Tous les francophones sont bien évidemment les bienvenus! La version française viendra sous peu 🙂 La communauté sera bilingue.

We want to create a dynamic, innovative, intergenerational, interspecies, caring and inclusive eco-village, perhaps starting with about 5 people and then growing to up to 20 people. This small but very connected neighbourhood (community) would be more than a place to live, it would be a place to learn, share and grow, a place to build collective power to bring about positive social change inside and outside our community and in the world at large. It will be a beacon of peace for us and for the world. We are a highly motivated group of people who want to live in a regenerative, affordable, ecological and positive environment where we feel we belong but where we also thrive to create a socially, economically, culturally and environmentally healthy world for all species on earth (including humans) and for generations to come. Many of our social, political and economic systems are broken and, as R. Buckminster Fuller reminds us, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, you have to build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”  And to create the new model, we need to unite people, groups, movements, learn and share, be open-minded and coordinate our strengths, knowledge, tools and ideas to co-create new, sustainable altruistic and holistic changes in society. United we rise, but alone we fall.  By living close to each other, within a short walking distance, possibly arranging the small houses in a circular fashion and building a small  Center for Unity, Earth Regeneration and Effective Social Change (inspired by effective altruism), conferences, events, learning programs and workshops could take place, as well as hands-on learning experiences. We believe we could bring learners, teachers and citizens together to be, share and co-create new cultures, ideas, projects and campaigns for healthy and resilient people, animal and environmental transformation. As John Rawls showed us, an equitable society is one where, by not knowing where and who you will appear, by not knowing your race, gender, profession, status, species (etc.) and therefore being ignorant to the extent that you will be part of the advantaged or disadvantaged group, privileged or not, behind the veil of ignorance, cognitive biases dissipate; producing a more just and egalitarian society. 

The eco-community will start small and gradually grow and improve as friends, volunteers and collaborators join in to help it. We envision sharing land and resources such as water, electricity, taxes, tools, possibly a zero-emission car or minibus, common space such as a kitchen and gardens, and skills such as construction, woodworking, plumbing, creative skills, communication skills and much more. We would also like to organize free food and exchange events that would benefit the entire community, both indoors and outdoors. We want a community where everyone’s basic needs are met and where community building, open communication, trust and people-centered self-organized systems are in place to enable an optimized collective life. We hope to be able to move slowly from a selfish point of view to an ecological point of view where we understand that our well-being cannot be built on the suffering of others; where sharing enriches our lives rather than the other way around. We would like to have on board people with experience in construction, permaculture, gardening, animal care, as well as activists, artists, thinkers, dreamers and many others. Houses should be small or tiny (for environmental reasons), but we don’t have specific criteria yet. We are open to all options. We can build together, joining forces and energy to make this possible in one way or another. We are thinking of houses made of straw bales, mud or other creative approaches such as converting old buses into small colorful houses or the possibility of living in connected houses that could be open to an inner courtyard. We would like to create a small animal sanctuary with mainly small animals that need a safe home, place to run, jump, connect and be free of harm. We would collectively attend for their needs and offer them a natural and stimulating environment in which to grow and be happy with us, as respected citizens of the earth. We could amplify their voice and share their unique stories to raise compassion and awareness. We would like to be able to work together and amplify our power and voices for issues such as equality and liberation of animals and humans through projects such as the Canadian Plant-Based Transition Coalition or any other project with great potential. We would also like to share dinner together, so we could have a common building with a shared kitchen that could eventually become a WildVegan Cafe. This could be linked to a small, comfortable, flowered outdoor patio where locals could come and enjoy our delicious garden dishes, most of which are local. It would also be nice to build a small art and culture studio where we could paint, draw, talk, knit and play in our free time. We could also convert an old granary into a recording studio and a resting place for the animals on the second floor. We would also share an underground winter greenhouse and permaculture gardens of food, flowers and herbs, and plant trees and food forests. We hope to find a place in nature with a mixture of forest and bush, where we could hopefully have a small stream or water source. In time, we could build small Glamping facilities or tree houses, or small RV houses and tents for outsiders who might want to join us in contributing to environmental, social and animal rights projects underway in the community, tending the garden or the animals, while having a good time in nature in a small house. We could also use RBNB to earn some money for energy efficient facilities in the community, such as solar panels and water tanks and filters for rainwater harvesting. Our energy would probably be connected to the grid first, but the goal would be to disconnect gradually and use renewable or recycled materials and energy to reduce unnecessary waste.

 We are people (human and non-human), who are trying not only to reduce our negative footprint on the earth, but also to produce as many positive effects as possible, uniting with ourselves and others to create a kinder, greener, fairer and more resilient world for the generations of today and tomorrow. Collectively, we strive not only to live in a regenerative, green and peaceful environment, but also to learn, work and grow together while maintaining a low carbon footprint and fostering dynamic, creative and innovative spaces where collective thinking and high-impact social change, the alleviation of suffering and the enhancement of rights, opportunities and well-being are central to the concerns of human and non-human animals and our planet. We are facing unprecedented threats and we are at a key moment in history; either we try together or we sink together. Social, animal and environmental problems of unprecedented but growing severity are knocking at our door every day. And this must change, we must explore other ways of living, working, economies, ways of being and communicating with each other, we must try, test, learn and be creative. We could all benefit from a more cohesive society. Will we succeed? It’s hard to say, but one thing is certain, we will certainly fail if we don’t even try. So let’s learn together and see what other world is possible!

Alone, we go fast, but together we can go far (African proverb).

Let’s do our best to help the transition to a green, diverse, inclusive and resilient future for all sentient beings. We believe that diversity, compassion and inclusivity will make us grow stronger together.

From a broken food system that leaves us dying, to a food system that helps us striving. For a system where non-human animals live with us and not for us and where all genders, race, faith, capacity, age, socio-economic groups ,species and difference is welcomed.

Our website – Notre site web: https://harmonie-tempesta.wixsite.com/tinyvegecommunity

Plantbasedly yours -végétalement vôtre,