Finding Community
Land Use Regulations, Urban Planners, and Intentional Communities
Posted on October 11, 2015 by1 Comment
A century since the United States’ first citywide zoning ordinance, community founders can find support in unexpected places when navigating land use laws.
My Struggle to Legalize Sustainable Living
Posted on October 1, 2015 by8 Comments
After nearly three decades of activity, a pioneering eco-community collapses under the weight of legal attacks by a small group of neighbors.
It Takes All Kinds to Raise a Village
Posted on September 21, 2015 byAfter an engaged local citizenry creates cultural shifts, a city endorses rather than prosecutes code-bending strategies that promote resilient community.
My Intentional Community and the Law
Posted on September 11, 2015 byBreitenbush has a long history of dealing with legalities and illegalities, from installing a volcano as their “boiler” and blocking old-growth logging to successfully petitioning for a zoning variance.
Zoning Nightmare: Hartford’s Scarborough Street House
Posted on September 1, 2015 byAn unconventional family fights to stay in their collective house in the face of antiquated local ordinances which suppress community living.
It’s the Law
Posted on August 25, 2015 by3 Comments
Communal living is no escape from dealing with legal issues and challenges coming from both within and outside the group.
Urban Flex Farms: Farming on a Bicycle
Posted on August 4, 2015 byIn the face of structural challenges, some urban farmers are finding innovative ways to serve their neighborhoods.
We Got An Egg!: A Study in Scarcity
Posted on July 4, 2015 byAt the Global Village, schoolchildren get a taste of impoverished peoples’ struggles to feed themselves.
How the Kitchen Is the Heart of a Community
Posted on June 14, 2015 byA shared kitchen provides not just physical sustenance, but emotional benefits and greater connection to our food and one another.
Cookin’ Dinner for the Revolution
Posted on June 4, 2015 by1 Comment
A vibrant, reliable, and nourishing home-base can provide activists with a much-needed feeling of sustainability.
Why I’m a Locavore
Posted on June 1, 2015 by1 Comment
By eating food grown locally by farmers we know, we can create a strong and resilient local food system and a healthier community.
Short-Term Vacation Cohousing: A Great Way to Learn
Posted on April 29, 2015 by2 Comments
Two retirees discover a way to explore cohousing without long-term commitment—and after several extended visits, decide it’s for them.
A Baby Boomer Rediscovers Community
Posted on April 20, 2015 byAfter falling into a disillusioning “status quo” existence, a baby boomer rekindles his zeal (and ability) to live by his values at Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage.
The Power of Community
Posted on April 10, 2015 byCohousing can offer a much-improved quality of life to seniors and others; it’s time to break free of the self-inflicted “Oh, that’s not me!”
My Father the Toddler
Posted on April 2, 2015 by2 Comments
An ex-communitarian tending full-time to an aging parent reflects on how intentional communities can help shift our approach to elder care.
Free Land on a Tropical Island!?
Posted on March 6, 2015 by6 Comments
Free land on a tropical island!? Pitcairn, a small remote paradise-like island in the South Pacific is running out of people. They are giving land for free to people who… Read More
Social Media or Social Isolation? Or is there a third way?
Posted on January 19, 2015 byAvoiding computers can mean losing out on connecting with others when one is desperate for connection, yet a rich, computer-free, community-based social life is also possible.
Kindista: Technology for Living More Freely
Posted on January 9, 2015 byBorn of collaboration, an innovative technology helps build community by encouraging trust, appreciation, and giving from the heart.
Technology on the Path to Reality: Snapshots from the Pre-Post-Digital Age
Posted on December 29, 2014 by1 Comment
Misadventures with a cell phone help the author dial into more enduring, meaningful adventures and relationships not dependent on an electronic-communications hamster wheel.
Back to Life: Returning from the Virtual to the Real
Posted on December 19, 2014 byTo shake our addiction to modern technology, we must understand its true costs. Stillwaters Sanctuary works to create a culture of greater connection, where it is easier to live without industrial society.
Technology: Our External Thumb
Posted on December 8, 2014 by2 Comments
Instead of asking whether technology is a “friend or foe,” perhaps we should be asking how to better help friends and reduce foes through the use of technology.
“Appropriate” Technology and Community on the Path to Resiliency
Posted on November 28, 2014 by1 Comment
At Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, efforts to foster a renaissance in land-based living go hand in hand with judicious use of modern design and communication technologies.
Technology, Nature, and Community
Posted on November 21, 2014 byHow does modern technology affect our ecological and social literacy? Are computers and their kin suppressing or enhancing the awareness, skills, and qualities essential to our nature as humans?
From Conversation to Community: How a Bunch of Mates Bought Some Land Together
Posted on October 21, 2014 by“Wouldn’t it be great to buy a block of land together in the bush?” Dinner party conversations yield unexpected fruit.
Kawsmos: The Unintentional Community
Posted on September 23, 2014 byAfter 11 years of gathering, a group of Kaw Valley’s cosmic explorers realizes that community has happened to them.
Deepening Community: The joy of togetherness
Posted on September 3, 2014 byCommunity grows when we make time to share our stories, enjoy one another, take care of one another, and work on building a better world together.
Community Conversations Campaign: Final Thoughts and Next Steps
Posted on September 3, 2014 byIn an age when prioritizing community is itself radical, self-awareness, self-care, and storytelling are essential to deepening our connections.
Vision, Money, and Sustainability: Bringing in Renters while Building the Dream
Posted on July 29, 2014 by2 Comments
In the quest for sustainability, long-term goals can yield to short-term needs and opportunities, fertilizing new growth in unpredictable ways.
Sharing Spaces, Sharing Values: Entrepreneurship at Dragon’s Nest Cooperative Homestead
Posted on July 18, 2014 by“Founder’s joy” can wear off very quickly in the chaos of financial instability and unclear agreements.
Dancing Rabbit’s Exchange Local Money System: The Promise of Local Currencies and Interest-Free Financing
Posted on June 14, 2014 by4 Comments
Place-specific currencies can provide critical financing to the small businesses that keep local communities connected and thriving.
