Getting Out Of Major Cities and Getting Into Communities

[Mrs. Sharon B. Hodge]

I'm not saying this is for everyone but it indeed is an alternative, as the world economy is collapsing, food water resources will get cut off, electrical grid could get knocked out, and gasoline heating oil distribution would discontinue - we are at the 11th hour and there are ways to ride out the coming storm




Russia Today - As the world wakes up to the affects of climate change, more and more Russians are ditching city life for some fresh country air.
They are taking the usual 'dacha' living one step further by living off the land all year round


Fred Lanphear, a member of the Fellowship for Intentional Community board, speaks about his values from Songaia Community in Washington state


Peak Moment 84: O.U.R. stands for "One United Resource," expressing how interdependence and inclusion undergird this 25 acre demonstration sustainable community on Vancouver Island. This model ecovillage comprises natural buildings, a school, long- and short-term residences, extensive gardens, greenhouses, and even a bed & breakfast.
Brandy Gallagher MacPherson describes how they created an entirely new zoning category by building relationships with regulatory agencies that go beyond "us versus them" [www. ourecovillage. org]


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Fellowship for Intentional Community
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Checkout website http://fic. ic. org/

Promoting Community Living and Cooperative Lifestyles Across North America
The Fellowship for Intentional Community nurtures connections and cooperation among communitarians and their friends.
We provide publications, referrals, support services, and sharing opportunities for a wide range of intentional communities, cohousing groups, ecovillages, community networks, support organizations, and people seeking a home in community

Intentional Communities have for many centuries been places where idealists have come together to create a better world. Although there are thousands of intentional communities in existence today, and many others in the formative stages, most people are unaware of them or the roots from which they spring. The Fellowship is increasing public awareness of existing and newly forming communities.
We offer information and referrals for those who are actively seeking, or simply curious about, alternate lifestyles for themselves and their families

Communities come in all shapes and sizes, and share many similar challenges -- such as defining membership, succeeding financially, distributing resources, making decisions, raising children, dividing work equitably, and choosing a standard of living. Many wrestle with questions about right livelihood, spiritual expression, land use, and the role of service in our lives. At the same time, there is limited awareness of what others are doing to meet these challenges -- and much to gain through sharing information and experiences with others exploring similar paths.
The Fellowship documents the visions and experiences of life in community, and actively promotes dialogue and cooperation among communities

Intentional communities are often aware of themselves as different from mainstream culture, and many choose to highlight these differences. Yet, virtually all communities share a common root value of cooperation.
The Fellowship facilitates the extension of cooperation beyond membership boundaries and common values, understanding that differences can be a cause for celebration, and an occasion for enrichment and growth The Fellowship is helping draw the circles of cooperation ever larger, and assisting with the personal stretching that this requires In that spirit, FIC membership is open to everyone








Ecovillage website: http://www. ecovillage. org/

To engage the peoples of the Americas in common effort to join the global transformation towards an ecologically, economically, and culturally sustainable future

ENA serves as the Western Hemisphere representative of the Global Ecovillage Network
ENA works to unite cultures from North, Central and South Americas and the Caribbean to become a unified force in the ecovillage and sustainability movements
Building a Strong Foundation
Since its conception in 1995, ENA has built a strong organizational structure We have:

A 19 seat Council representing nine regions:
Southern South America, Northern South America, Brazil, Mesoamerica, Caribbean, United States West, United States East, Canada, and Mobile Ecovillage initiatives in the Americas
A large core group of volunteers serving on project committees, and, in Ecovillage Contact Offices in 18 countries in the Americas.