I'm thinking about intentional community in Croatia – maybe organic farm with workshops for snowy days. Here is rough sketch for some structural issues. This is compilation from some posts here in forum, some net sites and my thoughts. Please help with comments and sugestions. Also tell what you think is appropriate chunk of land per person – including house, garden space, fruit trees and wood for heating? Maybe one acre or about 5000 m2? Lot of people react very "astral" on the mention of money, but everything is priced and no matter how "off the grid" community is, still it's the part of Babylon. With buying your membership, you are buying land for yourself as long as you staying in community, and that's something like showing serious intentions. Everything must be legalised through paperwork. Here in Croatia agrocultural land or cheap wood is about 0,25 - 2,5 eur/m2. Let's say 1 eur/m2 including material for building dwelling-place. Peace, zeljko ----------------------- Membership = shares or points 1 euro per share a) Member = 5000 – place on farm b) Simpatizer = posess some shares, stays over weekend, maybe want to be member e.s. c) Guest = work or pay Three-member financial council co-signature for all expenses. In council sits only members. Financial reports once per month with full bank papers. Every year one member must rotate. Annual report. All decisions communal, 90% voices, one member – one voice. Simpatizers can vote if they are present and if matter concerns them. Guests can't vote. They can be present, or asked to leave in sensitive situations. Everybody must work 3h per day or 20h per week. Personal property is personal – everything member brings with him or income from outside. Communal property is mutual: buidings, machines & tools buyed with work, money from mutual work, donations or material gifts. Receiving and excluding of people on vote, 90% voices. Vote of candidate is not acounted. Incoming candidate must buy 5000 shares. All shares buyed previously are acounted. Work or money for previous guesting not included. In case of excluding or leaving member must sell his shares to wannabe member. Leaving member can not make decisions who will get his place after he leaves. Exclusions of members only for serious reasons (personal attack, hard drugs or alcohol abusing e.s.) – not a popularity contest as Rabbit said in one post.
sounds like a solid plan to me, I'd figure if you better have around an acre per person to be a selfsufficient commune, I do agree with you that some people are unrealistically turned against the use of money considering it's rediculous to think your junst gonna have everything handed to you on a platter, but that is the goal of many communes is to escape many of the evil that manifest themself as a result of the desire for power via this medium that would lead us to perceive ourselves apart from are fellow man. Babylon is a basterd to turn your back on indeed though.
According to my dictionary, one acre is 4047 m2, and that is enough per person. Surely amassing of parcels can support additional people – children, old folks or non-working guests on raining days. All this financial construction seems little cold on first place, but by all means I don't think it must be profitable in capitalistic meaning. Surplus of money must exist becouse you can't pay taxes, fuel etc with tomatoes (unfortunately! J). In fact, I think main problem of all communes is usually cash. Activities for making cash must be chosen well for several criterias – must be in vibe with commune's way of living (ecological, non-offensive, easy to make and fun) but in same time marketable by quality, price and market-demands. This sum of 5000 I sugested can be much lower if cheaper land can be found. Also conditions for guests – I think of them only as insurance against two-digging-eight-sleeping system. Nothing is carved in stone! Please more comments and suggestions
what's it like in croatia? it's not long since a war was fought. is it peaceful and stable now? does croatia have connections with rest of europe? 5000 euros sounds like an affordable amount for a member to come up with. how's the climate there? are there any rainbow family there? will you be going to european rainbow gathering? that would be a good place to recruit. a friend of mine is in europe now. we are looking for someplace to develop a european base for our new world rising network of communities. i'd like to hear more. also you can check out more of what our network is doing at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/newworldrisingforum/. peace nwrfred
War was over ten years ago. Croatia is stable and peaceful, but unemployment is high. This two facts combined results in severe land-buying by Europeans. Land is cheap, nature beautiful, so prices in coastal area are higher and higher every day (10 – 250 eur/m2). Continental areas are still cheap so I think it's last chance to buy something before Croatia start negotiations for entering EU scheduled for march 17th. By the 2007 we will be in EU and prices will rise sky-high. Climate is combined mediteran and continental – no extremes. There are lot of people and subcultures living rainbow and close to that in Croatia, but people are mostly unaware of Family. I'm looking forward to gathering in Germany, for now I'm traying to find traveling company. I also think in gathering will be opportunity to meet people interested in community. People in Europe mostly knows about Croatia becouse it's desirable touristic destination. I'll look into your forum, 'till then peace
