Small Iowa Town Like No Other In the World

Just a few miles outside the small town of Fairfield, Iowa, is a town unlike any other: the Maharishi Vedic City. The city itself is about one square mile, but big things are happening there. The founding principle of the city is based on the belief that groups of people who work and meditate together can achieve world peace.

The city plan is based on the principles of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, an ancient system of architecture and design that was revived by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The city is connected to the Maharishi University of Management, which incorporates consciousness-based learning and the practice of Transcendental Meditation into its degree programs of art, business, education, communications, mathematical science, literature, physiology & health, Vedic Science and sustainable living.

The city is serious about organic food and sustainability. They make use of solar and wind power to minimize their environmental impact, and the city council even passed an ordinance banning the sale of non-organic food inside the city limits in November of 2002. They also run an organic farm that sells produce to stores like Whole Foods.