Working Stewards

The Fork Inn (TFI) provides work opportunities for those independent contractors who wish to assist it with its mission of stewardship. Contractors invoice TFI for work that is mutually agreed upon. Stewards who live on-site have an opportunity to earn additional compensation by providing services directly to the many guests visiting our valley. Opportunities include landscaping, house maintenance, building construction, housekeeping, laundry, reservation desk, child sitting, guest services, accounting, and management.

Contractors are expected to volunteer for the Center for Sustainable Stewardship in exchange the many amenities provided by the non-profit. CSS has opportunities to lead yoga, tai chi, dance, meditation, nature hikes, environmental education, farming, composting, trail maintenance, bicycle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, baby sitting, personal cheffing, spa services, massage, artistic and musical programs, and anything else guests might enjoy and purchase.

Stewards may also be compensated by teaching classes at CSS’s Sustainable U.

Be a Williamson County Steward

Be a Franklin Steward

BE a Steward of Big East Fork Valley

Be a Steward of Harpeth Springs

Housing Opportunities

A TFI contractor may

1) rent the entire Ranch House for $2500/month plus utilities and sublet up to three bedrooms (longterm to individuals or couples; or short term via Airbnb, VRBO, or the Fork Inn.

2) rent the entire Ranch House or Log Cabin for $1250/month and allow the entire house to be rented to short term renters. This option would require you to temporarily move, securing valuable and personal items that you do not wish to share in a closet or locked cabinet.

or 3) rent a master bedroom in Ranch House for $1200/month or one of the single rooms with shared bathroom for $800/month (plus fair share of utilities and act as Concierge for short-term renters of rooms.

Because we do not wish to create a “bedroom community” all residents at Ranch House and/or Log Cabin a required to be active Stewards, expending labor and/or money to assist CSS with its mission. Continuation and renewal of residential contracts require active participation as determined by the Board of Directors of CSS.

A Community of Stewards

We should not seek to live lightly out of duty, fear, or guilt but out of gratitude: gratitude for our neighbors, gratitude for our fellow creatures, and gratitude to future generations.

We seek a small group of folks on the same journey. We require fellow travelers to encourage us and keep us accountable. Living lightly is about sharing, realizing we don’t all need tree hedge clippers and tractors, but can share and trade. The simplest way of reducing our carbon footprint is to share a home, thereby sharing heating, cooking,travelling, lighting, and consumer goods with a group of people.

In a fragmented and polarized world, we seek people who will commit to oneanother and to local places. Perhaps we can be part of a transformation that begins locally but produces an attractively infectious vision of living differently. Or perhaps we just enjoy ourselves temporarily in a doomed but meaningful experiment. Let’s give it a try!