Starting a Community
Missed Opportunity at the Goat Ranch
Posted on October 29, 2019 by1 Comment
Ted and Sally were truthful when they said they had no idea what they were doing, either running the business or establishing a community. They didn’t, much to the dismay of their departing managers and volunteers.
Founder’s Syndrome
Posted on October 22, 2019 byThe original founder, visionary, and main public point person for Bellyacres for over a quarter of a century laments that some members came to consider him “the root of all present, past, and future problems in the organization.”
Village-Building Stumbles: A few of the things Earthaven Ecovillage has gotten wrong
Posted on October 1, 2019 byThose of us privileged enough to find ourselves in an intentional community often imagine that our environment will be free of the horrors and evils of the world. But alas, we bring it all with us.
How to Stop Climate Change and Never Be Lonely Again
Posted on July 30, 2019 byEmpowered, sustainable communities are the antidote to isolation. And they are the pivotal technology that makes renewable energy, essential for reversing climate change, actually renewable.
Relationships in a Community-Forming Group
Posted on July 23, 2019 byWhile trying to start a community with poly-friendly collaborators, two monogamous partners achieve greater clarity in their six-year relationship, and end it.
Your Community and the Law
Posted on April 30, 2019 byEarthaven Ecovillage learns the hard way that it’s important for a community to choose its legal entities carefully, and to consult and listen to lawyers. A member shares some lessons from their ordeal.
Gain the 🦉Wisdom of Communities 🦉
Posted on April 24, 2019 byHave you ordered your copies of the Wisdom of Communities 4 volume set? Each volume can be purchased individually👇🏽 or buy the entire set at a discounted price. Also available as… Read More
How We Came to Inherit a Salmon Stream
Posted on March 30, 2019 byThe residents of Sahale Learning Center and EcoVillage welcome the salmon who swim from the Hood Canal up the Tahuya River each year to spawn.
Cross-Class Cooperation and Land Access
Posted on March 23, 2019 by1 Comment
It is important to not only talk about the role class privilege plays in our movement, but also celebrate the ways that cross-class cooperation can be a form of much-needed solidarity.
The Dilemmas of Being a Benefactor: Creating a Community Land Trust
Posted on March 16, 2019 by1 Comment
CommonSpace CLT fulfills its founder’s dream of using her inheritance to create an affordable, not-for-profit example of diverse community on protected land in perpetuity.
Land Speaking through the People: The Great Work of Our Times
Posted on March 9, 2019 byThrough Community Land Trusts, we can reimagine and experience anew our relationship with the land as communities of place-based people.
4 Building Blocks of Community
Posted on February 25, 2019 byStart a Village “If you don’t like the way things are, Start a Village!” This was the essential message that Stephen Brooks delivered at his enthusiastic TEDx talk at Black… Read More
Black Land Matters: An Interview with Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm
Posted on February 24, 2019 byHeadquartered on a community farm, a nonprofit, people-of-color-led organization works to dismantle racism in the food system by increasing farmland stewardship by people of color, promoting equity in food access, and training the next generation of activist farmers.
Narcissism, Dependence, and Culture Change
Posted on January 14, 2019 byTwo aspects of the cultural transition we are working toward are little discussed but directly impact our daily relationships: narcissism and dependence dynamics. By unpacking them, we can turn the tide.
What it Takes to Create Community Connection
Posted on December 3, 2018 byCommon Conceptions of Community How can we create community connection — including more support, belonging, smiles, and growth — in our lives? Bianca Heyming gave a TED talk based on… Read More
GaiaYoga: The Art and Wisdom of Living Holistically—Unifying Spirit, Self, Community, and Earth
Posted on November 10, 2018 byThe cofounder of GaiaYoga Gardens traces the life journey that led him through various intentional community experiences and teachers to seven “yes”’s—ultimately forming a comprehensive vision of a new “Domain 9” culture consciously designed to be in alignment with all of who we actually are.
Inclusivity and Disability
Posted on September 28, 2018 by2 Comments
Cohousing aspires to be as inclusive as possible, but North American culture suppresses conversation about disability and health. How can communities create processes to address previously invisible needs?
I’m Not a Racist, But Racism Is In Me—and in My Community
Posted on March 22, 2018 byPredominantly white communities are going to stay that way until they acknowledge and address racism. Here is some guidance for doing that.
Reflections on Class from a Newbie at Rocky Hill Cohousing
Posted on March 20, 2018 by2 Comments
A cohousing project’s budget can help address class and classism—but the community also needs to articulate and explore its culture’s underlying or hidden rules.
Barriers to Diversity in Community
Posted on March 14, 2018 by1 Comment
An organizer of Charlotte Cohousing in North Carolina offers several ways intentional communities unintentionally exclude her fellow people of color.
On “Waiting” for People of Color
Posted on March 10, 2018 by4 Comments
On the land where his grandfather was born a slave, the founder of a nascent intentional community reflects on the challenges of attracting people of color, and the project’s next steps.
Moving Beyond Diversity Towards Collective Liberation: Weaving the Communities Movement into Intersectional Justice Struggles
Posted on March 8, 2018 byThe co-organizer of the People of Color Sustainable Housing Network shares strategies for deepening your community’s work on issues of race, class, and privilege.
Community-Building in the City
Posted on February 1, 2018 byIn its formative and early stages, Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing in Seattle encounters both challenges and successes.
Making a Case for Urban Cohousing
Posted on January 21, 2018 byUrban cohousing offers a unique alternative that still allows access to the amenities, conveniences, and vibrancy of city life.
Compact Community at Maitreya EcoVillage in Eugene, Oregon
Posted on January 1, 2018 by3 Comments
Urban development needs sufficient density to support functional public transit, bicycling, and walking—while also staying beautiful, fun, green, and rich with community.
Back to the City!
Posted on November 26, 2017 byAs Compersia and Point A aim to demonstrate, a city can be the perfect place to start an egalitarian, income-sharing community.
Life Lessons for Community Longevity
Posted on November 1, 2017 byThe founder of Bellyacres Artistic Ecovillage profers advice inspired by the nearly three decades he was immersed in the experiment.
Overcoming Our Americanness
Posted on October 11, 2017 byUnless we learn from past and present communities, and collate lessons from our own, we will bob as separate crafts on the ocean of our uncooperative and ahistorical Americanness.
Tracing Windward’s Memeology
Posted on September 21, 2017 byThe Haudenosaunee, the Oneida Community, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, with its vision of a “polyamorous line family,” all form part of Windward’s conceptual ancestry.
Mobile Home Parks: A Fast and Inexpensive Path to Cohousing
Posted on June 30, 2017 by2 Comments
Mobile home and RV parks present an unequaled opportunity to accelerate the transition to more widespread community living.
