and energy as we do a lot of the work manually and we need to take care of orders and delivery. There are regular chores like cooking and cleaning, and on top of all of that, we have a baby to take care of. We only have three people to do all that work, and we were busy bees a lot of the time and often a day went by just like the flick of a hand. 

Ah-Hsu with our first cabbage harvest

Towards the end of my stay there, I was already able to see the progress we made. One more person joined to live full-time with us, which made us 5 people (including the baby) and it already felt a little bit more like a community. We started our garden and within a few months started to eat the vegetables we grew. We built a few rooms for people to stay, in and built an irrigation channel using natural materials. It’s really nice to see how we have made a few baby steps towards our ecovillage vision.

Through this experience, I learned that developing an ecovillage is not as simple as I naively thought before, especially in the beginning phase. It tied my dreams and visions of an ecovillage into the ground and taught me how to use the dreams and vision as my north star while starting with the realities of being on the ground where my feet are. 

My admiration and appreciation towards people who are building, developing, and living in ecovillages have only grown and multiplied since I first came to Sun Clover as I witnessed the commitment, actions, thoughts, heart, love, patience, and life energy that are compassionately poured in every step of the way towards manifesting “the more beautiful world.” 

I’m utterly grateful for being able to be in Sun Clover in its nascence, witnessing and being a part of this very interesting stage full of mysteries, possibilities, and uncertainties. It has been such a rich experience the past year.  Although I only shared about how it has been grounding in this piece, the time I spent in Sun Clover has been healing and nourishing too. But that’s another story for another time 😉.  

Sun Clover family and some of my friends during a gathering before I left

I have endless gratitude for the family in Sun Clover. Jensen and Michiko, the co-founders, for letting me in although both of them weren’t ready for having an extra member when I first came (I learned about it later), and for the love, care, and guidance that both of them give all the time. Ah-Hsu for joining us, anchoring us with his calmness and his deep and genuine care for everything. And, of course, Sarasa (the baby) for the unbearable sweetness, cuteness, and chaos that adds so much flavor to our daily life. Cheers to all the times spent together and all the things to come!

About the Author

Luvian Iskandar, Indonesia

Luvian works with GENOA as a communications coordinator. When he became aware of the social and environmental degradation in the world, he found out about the holistic approach within the ecovillage movement to regenerating social and environmental systems and resonated with it. He chose to study the early development stage of ecovillages for his master’s program, thinking that he might be involved in such a project in his home country, Indonesia, in the future. Upon graduation, he lived and worked in an aspiring ecovillage community in Hualien, Taiwan for a year before moving back to his home country, Indonesia, where he now resides.

“Share in the Miracle” a Poem by Devi

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As she celebrates 8 years living in a deep connection with nature in Edenhope, Devi expresses her gratitude and appreciation of life that is true, serene, and present through this beautiful poem.

Share in the Miracle

Share in the miracle
of a space where Love is Sovereign
& time but an illusion;
a place in which the nature
returns one to itself –
a place of true serenity
in which the fruits of inspiration

grow wild
Share in the miracle
for it is freely bestowed:

the priceless reality of the given moment,
never to be sold, nor lost
in the exchange of meanings traded
by the words and laws of others


Share in the miracle,
through your deeds and thoughts;
& in every act to which you cast
attention, for we all are listening
to the heart speaking its silence


Share in the miracle,
simply for the joy of it, of being
here at play in nature and with each other;
whilst others may rue their days and waste
their labours, here we smile in remembrance

of what always stands true
Share in the miracle, friend,
for we welcome you to us:
have we been watching at the gate
as the Grace moved you here?
Has it been lifetimes already?
Now are you ready to come home?

About the Poet

Devi, Edenhope, Vanuatu

Originally from Australia, Devi has lived in Vanuatu as
part of the Edenhope project since 2015. Her service
has included the communication, outreach projects
and administration of the Edenhope Foundation. She
is deeply inspired by the exploration of endemic
biodiversity as part of daily life, including immersion
in nature, preparation of natural plant-based foods,
and researching the social issues faced by indigenous
women of Vanuatu. Find more about Edenhope here!

Living in Harmony at Edenhope

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I was attracted to the remoteness and the exotic location of Edenhope, being frustrated with the social and economic order of Australia, as well as the various bureaucratic strata of that country which makes it incredibly difficult to live a secluded mode of existence without reliance on cars, fuel, shopping etc. The remote indigenous communities of Vanuatu have not yet succumbed to the wasteful excesses of so-called ‘developed’ countries, and therefore serve as a good template for how to live without unnecessary stuff.

However, as often as not, these same remote communities are plagued by ill health and hardship due to neglect from local administrators and aid organizations. The possibility of realizing my attributes and abilities to support disadvantaged peoples, whilst serving in a wholesome and spiritually nourishing ecovillage setting, seemed a purposeful and engaged way of life to pursue.

Living in an ecovillage setting amongst persons who resonated and shared the journey of awakening to nature made my healing possible; my mental and physical health began to thrive, over time, which resolved in a more balanced state of consciousness that has allowed deeper levels of inspiration and creativity to emerge, as well as the desire to share this way of life with others who are struggling to thrive in contemporary society.

Edenhope has been the perfect environment to start a family and raise children in an ecologically suitable setting, without the stresses faced by new families who are trying to earn an income, pay a mortgage, commute and juggle parenting responsibilities. To watch our young children play in pristine nature, taking part in the stewardship of this land and growing in awareness of their responsibility to the Earth, has fulfilled a deep need in myself to nurture the future generation of people committed to serving nature.

The Edenhope Project was independently founded and engineered by Stephen and Ruth Quinto, who arrived in Vanuatu in 2006. After three years searching for a suitable location and securing a long-term land lease of 75 years, which was paid in total and up-front to the customary owners of Tasmate community, construction for the ecovillage commenced in 2010. This first required the building of a 9km service road connecting Tasmate to the site of Edenhope, and stands to date as the first and only road on West Coast Santo.

The construction of nine fixed dwellings and three kitchens proceeded over the following two years, with Ruth and Stephen dividing their time between the site and their dwelling in the town of Luganville. During the construction period, Stephen elaborated the intricate set of administrative parameters that would allow a community of volunteers to live at Edenhope in the long-term as part of a Community Conservation Area (CCA), to be held in trust as a charitable and philanthropic entity through the Edenhope Foundation.

Further to this, Stephen lobbied the Government of Vanuatu to seek recognition of the ecovillage as a project of National Significance, and a key strategy for coping with the challenges of climate change and ecological degradation faced particularly by the local population. The first visitors and volunteers to the ecovillage arrived from 2012 onwards.

Patiently, Ruth and Stephen awaited the coming of people who could truly resonate and connect with the vision of the project, but oftentimes the remote location posed challenges to people coming from abroad. By the time that I arrived in 2015, there was a total of 5 volunteers taking part in this new experiment of community living.

People came, offered their own authentic and unique gifts to the space, and invariably left in pursuit of other dreams. Ruth and I stayed on, and worked closely together to co-create the pattern of life that would form the culture of the place for new visitors and members. In 2016 my partner Maitri arrived from Australia, with the much-needed initiative and experience in establishing off-grid systems such as water supply that would support our food gardens.

Maitri also had the willingness and talent to build upon and optimize our existing solar power system and start resolving some difficulties we were facing with the ongoing maintenance of our infrastructure. However, it was not until 2019 that we commenced, in earnest, to setup a food supply system at Edenhope that could support a large group of people living here full-time. We hosted a Workshop in Syntropic Agroforestry and started to intensively plant a dense crop of resilient foods.

To date, the only permanent residents of Edenhope are myself and Maitri with our two children, as the health concerns of Ruth and Stephen have prevented them from staying here on the land on a full-time basis. Stephen has also been undertaking a corollary ecovillage project, East of Eden, on the other side of the Santo Mountain range. However, over the course of this experiment, the four of us have cultivated a deep level of trust and kinship that holds through even the most unfathomable challenges this project has faced over the years.

We hope that from this space of unity, trust and understanding between those of us committed to the pure spirit of Edenhope, that a future community of friends will seek to join us from all around the world. The events of 2020 resulted in border closures that have prevented visitors from joining us, as Vanuatu remains fortunately COVID-free. However during this moment of global pause, we are working to refine and clarify the parameters that will make it possible for whomever wishes to join this project to do so freely.

To me, the ecovillage experiment is the clear and unequivocal solution to the crises and calamities faced by our world and global societies today. For people to come together to live out the highest expressions of the human character – such as compassion, empathy, love, acceptance, and joy – is the only possible way for the continuation of life on this planet.

For more people worldwide to recognize the salutary and healing capabilities of dedicated work in nature, with like-minded companions, and a distinct focus on needing less as individuals and serving others more, would mean that we could really start creating a future with less iniquity, disease, and all the concomitant problems of our present social order.

Self-realization is a pathway that is best undertaken in the safe company of those who understand and are striving towards similar ideals as oneself. The ecovillage concept is broad enough to encompass all the ideals and attributes of willing collaborators, and for this reason, stands as the most resilient system to shape our future societies into a sustainable direction.

To live in an ecovillage requires one to learn and to practice a number of different skills, and to structure one’s days in a disciplined and careful manner. Whilst ensuring that your basic operating systems are in order, your gardens are maintained, your food is getting harvested and your community fed, it is also necessary to make space for meditation and meaningful communion with others as part of every day.

Also, the work of an ecovillage may also require a high level of communication and outreach, as well as building individual capacities within the space through research, development and training. There has to be somebody who waters the garden and somebody to do the accounts and somebody to cook the lunch and somebody to repair the broken appliances; part of the ecovillage journey is adapting yourself to do everything that is required in the place without exhausting yourself or burdening others.

There is a very intricate dance that plays out as one’s individual self merges with the collective and the environs shared through the space of the ecovillage. The place ‘works’ when everybody’s needs are met, when support is readily at hand, and the lines of communication are open and clear. If any one of those criteria are not met at any given time, challenges are bound to arise and big corrections take place through painful lessons.

All of this takes practice, discipline, and awareness, as well as forgiveness and a willingness to let things go. I would recommend that people make a concerted effort to explore a variety of different ecovillages and styles of shared living in order to determine what they truly want before settling into a permanent location.

Find out more about Edenhope!

About the Author

Originally from Australia, Devi has lived in Vanuatu as part of the Edenhope project since 2015. Her service has included the communication, outreach projects, and administration of the Edenhope Foundation. She is deeply inspired by the exploration of endemic biodiversity as part of daily life, including immersion in nature, preparation of natural plant-based foods, and researching the social issues faced by indigenous women of Vanuatu.