Forming Group To Create Sustainable Intentional Community

Hello all, I am posting here with hope that I may find some individuals with similar goals as myself to organize and develop an intentional community somewhere on the globe. This would be determined by all of those involved after we lay out goals.

Some of the main things that I am interested in doing: building structures using cob and other natural building methods; investing in and exploring renewable energy (photovoltaics and possibly constructing wind generators); producing most or all of my diet on the land around using methods of permaculture either as a food forest or in [a] greenhouse(s) as well as eggs from chickens; building a cob structure that can be used as a learning center of sorts.

I am very away of and interested in the changes occurring in our species right now. Our technological understanding and ability has brought us to begin recognizing more of our potential and science has brought the thought that behavior and values, corruption, things like bigotry, greed, and the profitability of differential advantage and war are determined by our exposure to conditions of the environment we experience through the sensors in our bodies. These things are not inherent to humans. I intend to contribute to social change and the eventual arrival at a Natural Law Resource Based Economy. This is a socioeconomic alternative to the market system and the social structures it creates. If you'd like to know more about this, the best explanation I have found so far can be found by searching on Google for "peter Joseph introduction to a resource based economy". If you're interested in this, you may also want to watch Zeitgeist The Movie, especially the part about the federal reserve.
There are more things of course that I would hope to broaden exposure to like unconditional basic income and technological unemployment and the third industrial revolution and why education, of a certain kind - that does not mandate itself but offers opportunity, for free for all, to as accessible and high quality resources to learn about the workings of nature and the change that is going to have to occur in the way that we manage our species - seems to be the key to the movement towards a better socioeconomic system. I'd be glad to discuss this more or share other content with anyone if you want feel free to ask but I'm getting a bit off topic this is just a big focus I have I would like to create a physical location that anyone can come to that will allow them to educate themself as best as possible, through many things but including such resources that already exist like computers that can access khan academy or academic earth. Or even just YouTube. I have been creating a website already that attempts to act as a hub of these kinds of information.

Anyways.. to continue the intentions I have, some other things I would be looking for: mountains; woods, a lot of woods; basically just wonderful wilderness; either a climate that would support a food forest with tropical plants or if colder, then probably somewhere like Netherlands or Denmark. But of course these things would be dependent on the working of all people involved.

So I may be forgetting things I would be surprised if not, there are so many, feel free to ask or suggest any other things I should describe my considerations for, that would be important for any potentially interested individual. I just realized one which is money. I had some idea which was just that all people involved contribute as much as they can and also some of the funding would be crowd sourced. I know some people would likely be against it but this project is I think very important and if people have money they'd like to contribute to a project, I'd be glad to try and create an environment on the property such money could afford me that would contribute positively to the community living there and the surrounding areas and anything that can be contributed to the planet and our global presence.
Of course these things could be determined conclusively by all those involved at a later time.

I hope that some people may be interested in working together.
Again, to anyone interested in the future I highly recommend looking into The Zeitgeist Movement and The Venus Project.

Thanks for reading,
Good fortune

 

Cob construction (and also Earthship building techniques) can be a limiting factor on where you end up locating. This type of building technique is not allowed in some locations so check zoning laws before making any decisions about location.

 

I was going to recommend you check out the intentional community forum on the permaculture board 'permies' - but I just read your post there - so you already know.

http://www.permies.com/forums/f-6/intentional-community

The other place is, of course, on ic.org

 

Hi George and Tyrson, I have had a similar idea for the 50 YO plus folks to join together and do something like this. I have even found a couple of existing earthships that could be expanded to support more people. Tyrson knows about the earthship at 901 Cedar Ridge Road in Walsenburg Colorado. It is still on the market and the price is $110K. It is on 68 acres and already has a windmill and solar system. The house is small but could be expanded.

 

I thought that place sold... Last I looked anyways.

 

Tyrson, thank you. I have not put much consideration into these legal issues except that they are quite a nuisance. I guess these laws would be part of the workings of a group.. I suspect an inevitable abandonment of such a limiting and unfounded system, probably alongside the development of a resource based economy and the natural law and collaborative social environment that it works in. But who knows how long that will take..

 

WEBSITE says still active.

 

Could be they had an offer that was accepted but the buyer couldn't get a mortgage. It was a different agent's site that I saw it was sold... They had a lot more photos too.

 

Yeah, I think no one will give em a mortgage because they don't have water. They only have a rain gathering permit. This one will have to go on a cash deal.

 

http://www.cohomefinder.com/p/81089/1552352-901-Cedar-Ridge-Rd-Walsenburg-CO-81089.htm




Says sold...




This listing has all the pics... Some good ideas here, but also not the cracking in the stucco I was warning you about.

http://www.trulia.com/property/3153916055-901-Cedar-Ridge-Rd-Walsenburg-CO-81089



Sorry, they pulled those pics.


Anyways, we are sidetracking the guy's thread.

 

We have several people on here trying to do something similar. You are welcome to join-up with us and tell us more about your ideas. Most of us are already into sustainable living and intentional communities.

 

FWIW I already live in an intentional community in California so I'm not looking. I'm not sure what our average age is, but we have folks ranging from about 3 months old to over 80. The most recent folks to join us are in their 50s. We are very much in favor of sustainable and eco-, we are a perfect site for permaculture, chickens, pigs - but so far no one has gone further than planting lots of fruit trees. Its not cheap to live in the San Francisco bay area and we have over 20 acres of land, but its handy to be so close to a large urban market and many farmer's markets - say what you will money is useful - and for many businesses you need to be close to your customers.

 

You are right George, I have friends in Carmel, Seaside, Marina, and Pebble Beach. It's all expensive. I'd love to live in Santa Cruz. I like Gilroy. Big Sur is heaven on earth.