The Explorer Vol.1, No.2 (1978)

(The Explorer 1978 - Vol.1 No.2) "NEW LAND" CONSTRUCTION NOW UNDER WAY Ground-Breaking Ceremonies, Charging of Soil Scheduled for July 3rd 1978 will be known as the year a dream manifested in physical reality-the New Land. This is the name that has attached itself naturally to the multi-purposed research and healing installation long planned for the Virginia acreage. New Land is to be located on some 740 acres in Nelson County, Virginia. It will house new research facilities for the Institute, a holistic health and healing center under the auspices of the New Community Church, an agricultural research station in the Findhorn model, and residences for staff, members, and other participants. The Institute building design calls for special isolation chambers where experiments can be performed under a variety of environmental modes. Major control of E. M. radiation, magnetic fields, atmospheric mixes and pressures, and humidity-temperature factors will be an integral part of the construction. A John Lilly-type "tank" also will be included. Instrumentation will be provided for total biological monitoring, with a computer terminal for in-depth analysis. Live-in facilities will be included for extended experimental runs. All buildings are to be both energy efficient and fireproof. Solar, methane and wood- fireplace systems will provide heat and basic construction will consist of a new type of interlocking concrete block. With extended acreage to choose from, each home will enjoy relative isolation. The agricultural division will explore new ways and combinations thereof to grow foods on a totally organic basis. The principle purpose will be to provide sustenance for those living in residence on the New Land. Various techniques of plant growth, including hydroponics, ultrasonics, ELF radiation and solar heated greenhouses will bring fresh vegetables on a year-round basis. A special community center will be the meeting place for group activities on the New Land and will contain the Institute archives, meditation rooms, and recreational facilities. Cabins for individual retreat and solitude will be located in hidden valleys and atop Robert's Mountain. The New Land has three major streams running through it, one of which will be dammed to create a 25-acre lake plus a series of trout and catfish ponds. Hydroelectric power will be generated through the largest of these systems. The terrain itself consists of rolling hills and pastures rising steeply to forest-covered ridges. Construction schedule calls for completion of the laboratory facility and several residences by the end of 1978. The entire project planning indicates completion by January 1, 1981.