Visions

I met a lovely man two years ago who’s been working with his wife on a property in Oregon. The place is so beautiful, and it’s been a pleasure to scheme with him about community-based living.

Sparked by our conversations, I’ve been working on this visioning document (that he provided the framework for). I’m sharing it here to get it out of my desktop, and to engage others in this process of co-creation and vision. So…this isn’t finished, not even close.

Purpose

Describe the “why” of the project in terms of the goals, desired results and the reasons and motivations. The purpose of the project is independent from one’s personal goals, but it must be completely consistent and compatible with those. The Purpose must address fundamental principles including:

Community

I love what living in community provides – sharing resources, providing mutual support, creating cool things with people of shared values. I envision creating a diverse community of people with goals and values shared in common who nurture each other, work together, create a safe and sacred space where each member can express their own gifts and passions.
Where all work is done mindfully, to support the individual and collective good. Providing a model for community-based living that can be replicated in communities of various sizes. Some visions include: members of all ages, new born to very old. Each person knowing the value of their unique contribution. The experience of equitability in the sharing of work and resources. Shared decision making, where all members experience themselves as vital members of the community, and experience their voices being heard. Bickering and petty differences don’t interrupt the overwhelming spirit of community. The community is strong and looks to itself to solve its problems, while also integrating the wisdom and experience of others. Close-knit and unbreakable, yet open and inviting. Visitors to the community feel immediately welcome and at home. As if they can be themselves completely. Are compelled to uncover and contribute their own gifts freely. Are nurtured and accepted as members of the community.

Intimacy – members experience being known for the best parts of themselves, and feel safe to communicate honestly and openly, sharing their most creative aspects. There is no need to conform one’s thinking or edit self-expression, since the community honors differences and practices tolerance and compassion.

The community is a place of safety, where any hurts could be healed. All disputes are handled honestly and openly, where all persons involved feel honored and listened to. We have decision-making processes that are inclusive and allow for the voices that want to be heard to be heard, and will not concentrate power in the hands of a few. We utilize processes to facilitate this kind of decision-making in group interaction and have tools at the ready for ongoing minor issues through electronic means, etc. All processes allow for participation and the use of collective wisdom and are at a pace that supports actions and the fulfillment of our goals.

Philosophy

Values

The community operates on a set of shared values that govern interpersonal actions and the activities of the community as a whole. Each member who becomes a part of the community must agree to these shared values, as they are the foundation for peace and harmony. These values might include:

• Sharing: Wealth is found in community. We emphasize the collective sharing of resources rather than the individual segmentation of resources, and this sharing provides an experience of abundance. We share the gifts we have to care for the physical and spiritual needs of each other.
• Responsibility: We acknowledge that we are individually and collectively responsible for sustaining our lives and our environment. Only we are accountable for the experience of our lives. We are each willing to examine and be responsible for the impact our action (or inaction) has on the world around us.
• Harmony: A healthful life is a harmonious one. We seek to live in harmony with each other and the world around us. We choose to leave a trail of nourishment and blessing rather than a trail of destruction. This includes taking only what we need and giving back, participating in the balance of life.
• Trust: We trust one another with our very lives, knowing that we are interdependent and that community is only possible inside of trust. We create a safe and sacred space inside of which we live and care for one another.
• Love: We believe that all of our actions can be guided by love, which teaches us that we are inter-connected and therefore inter-dependent. We live and work together with compassion, forgiveness, acceptance and gratitude.

Economics

The community operates on principles of a gift economy, where individual gifts and contributions are honored as valuable. Flows of desired participation are identified, and valuable tracking and measurement systems are implemented where appropriate. All work is valued in an equitable way, and the community is aware of the impact of what we measure and what we don’t. Systems are adaptable and change as the community learns and grows. At the heart of an ecovillage is an understanding that community is the source of wealth. That sharing resources effectively allows for a greater experience of wealth with fewer resources required.

The community strives to be self-reliant, producing its own energy, food and other materials when possible and creating enterprises that supply the excess of these products to other demands. We strive to be economically secure, free from the burdens of debt. We nurture the creative expressions of our members and support the creation of sustainable businesses that operate inside the community, to the benefit of our community and our neighbors.

Spirituality

The community, although not professing one practice or belief, honors the diversity of faith and practice of its members. Community members practice their expressions of faith in a way that fulfills and nurtures their spirits, while honoring the sacred practices and beliefs of others. Differing views on matters of faith are a source of growth and discussion, not a cause for hurtful behavior. The earth, responsibility, harmony. The ongoing process of growth in these domains is part of the context for spiritual growth. Conflicts and imbalances become an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Sustainability

All operations and activities of the community are done with a commitment to sustainability, which we define as: Putting more into the systems we live in than we take out, building up life and its resources. These sustainable practices include: using only renewable, non-toxic sources of energy; creating zero waste; using no more resources than what the earth can replace; using practices and principles of permaculture, etc to produce food efficiently and sustainably.

Creativity

As the community works together to provide for the basic needs of its members, individuals are freed up to practice and nurture their own creative expressions. We have the time and energy to learn new arts and crafts which nourish our spirits.

The community is filled with these expressions of creativity, and our home becomes a canvass for creative expression.

Social Responsibility

We are aware that our actions have an impact on the world around us, individually and collectively. We seek to create healthy relationships with our neighbors and have a positive impact on the world around us. We are responsive to feedback about what’s most needed and how best to meet those needs. Our environmental and community practices are part of our positive contribution to the planet and the healing of its natural and social systems.

Activism

Requirements

Describe what (not how) must be accomplished to fulfill the purpose, and what constraints must be honored.

Conceptual Design

Describe how the requirements can be satisfied to fulfill the purpose within constraints.

Master Plan

Describe the tasks, sequence, timeframe and dependencies for implementing the design.

Personal Goals

Describe personal goals relative to the project. What is important to me in terms of the ‘journey” as well as the “destination”, and why does it matter.

Dream Team

Describe who will participate in manifesting the vision. What roles will people play, what skills are required, what traits are desirable. How large is the group?

We need both visionaries and people willing to do the work to make the vision come to life. The founders must be aligned on the vision and able to work together effectively. The Dream Team would include people who are: committed, trusting, bold, generous, compassionate, kind and resourceful. Founders will bring their unique skills and gifts, which may include knowledge about sustainability, agriculture, permaculture, planning and design, building, machinery, renewable energy, community building, etc.