LEF Research Introduction

For the past semester, we have studied various intentional communities in an attempt to understand how and why they operate. For many of these groups, building a sustainable lifestyle is a key mission. We chose to study and document the Living Energy Farm, a group based in Louisa, VA that has dedicated themselves to developing a completely sustainable way of life.

A relatively small community, LEF is composed of two families, with two adults and two children each. Cofounders Alexis Zeigler and Debbie Piesen have lived on site for about four years. Constructed in 2011, the home consists of two main buildings: a kitchen and a central living space. In addition to these buildings, there are multiple garden and orchard areas where the group grows food and seeds. See the interactive map below for a tour of the space!

The goal of this website is to provide the data needed for an anthropological understanding of LEF and its members. Through this work, we hope to assist in a small way with the thorough documentation of projects to build successful alternatives to fossil fuel dependence.

– Maureen and Sarah