New Standard of Living Blossoms at 'EcoVillage'

From the soil, regulations at EcoVillage reach to the sky. Concerned that outdoor lights would refract into the atmosphere and obscure the view of the Milky Way, residents have agreed to position or cover all of their lights in such a way as to not cause light pollution.

Virginia Ratliff, who retired to EcoVillage, said she and her husband, Bill, were prepared to "walk the walk instead of just talking the talk" when it came to protecting the environment. Like everyone in the village, they each have to spend four hours a month doing community service. Failure to do so means a fee of $12.50 for each hour not worked. The money is used to pay for whatever services are needed.

Ratliff, who not long ago lived a block and a half from a 7-Eleven, now spends some of her time in the dirt, removing "invasive" plants that could wreak havoc on other flora and fauna. She acknowledged that she has to put in extra time for the benefit of the community and the Earth, but it's not as if she's doing it against her will.

"I have the freedom to make decisions about most things beyond my commitments," she said. "This is my home."

A View to the Future

Michael Scalia, 46, a software developer, works out of his home several days a week. He was on his second-story porch one recent day, his laptop set up on a table and the chair pulled up close. What he didn't have -- a bookshelf, a nameplate -- he made up for with a magnificent view: Furnace Mountain, part of the Catoctin chain, towered in the distance.

Scalia said he and his wife, Barbara Mikula, sleep on their porch sometimes, in a cot off to the side. They wake to the rising sun. It's not such a bad setup.

As land in the county is developed at lightning speed, Scalia said, EcoVillage stands out as a rarity: The development "makes a place like this more precious."

The sunlit house itself, like others at EcoVillage, comes with reminders of environmentally sensitive lifestyles. The siding is made of recycled sawdust and cement. The windows use passive solar technology that keeps the heat in during the winter and out during the summer. All appliances are energy efficient.

Living in harmony with Earth doesn't come cheap. The cost of environmentally friendly materials drives up the price of homes at EcoVillage. One couple, who are moving to Maryland so they can retain control of a family home, recently put their three-bedroom house on the market for $415,000. The house is on nearly half an acre.

Still, EcoVillage residents say it's worth it. In addition to nice homes and a beautiful landscape, they say they have the benefit of the larger property, all 180 acres of it.

At EcoVillage, most of the land is untouched; about 70 percent to 75 percent of it is to remain forested forever.

The master site plan, shown on a large board kept in the O'Rears' home, indicates a few salmon-colored pedestrian routes and a main road for cars, but most of the board is green. About 11,000 trees -- pines, oaks, hazelnut, sweet gum -- have been planted to help with reforestation. Strategies are in place to help slow soil erosion and purify the water.

It is all "part of a holistic approach to our existence on the planet," Grady O'Rear said.

A Sociable Society

Despite the focus on the environment, EcoVillage residents don't spend all day, every day talking about nature. They lead disparate lives and have their own needs to attend to. Part of what they share is a longing to be connected to the area where they live.