Eco-Village
Research
Blogs
Hummingbird Ecovillage
Mora, N.M
Emerald Village Observatory
Vista, CA
Emerald Earth Sanctuary
Boone, CA
Kailash Ecovillage
Portland, OR
Earthaven Ecovillage
Black Mountain, NC
Haidakhandi Universal Ashram
Crestone, CO
Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice P.1
P.2
Hampton, FL
Taos Pueblo
Taos, NM
Greater World Community Earthships
Taos, NM
Maggie's Farm
Wimauma, FL
Bamboo Grove
Arcadia, FL
Wendel's Farm and Nursery
Lake Panasofskee, FL
Mandala Springs
Barnardsville, NC
The Founders
The Bailsteins
Hal Bailey and Liza Epstein (The Bailsteins) publicly launched
The Illumination Project in Feb. 2014 in St.Petersburg, FL.
The idea for The INP bloomed out of their lifelong passion for community building through joyful, hands-on education and from their life experiences and education related to environmental sustainability, holistic natural physical and mental health practices and expressive arts.
Since 2014, The Bailsteins have conducted several research trips visiting and interviewing members of eco-villages (intentional communities that have the goal of living in ways that have a minimal negative impact on the environment). They are believers in minimal living and have been traveling with and sleeping in their teardrop trailer, designed and built by Hal.
The pair have presented their research at Eckerd College, The Tiny Home Festival, sustainability conferences, and at music and art festivals with their community outreach program, Rising Light.
When they are back in their home base of St. Petersburg, the couple sets up a monthly community collaborative art project at The Blueberry Patch in Gulfport, FL. They have also joined forces for events with local community organizations including Hometeam, The Foundation for Sustainable Families, Everyday Hero Project, Green Peace, Sustainable Urban Agriculture Committee, and The St. Petersburg Timebank.
The Illumi-Nation Project's community outreach program, Rising Light, has organized hundreds of hands-on workshops related to holistic natural health practices, communication and conflict resolution skill-building, joyful self-expression, and environmental regeneration.
Hal Bailstein
Hal Bailstein is a polymathic artist by trade. He’s adept at production design, woodworking, mechanics, gardening, plumbing, among many things.
He has been studying and practicing hands-on wilderness survival skills since childhood. He started honing his crafts in scouting troops and on family excursions. He has advanced knowledge in various knots, maintaining a sturdy shelter, procuring clean water, building and maintaining a fire, and foraging for food.
In adulthood, he took part in many wilderness survival courses from a protege of Tom Wolfe.
His experiences include racing large sailing crafts on rough seas, solo trips through the Appalachians, Grand Canyon, and taking on class 5 trails. In addition, he’s successfully completed several Adventure Races, a multidisciplinary team sport involving navigation over an unmarked wilderness course with races extending anywhere from two hours up to two weeks in length. The principal disciplines in adventure racing include trekking, mountain biking, and paddling, climbing, and white water rafting.
In 2011, Hal beat terminal stage-4 tongue cancer and just after recovery designed and built a teardrop travel trailer with a galley kitchen which has been all across the United States and has been the sleeping quarters of Hal and Liza for over a decade.
Eliza Bailstein
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Eliza Bailstein is a holistic health specialist. She is a graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL and carries a degree in Human Development focused in Expressive Arts Therapy and Child Psychology.
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She has spent the last decade furthering her in-depth holistic healing studies and working with and teaching traumatized children in foster homes, school, and homeschool settings. Along with being a co-organizer, co-founder, and secretary of Rising Light & The Illumi-Nation Project, she has a private practice, Wholesomely Healing LLC, working with clients, couples, and groups.
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Her study of focus has been the science and art of holistic, healthy living on physical, psychological, social, and spiritual levels. In her practice, Wholesomely Healing LLC, she empowers her clients with hands-on practices, firmly grounded in science for leading a joyful, peaceful, healthy life