“In order to save our planet Earth, we must have a collective awakening. Individual awakening is not enough. That is why one Buddha is not enough.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Our Intention
Nurture Through Nature eco~retreat center is for those interested in a return to balance. Our intention is to hold a space for conscious, simple, green living; offering holistic retreats, expansive workshops, sacred spaces, meditation, yoga, qi gong, holistic life coaching, guided canoe excursions and eco-getaways. Come hear the silence resting behind the sounds of nature and beneath the busy mind.
Growing a Sustainable Economy
The goal of community sustainability is to establish local economies that are economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible. We have a strong commitment and practice in supporting these principles by purchasing from local businesses, including independently owned shops, farms and service contractors. We do our very best to pay our support team above average wages for their good work in maintaining our facilities and serving our guests. The rates that we charge our guests begin an energetic and financial circle that allows us to provide green power, organic ingredients on our retreats, local products and living wages to our team of amazing people. At Nurture Through Nature we continue to create a circle of conscious giving and receiving.
Maine’s First Green-Certified Retreat Center
Our retreat land lies on the lower slopes of Pleasant Mountain, a local landmark and treasured gem. We offer a diverse and private 33 acres of forest and trails for your exploring, be it along our magical mountain brook, picking wild blueberries on the granite outcrops in summer or hiking up to our Medicine Wheel and sitting at its center on a boulder gazing into long views of the White Mountain National Forest. Surrounding our land is extensive woodlands and Nature Conservancy land, providing a true sanctuary into the natural world.
Regional Press Recognition
Our offerings, amenities and facilities have been broadly recognized!
Check out our latest press and reviews:
Green Living
Nurture Through Nature Retreat Center is certified as an Environmental Leader by the State of Maine because of its commitment to sustainable practices, including solar power, composting, renewable heat sources, and non-toxic cleaning products.
In addition, Nurture Through Nature is an EPA Green Power Partner. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would like to thank Nurture through Nature for making a significant green power purchase. Your commitment, along with those of other Green Power Partners, helps to reduce the risks associated with climate change by supporting technologies that are more sustainable for businesses and communities.”
All of our facilities are off the grid relying on solar power for electricity. We use renewable heating sources from local firewood—no oil/gas/nonrenewable heating sources are used for our 4-season facilities.
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- We use composting toilet systems and compost everything from kitchen scraps to “humanure” from guests and residents, alike.
- We rely on local farmers and organic produce for food sources, whenever possible. We use only earth-friendly cleaning products.
- We recycle everything possible through local recycling resources.
- We support the local economy by utilizing local practitioners and material resources for on-site projects and services needed.
- We even use a solar-powered trimmer for landscaping needs.
Location
Maine is the northern part of the Appalachian Mountain Chain where the Wabanaki peoples roamed the Land of the Dawn. Receiving the first light of the new day, the land reaches northeast towards the sunrise over the Atlantic.
Our home base is in Denmark, Maine, a sleepy northern New England hamlet and four-season destination nestled in the heart of western Maine’s lakes and mountains. If you are looking for a relaxing and quiet nature retreat, this is the place to come, easily accessible, yet off the beaten path enough to find deep quiet surrounded by a beautiful, natural setting. Our green retreat facilities are located on 33 wooded and mountainside acres at the base of Pleasant Mountain, a treasured hiking destination by locals.
The private hiking trails on the retreat land offers long and expansive views west to the nearby White Mountains, where the Appalachian Trail traverses over nearby hiking along the Maine/New Hampshire border. Much of the land on and around Pleasant Mountain is protected from future development through conservation easements gratefully overseen by local environmental organizations including the Loon Echo Land Trust, the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust and the Nature Conservancy.
The state of Maine has identified Denmark as a focus area for conservation as it holds the largest tract of contiguous, undeveloped forest land in southwestern Maine.
Denmark and its surrounding towns are part of the Saco River floodplain, the largest intact floodplain in New England. Spring rains bring the river water over its banks, where it scours the landscape, making room for rare plants and animals.The water then percolates slowly through the fine glacial soils of the floodplain and returns to streams and springs naturally filtered and purified — giving the Saco some of the cleanest water in Maine.
The Saco River floodplain includes some of the world’s only remaining river-wash barren ecosystems — open sandy or rocky habitats that are home to rare plants, dragonflies and turtles. The upland forests of the watershed contain wide-ranging mammals such as fisher and bobcat. This region is also host to larger wildlife including Eastern coyote, black bear, and moose.
We invite you to this eco-tourism mecca for outdoor exploration, paddling, hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing. Our location feels remote, being surrounded by forest land, waterways and quietude, yet we are a within driving distance from major metropolitan areas, with available shuttles to bus lines, Amtrak and airports.
We are part of Maine’s Greater Bridgton Lakes Region and the Mount Washington Valley in nearby Conway, New Hampshire, offering a high quality of life, with endless possibilities as a recreational haven. The air is clean, the water pure, the woods inspiring, the sights breathtaking and the night sky bright with millions of stars.