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Intentional Communities Newsletter: June 2008
Promoting Community Living & Cooperative Lifestyles
Communities magazine, Directory, Video and more
1 Community Bookshelf Titles At Sale Prices
2 Communities Magazine Current & Upcoming Issues
3 Events Coming Up, FIC and Related
4 Help Needed on Community Buzz Blog
5 How To Multiply Your Good Works For The Planet: Share!
1 Community Bookshelf Titles At Sale Prices
Featured by Catherine Nicosia, Community Bookshelf Manager
Consensus Through Conversation: How To Achieve High-Commitment Decisions
by Larry Dressler :: 2006; 89 pages; 8.5" x 5.5"; paperback; ISBN: 1-57575-419-7
Consensus Through Conversation
is the perfect tool for those who are wanting to sharpen and deepen their consensus skills. Despite its short length, there is a abundance of of useful information contained inside its covers. Essential topics that are covered in 
the book are a useful comparison of different decision making methods and a clear explanation of the considerable power of a consensus process.
While these subjects are of interest to everyone participating in the consensus process, there is also help and guidance for those who are wanting to learn how to facilitate these groups or who are already doing so. Included are succinct guidelines on how to start a consensus meeting off on the right foot, very good suggestions on how a multi-stage consensus process can be organized and strategies for dealing with people who engage in unproductive behavior.
I particularly appreciate the author's depth of knowledge, and I like the symbols he uses to point out and reinforce key elements of the text. Crisp and to the point, this is an excellent reference for everyone interested in the consensus process.
Regular price $16.00 Special price $13.00
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Communities Directory & Communities Magazine Subscription Combo
Save $10 off the cover price when you buy a new or renewal 1 year subscription to Communities Magazine with a copy of the Communities Directory.
We are offering a special combination deal: a 1 year subscription to Communities Magazine plus a copy of the Communities Directory for only $44. This offer good for delivery within the United States only.
Regular price $54.00 Special price $44.00
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http://store.ic.org/catalog/specials.php
Shipping/handling on mail or phone orders
4.00 S/H for first item
1.00 S/H for each additional item
S/H prices shown are for Standard Mail postal delivery within US.
Community Bookshelf
RR 1 Box 156
Rutledge MO 63563
800-995-8342
Shop online for lower shipping rates, more shipping options, and more sale items.
Information, catalog, ordering
http://store.ic.org/bookshelf
2 Communities Magazine Current & Upcoming Issues
#139 (Summer): Green Building in Community
#140 (Fall): Politics in Community
#141 (Winter): Scarcity and Abundance
Hot off the Presses: Communities' Green Building issue!
Hitting subscriber mailboxes in mid-June is the latest edition of Communities magazine, covering 
green building and natural building around the world. With contributions from Canada, the US, Israel, Denmark, Italy, and Australia, this issue is packed with ideas and news on strawbale building, re-purposing old buildings, marrying natural buiding with conventional building, and many other related topics--plus articles on seeking community, sustainable community living, cooking collaboratively, and more.
Ask for Communities at your favorite local cafe or natural foods store, or subscribe today. The Green Building issue is #139--make sure your subscription starts with this one!
Fall issue: In tribute to election season, our fall issue (#140) will focus on Politics in Community.We'll hear from communitarians who have become involved in local, national, and international politics, as well as from those who have focused on improving internal community politics. We'll learn how cooperative movements and groups are contributing to political change and helping bring bioregionalism, ecology, new models of decision-making, and a focus on sustainability into the mainstream.
We'll explore politics on a human scale, and how it may change the world.
Winter issue: Through June 27, we are accepting submissions of article ideas for the winter issue (#141), whose theme is Scarcity and Abundance. See http://communities.ic.org/submit.php for details.
Contact Communities Editor.
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Get a Communities sample issue, renew or subscribe here
http://store.ic.org//communities/sample.php
http://store.ic.org/cmag
Sample issues $5 plus $4 S/H by US standard mail.
Shop online for lower shipping rates and more shipping options.
Subscriptions one year 4 issues
$24 US :: $29 Canada :: $31 Other
Order by phone fax or mail
FIC * 138 Twin Oaks Rd * Louisa VA 23093
800-462-8240 fax 540-894-4112
3 Events Coming Up, FIC and Related
National Cohousing Conference
NICA Gathering And Seekers Fair
NASCO Action Camp
Communities Conference at Twin Oaks
2008 National Cohousing Conference
June 12-15, Bentley College, near Boston, MA
This large, national conference is presented by the Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US). It features two days of pre-conference workshops, including folks well-known to the broader intentional communities movement, including Laird Schaub & Ma'ikwe Ludwig, Diana Leafe Christian, and some key cohousing thought leaders, including Chuck Durrett, Katie McCamant, Jim Leach and many others. Pre-conference community tours are also available. These are followed by a weekend of
regular conference activities. Presentations will address everything from the basics of cohousing and designing and building communities, to living in community and sustaining the movement throughout the country.
Registration includes Friday night Keynote by John Abrams and reception, all presentations on Saturday and Sunday, and Saturday Night Dinner Fund-raiser Auction. Funds raised at our auction help support both Coho/US and the FIC. Also included are breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. Apartment-style dormitories with private baths (per apartment) are available for all conference participants; if you prefer a hotel, several are nearby. Parking is free, ample and close to the
conference buildings. Campus-wide wi-fi is available free of charge.
http://www.cohousing.org/2008/register
For more info, see the Cohousing Website section on the 2008 conference:
http://www.cohousing.org/2008/overview
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Northwest Intentional Communities Association (NICA) Events
"Finding Community" - Community Seeker's Fair
There's an exciting NICA gathering happening in Portland this summer, Friday-Sunday, July 25-27. It is cosponsored by the Fellowship for Intentional Community and Cohousing Association U.S.
Diana Leafe Christian will be with us for both the Friday evening Community Seekers Fair as well as the weekend workshop. She is a great speaker. We are excited to have her again. It promises to be a joyful weekend where we gather together for sharing, learning, singing, and dancing. Come join us!
Please go to the website www.ic.org/nica and scroll down for more details on both the Fair and our Annual Summer Gathering.
Any forming community OR communities that are looking for members/roomers, please contact Nancy (425-482-8044) or reply to this email. YOU COULD HAVE A TABLE AT THE SEEKERS FAIR FRIDAY, JULY 25TH IN PORTLAND. Please consider a donation for tabling to help cover the costs of the event.
Registration is required for camping and meals at the established permaculture farm at Columbia Ecovillage, so start making your plans now.
Please contact Alline for registration for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) event
206-322-7578 alline.thurlow-[at]-gmail.com
We hope to see you there!
-Fred Lanphear, FIC Board member and President of the Northwest Intentional Communities Association (NICA)
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NASCO Action Camp
August 10-15
Circle Pines Center, Delton, MI
Each August, the North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO) puts on a week-long training program called Action Camp for leaders in co-ops and other democratic communities. The program rotates locations, and this year's program will be held at the Circle Pines Center in Delton, MI---just 3 hours drive from Chicago and 4.5 hours from Urbana!
Experienced trainers utilize popular education and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques to facilitate interactive dialogue. Action Camp is limited to 30 participants, which creates a trusting environment for people to strategize around topics such as:
- Effective member education on issues related to safe spaces, sexual assault, accessibility, mental health, class issues, and diversity
- Meeting facilitation
- Conflict resolution
- Member and leader recruitment and retention
- Building a more inclusive culture within our organizations
By networking and sharing with leaders who represent democratically-run communities from campuses across the country, participants leave Action Camp with tools to challenge racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ableism, & other dimensions of oppression in their communities and themselves.
Please consider sending a representative of your co-op!
$350 (NASCO member fee) includes lodging, meals, professional training for five days. There is a $50 discount for participants who opt for tent camping instead of the lodge. Tips on Grassroots Fundraising are available online.
A bunch of co-ops here in Ann Arbor are putting together fundraisers to send members. Tips on Grassroots Fundraising are available online!
For more information, visit www.nasco.coop/camp, and don't hesitate to contact me.
If you'd like to subscribe to Co-op Voices, NASCO's bimonthly e-newsletter, send an email with the word "subscribe" in the subject line to info-[at]-nasco.coop.
-- Neily Jennings Director of Educational Programs North American Students of Cooperation
Registration for Action Camp is Open!
http://www.nasco.coop/camp
734.663.0889 office
734.678.1821 mobile
734.663.5072 fax
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Communities Conference At Twin Oaks Community
An FIC Co-Sponsored Event | August 15-17, 2008
Twin Oaks Community near Louisa, Virginia
With over 25 different communities represented, this conference is a prime opportunity to network amongst other community-minded folks. It is an ideal event for people who are looking for community, as well for those already living in community, to share and learn from each others' experiences.
We'll be delving into the nuts and bolts of community with a variety of workshops on topics such as Cooperative Decision-Making, Intentional Relationships, Forming Community, Community Economics, and many more. Children are welcome. The weekend includes a multitude of networking and socializing opportunities, including "Meet the Communities", swimming, and the mudpit. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Conference is co-sponsored by:
The Fellowship for Intentional Community http://www.ic.org
The Federation of Egalitarian Communities http://www.thefec.org
Twin Oaks Community http://www.twinoaks.org
4 Help Needed on Community Buzz Blog
By Tony Sirna
As many of you know we have had a new feature on the Intentional Communities website for the last six months. The Community Buzz Blog http://communitybuzz.ic.org is a place where we highlight references to community in the media (including mainstream newspapers, radio, and TV but also online videos, podcasts, blogs, etc.)
We have gotten a lot of positive feedback on the blog and many find it to be a valuable service. It draws a fair bit of traffic to our site and helps promote community by highlighting when we are in the news.
Unfortunately, the blog is taking more of my time than I can spare (about 5 hours per week) and I am looking to hand it off to one or more volunteers. The task is fairly easy and requires only a medium level of technical skill (basic web skills and ability to use online forms).
I find out about communities in the news via Google Alerts, which automatically send me an email every time there is a new page that matches my search terms such as 'ecovillage', 'commune', 'intentional community', and 'cohousing'. I then sift through these new links and look for items worthy for the blog. I do a quick summary with a short excerpt and provide links to the page. I find that it helps to do this every day or two so things don't pile up and feel overwhelming as well as so our posts
are timely.
If I could find one competent and reliable volunteer to manage the blog that would be awesome. I also think it could work to divide up the work by area of interest and have one person handle news on cohousing, another on ecovillages, another on communes, and so on. Such folks may need to do some coordination on news that references more than one type of community but I think its manageable.
If you have any interest in helping out the FIC and the communities movement and getting to read and write about communities please contact me here
communitybuzz-[at]-ic.org
Feel free to pass this on to anyone who might be interested.
Thanks, Tony
PS: I am also interested in getting folks to submit our blog posts to various social networking sites to promote the blog and the IC site. This could be done by the blog writers or by anyone with basic web skills who reads the blog.
5 How To Multiply Your Good Works For The Planet: Share!
Q: How can I save energy and money around the house and also help the climate?
A: Switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs.
Q: But how can I do more than that, and have more fun too?
A: Start an eating co-op! Host a sewing circle! Join a car-sharing group! Share stuff!
Many of us are examining our lives to find ways we can reduce our impact on the overheating, overfished, eroded, paved and poisoned planet. Of course there are lots of little things we each can do that will make a small change in our individual footprint, and those are good places to start. But we're realizing that we've reached a time when big changes are called for--and lots of them.
Are we up to it? Well, the good news is that many of the changes we need to make will also improve our quality of life. They don't mean more drudgery and boredom--they mean more companionship, support, freedom, and downright fun. I'm talking, of course, about joining our lives with other people: about community.
More and more people now understand that community and cooperation are a central part of the way forward to a healthier planet and a thriving society. Our communities are even getting positive coverage in places like USA Today and US News & World Report. Over 5,500 people are reading this enewsletter with you, and new communities are constantly appearing online at directory.ic.org--and in the beautiful new print edition of the Communities Directory.
Who talks to the media about community, distributes this enewsletter, and keeps improving that directory? The FIC does. Who refers callers to communities they might like, publishes Communities magazine, and hosts regular events offering the tools and skills needed for cooperative living? The FIC does.
Who needs your membership support in order to keep offering these things? The FIC does! Please join today, and keep multiplying your good works through sustaining the cooperative spirit. For more info on member benefits and to join online using our secure server go to
http://store.ic.org/membership
To request a membership form by mail, or to email, or to talk with a human,
contact us at:
RR 1 Box 156
Rutledge MO 63563
800-995-8342
To learn more about the mission of the organization visit
http://fic.ic.org/index.html
Many thanks from all of us in the Fellowship.
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