Sustainability
Ecovillages and the FIC
Posted on May 24, 2016 by1 Comment
The Fellowship for Intentional Community and the Global Ecovillage Network partner in support of empowered citizens and communities designing for a sustainable future.
SimpleREV Brings Minimalism and Intentional Living to the Twin Cities
Posted on May 19, 2016 byIn October 2014, I attended the first annual SimpleREV conference in Minneapolis, MN. For two days, around 50 or so attendees shared stories about downsizing, living life with less “stuff,” building tiny houses, and more. For some, it was the first time they’d been around other people pursuing a less consumer-driven lifestyle, and the experience… Read More
Midwest Sustainable Communities Conference July 2-4 at Dancing Rabbit
Posted on May 12, 2016 by2 Comments
UPDATE from the organizers: “This year’s conference has unfortunately been cancelled. We are postponing until 2017 to have more prep time and invite even more speakers and guests. Stay tuned!” **** Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage has announced the dates and workshop lineup for the Midwest Sustainable Communities Conference, which will take place in Rutledge, MO, from July… Read More
NextGEN Hosts The Youth Ecovillage Summit in Quebec June 9-12
Posted on April 28, 2016 byNextGEN North America has opened registration for the third annual Youth Ecovillage Summit, which will take place in Quebec, Canada from June 9-12, 2016. The event will be hosted at La Cite Ecologique, an ecovillage two hours away from Montreal and Quebec City. According to NextGEN: “Over 30 years ago, La Cité Ecologique began as a… Read More
Portland’s Village Building Convergence Returns June 3-12
Posted on April 21, 2016 byFor 16 years, the City Repair Project has been gathering annually for the Village Building Convergence, a 10-day event focusing on permaculture and placemaking in Portland, OR. Even residents who haven’t heard of the event have experienced its impact: its projects include “intersection repairs” that have created some of Portland’s most colorful and liveliest crossroads;… Read More
Lightning in A Bottle Shares 2016 Theme and Activities
Posted on April 4, 2016 byLightning in a Bottle, the annual arts, music, and yoga festival in Southern California, announced its 2016 theme and workshop leaders. According to Grateful Web, “The Village’s 2016 theme, Tree of Life, will focus on re-integrating humanity into right relationship with our ecosystem…. The Village will give attendees a unique opportunity to learn by doing,… Read More
Off-Grid, and In Community: ’Tis Easier to Find than to Found
Posted on April 1, 2016 by1 Comment
The co-director of Maitreya Mountain Village suggests others not follow his example.
Former Residents Call on Black Bear Ranch to Unsettle The Klamath River
Posted on March 30, 2016 byEight years ago, when I moved out to the West Coast for the first time, I wasn’t yet aware of the intentional community movement. I’d always imagined living collectively, but it wasn’t until I learned about Black Bear Ranch – through a documentary called “Commune” – that I realized communities like it actually existed. In… Read More
A Permaculture Card Game Is Raising Funds on Kickstarter
Posted on March 28, 2016 byFood Forest, a card game designed to teach kids about permaculture, is raising funds on Kickstarter. As of this writing, it’s two-thirds of the way toward its $10,000 goal and has around 10 days left to go. The game is developed and designed by Karl Treen, who came up with the idea while teaching gardening… Read More
Free Online Permaculture Class Starts May 2!
Posted on March 25, 2016 byInterested in learning more about permaculture but don’t have any hands-on experience? Have friends or family who want to know what it is you do on your eco-village or urban farm? Oregon State University is offering a free MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) called Intro to Permaculture, running from May 2 through May 27. It’s… Read More
Life in an urban eco-village
Posted on March 23, 2016 byHi, I’m Saul, the new Social Media Manager here at FIC. I’m excited to join the team from my home at Foster Village, an urban eco-community in Southeast Portland, OR! If you have any feedback or suggestions for a future blog post, you can reach me via e-mail or on Twitter. Living in an urban… Read More
Words of Experience: Starting a Community
Posted on March 1, 2016 by1 Comment
A founder shares a well-learned lesson: “It is a LOT of work to start an intentional community. A LOT.”
Offerings to the Land
Posted on January 21, 2016 byBefriend the land where you are, and you will never be lonely.
Three Kinds of Community—Three Kinds of Experience and Learning
Posted on December 1, 2015 byWhether with refugees, in the inner city, or in intentional groups, community holds life-long lessons.
Land Use Regulations, Urban Planners, and Intentional Communities
Posted on October 11, 2015 by1 Comment
A century since the United States’ first citywide zoning ordinance, community founders can find support in unexpected places when navigating land use laws.
My Struggle to Legalize Sustainable Living
Posted on October 1, 2015 by8 Comments
After nearly three decades of activity, a pioneering eco-community collapses under the weight of legal attacks by a small group of neighbors.
It Takes All Kinds to Raise a Village
Posted on September 21, 2015 byAfter an engaged local citizenry creates cultural shifts, a city endorses rather than prosecutes code-bending strategies that promote resilient community.
My Intentional Community and the Law
Posted on September 11, 2015 byBreitenbush has a long history of dealing with legalities and illegalities, from installing a volcano as their “boiler” and blocking old-growth logging to successfully petitioning for a zoning variance.
It’s the Law
Posted on August 25, 2015 by3 Comments
Communal living is no escape from dealing with legal issues and challenges coming from both within and outside the group.
Urban Flex Farms: Farming on a Bicycle
Posted on August 4, 2015 byIn the face of structural challenges, some urban farmers are finding innovative ways to serve their neighborhoods.
The Balancing Act of Farming in Community
Posted on July 24, 2015 by1 Comment
Is Cobb Hill a model of how to do community and farming cooperatively, or a case study in their challenges?
The Community’s Garden Orchestra
Posted on July 14, 2015 byEngaging in collective food-production is like making our own music together: it’s both difficult and rewarding, especially with diverse players involved.
Hot Topic, Raw Emotion, and the Spice of Life: Chewing over Food Choice in Community
Posted on June 24, 2015 byAt La’akea, members’ various approaches to food reflect the quest for emotional as well as physical sustainability.
Rough Start to Rural Community
Posted on May 28, 2015 byRough Start to Rural Community Christian and Johannes Zinzendorf call themselves Harmonists, with central beliefs around the value of hard work in an agrarian life, and a communion with the spirits in nature. They make their own clothes from fabrics that they grow and spin from flax. They grow and harvest grains, care for a… Read More
Best Friends Build Tiny House Village
Posted on May 26, 2015 byBest Friends Build Tiny House Village Living in the same town was not enough for four couples who have been best friends for 20 years. They decided to double down on their relationship and buy a little bit of land “in the middle of nowhere” on the Llano River in the Hill Country of Texas.… Read More
Support the Global Ecovillage Network Summit
Posted on May 12, 2015 bySupport the Global Ecovillage Network Summit From July 6-10th, hundreds of activists will gather at the Findhorn Ecovillage in Scotland for the GEN+20 Summit. They will celebrate 20 years of uniting people around ecological solutions, and plan the next steps to spreading sustainability around the globe in these important times. “Since it’s founding in 1995,… Read More
A Resilient Society
Posted on May 5, 2015 byA Resilient Society Resilience is the ability to absorb shocks and continue to function. In this short video series the Post Carbon Institute explores the questions around how our world has gotten to where it is, and what a world can look like functioning within it’s limits. The Law of Diminishing Returns The Great Burning… Read More
Permaculture Resources at Your Fingertips
Posted on April 27, 2015 bySelf described as a big crowd of permaculture goofballs, Permies.com is chock full of forums, links to resources, videos, and helpful information about smart ecosystem design! Check out Permies.com for a trove of permaculture resources at your fingertips.
Nautilus Shaped Wind Turbine
Posted on April 25, 2015 byThe Archimedes is a unique new design in alternative energy. It is a nautilus shaped wind turbine, in that it’s blades are shaped like a Nautilus shell. This design allows it to point directly into the wind to capture the most amount of energy, while remarkably producing very little sound. … Read More
Family Grows 3 Tons of Food on 1/10th Acre
Posted on April 4, 2015 by1 Comment
Family Grows 3 Tons of Food! The Dervaes family turned a “regular city home” into a thriving garden ecosystem that provides more than enough food for their family, and plenty to supply a local food stand. “Surrounded by urban sprawl and just a short distance from a freeway, the Urban Homestead project is a family… Read More
