Earth Awareness and Community Development Retreats

Earth Awareness Community Retreats are intended to foster community among mindfulness and meditation practitioners and teachers whose work and interests are focused on the intersection of mindfulness/meditation and climate change. The BESS Family Foundation is sponsoring these retreats. Attendance at the retreats is free, but other costs are participant responsibilities.

Each retreat will have its own theme and format designed to build and support the earth awareness community. Retreats will provide a space for rejuvenation through practice, ample time for discussion, and opportunities for collaboration. One retreat each year will be by invitation only for trained mindfulness/meditation teachers who are actively teaching. All other retreats are for mindfulness/meditation practitioners and teachers already involved in earth awareness work or who would like to become more involved.

Retreats will be held in 2025 – 2027 at four geographically dispersed retreat centers in order to promote the development of regional earth awareness communities in the United States: 

• Northeast Region: Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
• Intermountain West: Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center
• Mid-Atlantic: Seven Oaks Retreat Center
• Pacific / West Coast: Big Springs Retreat Center.

Specific retreats may be found on the above sites and will be listed here as well. Our intention is to foster regional communities, so please apply to the retreat in your geographic area.

To attend a retreat, fill out the application.  If your application is approved, you will be invited to register. Only those who are actively teaching will be invited to register for the teacher-only retreats (dates for 2025 – 2027 are below).