These eight U.S. communities show that “off the grid” can mean very different things: a rural subdivision with private power systems, a village using micro-hydro, a cooperative retreat powered by hydropower, or an ecovillage that combines private systems with shared electricity. The list comes from a Treehugger feature updated March 31, 2021, so its descriptions and most figures are a dated snapshot—not a current census or a ranking of environmental performance.
What “off the grid” means in these examples
Off-grid living is not one construction model. The eight places range from a recreational subdivision and intentional communities to an ecovillage, a cohousing development, and a retreat. Some generate power independently; others use shared infrastructure, and at least one combines self-contained systems with a community power cooperative.
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The available sources describe approaches to energy, water, buildings, food, and land use, but do not provide a common, independently measured comparison of emissions, energy use, or lifecycle impacts. The examples below are therefore best read as different ways of organizing settlement and infrastructure, not as a sustainability league table.
Eight communities and how they approach sustainability
1. Three Rivers Recreational Area, Oregon
Treehugger’s March 31, 2021 update described Three Rivers as a subdivision of scattered properties without a grid connection. Owners used combinations of solar panels, wind turbines, and backup generators; some had wells, while others hauled water. Most properties were described as vacation homes. The feature reported about 600 properties across 4,000 acres, figures that should be treated as its 2021 report rather than a current count. Treehugger’s 2021 feature
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2. Greater World Earthship Community, New Mexico
The 2021 feature described Earthships built with natural and recycled materials and designed to collect solar energy and water, treat sewage on site, and use propane for cooking. It reported 634 acres for the community and 1.8 kilowatts of solar power per Global Model Earthship. Those are article-reported figures, not independently verified current specifications or a guarantee that every Earthship has the same system. Treehugger’s 2021 feature
3. Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon
Breitenbush is a worker-owned cooperative retreat rather than a residential subdivision. Treehugger described community hydropower and geothermal heat for buildings; the retreat’s current visitor page likewise says hydroelectric power comes from the Breitenbush River and natural springs provide heat. Its model pairs infrastructure with a guest experience that includes a digital-detox offering. Treehugger’s 2021 feature; Breitenbush visitor information
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4. Earthaven, North Carolina
Earthaven’s own description says the community is off the electric grid. Two micro-hydro systems serve its central village and several neighborhoods; buildings not powered solely by micro-hydro use individual or shared solar-electric systems. Its ecological-living approach also includes passive-solar buildings, mostly natural materials, roof-water catchment, gardens and farms, and permaculture-based site planning. Earthaven’s ecological-living information
Earthaven’s page reproduces a definition of permaculture attributed to Peter Bane, publisher of Permaculture Design magazine. It frames the approach around the intrinsic worth of living beings and systems, responsibility for human lives and future generations, and land-use and technology choices suited to those principles. Earthaven’s ecological-living information
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5. Emerald Earth, California
Treehugger’s 2021 description presented Emerald Earth as a community with shared facilities and small cabins, using passive-solar design, wood heat, solar panels, and a gas generator. It also mentioned farm stays, workshops, and composting outhouses. These details are from the dated feature; the sources reviewed do not establish the community’s current arrangements. Treehugger’s 2021 feature
6. Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, Missouri
Dancing Rabbit makes clear why “off-grid” and “community energy” are not interchangeable labels. Its current information says some members use self-contained off-grid systems, while others connect to a village power cooperative with two solar arrays and a commitment to net-export electricity. The community also describes efforts involving efficient homes, limited electricity use, wood heating, renewable power, water, transportation, food, and resource management. Dancing Rabbit’s ecovillage information
7. Twin Oaks Community, Virginia
Treehugger’s 2021 feature described Twin Oaks using wood heat and solar electricity, with income from community enterprises. Its current site identifies businesses including tofu production, book indexing, and an organic seed business operated with a sister community, and provides visitor information. Older population or work-hour figures from the 2021 feature should not be taken as current without newer confirmation. Treehugger’s 2021 feature; Twin Oaks Community
8. Ecovillage at Ithaca, New York
Ecovillage at Ithaca describes a cohousing development organized around three neighborhoods, with homes, gardens, farming, and preserved green space. Its current About page states that the site covers 170 acres and has 100 homes and about 210 residents, with more than 80% of the land remaining open green space. These are figures stated by the organization, not independently audited measures. The page also describes residents’ varied occupations. Ecovillage at Ithaca’s About page
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What the construction approaches have in common—and where they differ
Across the examples, sustainability is broader than electricity generation. The sources describe passive-solar design and natural or recycled building materials, water catchment and on-site treatment, food gardens and farms, shared facilities, and protection of open land. The balance differs by place: Three Rivers is characterized by dispersed private properties, while Earthaven and Dancing Rabbit describe village-level systems alongside household-scale choices, and Breitenbush’s infrastructure supports a retreat.
For a construction or planning decision, the useful comparison is practical rather than reputational: identify whether the system is private or shared, what supplies power and heat, how water and wastewater are handled, what the buildings are made from, and how land and food production fit into the site plan. These sources do not establish a common basis for claiming that one community has lower total environmental impact than another.
Can you visit or learn from these communities?
Several organizations publish routes for learning or visiting, but access, schedules, and availability can change. Earthaven offers tours through its School of Integrated Living; Ecovillage at Ithaca describes a prospective-resident process that includes a visit; Twin Oaks publishes visitor information; and Breitenbush presents itself as a retreat. Check each organization’s official information before making plans. Earthaven; Ecovillage at Ithaca; Twin Oaks; Breitenbush
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