Creative Ideas

We want to form a community in a rural area, grow a large portion of our own food, create a profitable cottage industries and be self employed. We want to respect the land we live on and enjoy the benefits of right livelihood. We want to contribute to or society and world, so our over all purpose is to benefit our immediate community as well as our society in general. Ideally, if we were near enough to a populaton center of 50 thousand we could barter and or provide goods and services. Currently we have many interested persons, someof whom have assets, so although we're not legally organized, we are more than an idea.
How to participate:

You should join our YahooGroup to get its emailings or join Dan's email list. You can also look at the News Log, a page updated as needed.

Understand a bit about what we've already decided, see Agreements. Also, know that building a group over the internet is challenging, sp also talk with friends and family members. There may be persons in your life who are also interested.

Look into what communities are around you and visit them, see: The F.I.C.

If you would like to something about the individuals who are already involved see: Subscriber Profiles .

If you want to know a bit of our history, see the links to the newsletters below. These issues all preceded the News Log, see above link.

We have begun exchanging email to find common ground and occasionally we've had chat sessions.. Our focus at this time is to encourage discussion and contact between those involved.

Newsletters

Newsletter # 5	Newsletter # 6	Newsletter # 7	Newsletter # 8	Newsletter # 9
Newsletter #10	Newsletter #11	Newsletter #12	Newsletter #13	Newsletter #14
Newsletter #15 F.02	Newsletter #16 W.02	Newsletter #17 Spr.03	Newsletter #18 S.03	Newsletter #19 F.03
Newsletter #20 W.03	Newsletter #21 Spr.04	Newsletter #22 S.04	Newsletter #23 F.04	Newsletter #24 W.04
Newsletter #25 Spr.05	Newsletter #26 S.05	Newsletter #27 F.05	Newsletter #28 W.05	Newsletter #29 Spr.06
Newsletter #30 S.06	See W.06 Newsletter	Newsletter #32 W.06	Newsletter #33 Spr.07	Newsletter #34 S.07
Newsletter #35 F.07	Newsletter #36 W.07	Newsletter #37 Spr.08	Newsletter #38 S.08	Newsletter #39 F.08
Newsletter #40 W.08	Newsletter #41 Spr.09	News Log,

 

Current Agreements

1) Social and Interpersonal Objectives

• Community governance by a 90% or better consensus
• Openness and availability to special needs members
• Racial, cultural and spiritual diversity through honesty, trust, education and cooperation

  2) Sustainability Objectives

• Energy: decreased dependence on fossil fuels and unsustainable energy practices
• Using more people power and decreasing dependence on machine power
• Using more energy efficient and alternate energy fueled machines
• Growth and development of a variety of sustainable fuel sources

  3) Food and Water

• Reduction of our need on outside commercial agricultural systems for food and water
• Growth of most or all of our food using a variety of sustainable gardening and agricultural practices and systems
• Each participant or family would have a large "personal" garden
• Utilization of rain catchments, springs, wells and other non-municipal water sources forpotable and non-potable water
• Recycling of food and animal waste back into food systems

  4) Shelter

• Reduction of our need on commercial energy intensive building systems, practices and materials for shelter
• Use of recycled and "Old World" traditional and untraditional building practices, materials and to create energy efficient buildings and shelters.

  5) Economics

• Creation of spaces where 'right livelihood' will be encouraged and pursued
• Cultivation of plant and animal life that will enable a sustainable income from the land
• Creation of enough public awareness that will enable groups and individuals to utilize our property for public and personal uses

  6) Activism Objectives

• Engagement with our neighbors in a mutually beneficial barter system
• Looking for opportunities to present and teach alternatives to the modern consumptive lifestyle

  7) Ecology Objectives

• Raising awareness of the impact on nature with our processes and consumption patterns
• Seeking out systems and practices that will lessen the impact on our environmental infrastructure, both in and outside the community utilizing the guidelines of: --no resources in the defined area consumed faster than their natural replenishment --the enclosed system continuing indefinitely, without degradation of its ecosystem or internal resource base, without degradation to the standard of living of the people in it, and without contributing to the non-sustainability of ecosystems outside the collective
• Choosing recycled materials when possible and practical and encouraging our neighbors in doing thesame
• Choosing energy efficient and sustainable systems when possible and practical

  8) These are some other considerations we've come to value:

  1) The Community of Light is an intentional community dedicated to following the principles of environmental responsibility, sustainability, and a holistic approach to health and living.

  2) The Community of Light seeks energy independence, food independence and community-based forms of income generation.

  3) The Community of Light is open to persons from all walks of life. We do not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, age, or socio-economic background. The Community of Light encourages personal spiritual growth, however, we do not subscribe to a particular spritual or religious tradition.

  4) We embrace the principles of multiculturalism, activism for positive change, cooperation, and the interdependence of its members based on mutual trust and honesty. We value improving interpersonal communication and deepening our connections to each other as well as with the world around us.

  5) Currently we have a committee that meets on line to discuss issues. We use a simple majority rule to make decisions in this setting. However, we intend to have a consensus model of leadership for the community. Consensus, for the time being, will consist of a super majority of 90%. We will create provisions, a community meeting to hear dissenting opinions and resolve differences.

  Those applicants with special needs or physical impairments shall be considered individually based on the ability of the Community to meet their needs. Members shall be afforded health care based on a holistic approach incorporating many healing traditions and the resources available to the community.

  They'd have a responsibility to be honest and open with us, as we would have to be with them

  I am assuming that we would be learning as we went, find experts who we'd work with, or even have a conventional health plan if financing allowed it.

  6) There will be a place or area set aside for celebrations and services which will be maintained both by and for the community. Everyone will have an opportunity to make use of the space.

  Practical matters:

  At some point we'll have to determine the capital we as a group have. I'd estimate that by the time we have substantial capitalization, say over one million dollars, just to be optimistic, we will have organized our selves legally, as an entity, and have begun meetings in person as well as sent out explorers for sites.

  We might like a property as large as 500 acres, with good water, wells, or springs. It is possible to work with dry or even desert land as long as the property had some seasonal flooding, indicated by dry washes. In these locations however the work would be more difficult, but, as might be imagined, the price per acre would be less. We prefer land below the snow line.

  Other items:

• If you would like to know more about community life we have a few resources. I have a listing of communities with web sites which are from The Fellowship for Intentional Community web site. This organization publishes information that gives a good overview of what community living is like. You may write to them at: F.I.C. .
• The following link The Northwest Intentional Communities Association has a great deal of good information if you are considering forming a community or want to know more about them
• Or if you'd like to search for the other communes or organizations that support them here the links to some of the best search engines on the Net. I am near certain that you will find what you are looking for through these links, if it is on the web!

  Go.com/Infoseek Inktomi Google Hotbot Infospace Lycos

  Alta Vista AOL Netfind DejaNews Excite Hooked.net

  C/Net's Search.com Sleuth Starting Point Webcrawler Yahoo

  Magellan Microsoft Network Netguide Netscape Northern Lights Open Text

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