The Ojai Foundation :: Sanctuary

SUSTAINABILITY

For over 25 years The Ojai Foundation has been a champion and vigorous example of sustainable living. Throughout this time, our mission priorities, community dynamics, and business realities have vied for our attention - with the need for balance and a strong intention for ever greater sustainability guiding our way.

Our architectural evolution reflects our philosophy of stewardship and sustainability, both for the 40 acres we occupy and for the Earth at large. Many have lived here with the prayer "keep it simple" - listening through canvas walls, sitting around the fire, and sharing stories. As we've learned more about the yurts and domes (our first 'stuctures'), we've discovered that living "light-on-the-land" is not always as environmentally or economically sound as it first appears. The animals love the inside of these structures as much as we do, and the canvas sidings need frequent maintenance or replacement. Though wonderful hermitages for visitors, they are not sustainable for permanent residents or office equipment.

Stewardship of the earth is a matter of technology as well as the heart, and Sanctuary embraces the practical as well as the spiritual side of sustainability. Numerous innovators in sustainable building design, construction techniques, and permaculture principles have presented workshops in this supportive setting, and many thousands have contributed their labor and resources in building only what we have felt to be necessary to our dream of a human-nature sanctuary.

People are invited to come visit the land during the day (except Mondays and work exchange months) and take their own walking tours. One may choose to visit the cob/earth-bag shed now used for storage in our ceremonial area. Also to be seen are numerous earthen seating areas and two earth-block sheds, a unique construction process much like traditional adobe used in the Southwest. Permaculture principles are demonstrated throughout the land, as is our commitment to solar energy. The most recent addition to our structures is our Gateway building, the first permitted strawbale structure in Ventura County. Ongoing we have under construction the Council House, a forty foot diameter venue with a recycled steel frame, bamboo floor, and hydronic heat.

Because the most effective tool for change is education, the Sanctuary is dedicated to teaching while continuing to learn and explore these sustainable ways of living. Check out our hands-on learning experiences through our sustainability and work-study programs. Join us in manifesting what we need now, as we keep our children's children strong in our hearts.

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