Scenic view of a lush green landscape with trees and a rainbow.

Phoenix Forest Gardens

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2013

What we do

Our community is based on a gorgeous 18 acre property on Salt Spring Island, BC.
Rolling fields, multiple established orchards, berry patches and gardens are interspersed with private corners for residences and groves of trees.
There are currently 8-10 adults and a teenager living on our part of the land (The other land partner has multiple tenants on her side and is not part of this project per se).
We also accommodate work traders throughout the growing season and have a large dome as a communal structure for workshops, events, ceremonies etc.
There is no religious affiliation of the project.

Our Mission

Vision Statement :
Creating paradise together on our little piece of Earth
Who we are:
A small group of individuals stewarding a beautiful piece of land on Salt Spring Island, BC
Goals:
Regenerating the land
growing a food forest garden with a wide diversity of edible, medicine, and other helpful perennial plants for the long term and future generations
Annual gardens to feed our community and beyond
Striving towards a localized food system and food security
Beautiful, healthy micro-Housing with some shared facilities
Creating a beautiful, uplifting place that others want to visit and be inspired by (agri-tourism, teachings…)
Values:
Caring for our planet
Sustainability
Collaboration and friendship
Clear communication
Respecting each other
Listening
Taking responsibility for ourselves and what we use
Abundance mindset (no scarcity/poverty mentality)
Can-do attitude
Fairness and equality
Play and fun

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Activities
  • Farming

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2013
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2013
  • Started living together
  • 8 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
19

How to join

If you are interested, please read our Operating Agreement and Vision Statement.
The next step is to send an introductory letter to fr****@************si.com – letting us know who you are, what you can bring to the table and why you think you would be a good fit.
Then there will be a meeting with at least one farm member, which will be followed by a meeting with all current members if the first meeting is positive.
All members must contribute monthly fees to cover the operating costs of the farm, infrastructure, and agricultural lease.
Beyond that all members must take on certain areas of responsibility as well as be involved in the farm, garden, managing work traders, be available for weekly meetings and work parties, and reliably use Slack as our communication Channel as well as organizational documents.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Please send a brief introduction and we will share more of our operating documents.
you can also fill out the membership questionnaire on our website.
If it resonates with you, please send a more detailed letter of intent outlining what you can bring to the community as well.
then we can schedule a visit or online meeting and go from there.
You are also welcome to join our Friday farm days, help out and get to know some members and the land.

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Conflict resolution approach

The land is leased by the community from the owner, who is also a community member.
while the owner has the right to veto a decision that is against their vision, and certain lease conditions and agreements need to be fulfilled and cannot be changed, day to day operating decisions are made by the community with a more horizontal governance structure.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Regular fees: $700
Labor: Yes (8 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Operating costs contributions may change based on number of members and needs, and be re-evaluated at year end.
They may also change if the community purchases the land.
Labor requirements change seasonally with the farming season and based on projects on the land, and are not fixed hours.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • About once a week

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Community activities and engagement

  • WWOOF'ing, Guest Farming

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Buddhist

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a single individual, couple, or Family Trust

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

Self-produced energy

  • Over 66%

Energy sources used

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Food forest
  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Land area size
    9 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • BC, Canada

Phoenix Forest Gardens

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Need
  • Promoted
  • Events
1 week ago

Healing Love Healing Money: Trust As The Foundation For A New Culture

Money, love and power are among the hardest things any community works with, and many of us carry the same fears into both: not having enough, losing what we have, and the sense that if someone else gets money or love, we won’t. Healing Love, Healing Money: Trust as the Foundation for a New Culture is taught by two intentional communities. Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle are from Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Center, a Buddhist-lineage community in the BC Rockies. Monika Alleweldt and Benjamin von Mendelssohn from Tamera Healing Biotope, a community of about 160 people in southern Portugal that has spent decades studying love, trust and relationship. Clear Sky has spent years working on its relationship with money, and our two communities found surprising parallels in the fears beneath both. Over four sessions we explore the roots of fear around money and belonging, love, possession and power, trust as infrastructure (community as a container for healing), and ethical livelihood. We use short meditations, body-based practices, reflection and small-group conversation. You do not need to be in a romantic relationship or live in community. When: October 27, Nov 3, 10, 17. All four sessions: 12–2pm Vancouver, 1–3pm Alberta, 7–9pm UK and Portugal, 8–10pm Central Europe. Note: US and some Canadian provinces change clocks on November 1, so the US west coast is 12–2pm on October 27, then 11am–1pm for the remaining sessions, and Eastern is 3–5pm on October 27, then 2–4pm for the rest. Cost: sliding scale Details and registration: https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/healing-love-healing-money-online/  
October 27, 2026 13:00 – November 17, 2026 15:00
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
4 months ago

Do you feel called to help co-create a small, newly forming eco-spiritual community?

Old structures are crumbling. New ways of living are calling. We are answering that call. Wild Grace is an eco-spiritual community located in the Sierra foothills 30 minutes from Grass Valley, California. We recently completed new homes for those who feel called to our vision. Currently there are four of us living on this sacred 80 acres of land although we are a hub for an expanded neighborhood community. Many join us weekly for potlucks, expressive dance, Qi Gong, monthly musical gatherings, and seasonal celebrations in our temple, as well as tending to our orchard. We are excited to welcome others to join us on the land who are dedicating their lives to spiritual growth and ready to live in a more focused and intimate heart-centered lifestyle. Might that be you or someone you know? The fundamentals are simple. Spirit. We listen personally and collectively together most mornings, usually starting with a musical offering, a prayer, or a short reading, followed by about 40 minutes of what we call “sacred silence.” Heart Circles. About once a week we gather to share and listen. We are informed by authentic and compassionate communication practices. Nature. The land itself—an 80-acre oasis of field and forest perched above the wild and scenic South Yuba River—calls for our stewardship in the gardens, orchard, greenhouses, and general care. In turn, nature feeds us abundantly, both literally and spiritually. Interbeing. We join with others to share inspiration and connection as we host monthly gatherings of song, story and prayer that draws from the larger community in addition to other events we share with our closer neighbors. As we attend to these fundamentals, Grace flows to and through us—often in “Wild” or unexpected ways. Grace catalyzes through us, but is not something we possess. Because we all are connected, we feel that Grace actively transforms n
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
4 weeks ago

Build Your Future in Rural Portugal — Business Partnerships & Sustainable Living

Mellow Cogumelo is seeking 2–4 motivated individuals or couples interested in helping develop two food businesses and a small, cooperative rural community on 30 hectares of off-grid land in southwest Portugal.We’re looking for long-term partners, not short-term volunteers or visitors interested only in learning mushroom cultivation. This is an opportunity to help shape a project with substantial facilities and equipment already in place. TWO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Artisan Neapolitan PizzaOur mobile pizza operation includes an equipped professional kitchen, pizza trailer, and wood-fired oven. We’re particularly interested in someone with pizza-making experience who would enjoy developing and eventually managing this business.Specialty Gourmet MushroomsOur mushroom facility includes a dedicated laboratory, production equipment, and controlled growing environments. Mushroom cultivation or farming experience is welcome, but initiative, practical skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn are just as valuable. MORE THAN A BUSINESS Our wider vision is a small rural community built on independence, cooperation, mutual respect, and care for the land.Future projects include vegetable gardens, orchards, regenerative agriculture, and further improvements to our off-grid infrastructure.This is rural living, with its rewards and challenges. The property is reached by approximately 2 km of dirt road. We generate our own electricity and manage our water systems.We maintain a non-smoking, drug-free environment. Reliable transportation, or a realistic plan for it, is important. HOW IT COULD WORK We hope to meet people who want to create lasting livelihoods by gradually taking greater responsibility for developing and operating the businesses.We envision operating partnerships with increasing profit participation, based on mutually agreed responsibilities, milestones, and business performance.These are developing commercial opportunities; immediate income cannot be guaranteed. Financial and working arrangements would be discussed individually and established through appropriate agreements.On-site accommodation may be possible as part of an agreed arrangement. WHO WE HOPE TO MEET Practical, dependable, independent-minded people who like hands-on work and want to contribute to something for the long term.Experience in food service, cultivation, agriculture, construction, mechanics, or business development is welcome. Shared values and commitment are most important.If this speaks to you, please tell us about your background, skills, and what you’re hoping to build over the next few years.Learn more on our Join Our Team page at mellowcogumelo.com.

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