Nurture Through Nature — Denmark, United States

Off-grid, solar-powered eco-retreat on 33 mountainside acres in Denmark, Maine

In winter the driveway at 77 Warren Road in Denmark, Maine, closes, and guests reach Nurture Through Nature the old way: on foot, in crampons or on snowshoes, layers packed. The center stays open all four seasons regardless, and the walk in is part of the design. The pages date the project to 1999 and describe it as trailblazing simple and sustainable living. It is Maine's first Green-Certified retreat center, recognized by the State of Maine as an Environmental Leader and named an EPA Green Power Partner. Everything runs off the grid on solar power, heated by local firewood with no oil or gas. Toilets compost, cleaning products are earth-friendly, and a solar-powered trimmer handles the landscaping. The 33 wooded acres sit at the base of Pleasant Mountain, with private trails looking toward the White Mountains. Much of the surrounding land is protected by conservation easements. Guests sleep in Harmony and Robin's Nest eco-cabins (Robin's Nest was inspired by Thoreau's one-room cabin), in the Sunset, Mountain Brook and Blue Moon yurts, or at primitive backcountry campsites. There is no running water in the cabins or yurts. Drinking water comes from a well drilled 80 feet down through granite, and the campus is free of plastic water bottles. Wood stoves provide heat, and a hybrid system supplies hot showers in the Pioneer shower room. The hand-crafted, circular, cedar-lined sauna is wood-fired and stands near the brook, where guests dip to cool off. Around it the calendar fills with sound baths, breathwork and sound retreats, yoga, a Finnish-inspired sauna ritual limited to ten people, and a free Community Gathering Night in the Lodge on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Outside groups can also host their own retreats here.

Traditions: Yoga, Sound Healing, Breathwork, Meditation, Finnish-Inspired Sauna Ritual, Munay-Ki

Programs: Sacred Sauna Ritual, Crystal Bowl Sound Bath, Community Gathering Night, Breathe Your Spirit In, Activate Your Inner Magic Retreat, Yoga & Natural Dye Retreat, Rites of the Womb, Walk with a Question