Gentle World

Where

Kapaau · Hawaii

What they grow

Veganic food gardens at two educational centers (Big Island, Hawaii and Far North, New Zealand)

How it's organized

All-volunteer residential vegan community, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit in 1981; vegan by charter

Visit, volunteer, or join

Visitor program — stay, help maintain the centers, and learn vegan cooking and veganic gardening; apply via their site

Gentle World is a vegan intentional community. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit in 1981, the all-volunteer residential community has spent more than four decades teaching people how to live well without animal products — through workshops, consultations, films, cooking classes, and hands-on veganic gardening. The community moved to Maui in 1989, where it ran a vegan restaurant, then settled on the Big Island near Kapaau in 1999; a second seasonal center in New Zealand's Far North opened in 2000, letting the community follow the growing season across hemispheres. Food at both centers is grown veganically, without animal inputs, and the gardens have been profiled by the Veganic Agriculture Network. The visitor program is the way in: guests from around the world stay at the centers, help maintain them, and learn vegan cooking and veganic growing alongside the residents. Members live communally, organized entirely around vegan education as a shared purpose.

Programs, hours, and visitor policies change — always check the official site or get in touch before you go. Last verified July 8, 2026.

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