All Blog Posts
Call in the Experts?
Posted on September 7, 2010 byAuthor: Beatrice Briggs Published in Communities Magazine Issue #148 Q. Our group is very divided. We need to make major decisions regarding finances, organizational structures, and policies, at a time… Read More
The Community that Dines Together, Aligns Together
Posted on September 7, 2010 byAuthor: Valerie Renwick-Porter Published in Communities Magazine Issue #148 Ah yes, the community meal table. Communal dining can be a glorious bonding experience, as members recreate the feeling of an… Read More
Power and Powerlessness in Community
Posted on September 7, 2010 byA community member transcends a feeling of powerlessness when he inadvertently comes up with a brilliant idea about how to organize cooking groups, and others join him in implementing it.
Balancing Powers
Posted on September 7, 2010 by1 Comment
In a healthy community, leadership and followship are equally important roles, each with vital skill sets that can assure effective teamwork.
Power and Disempowerment on the Ecobus
Posted on September 7, 2010 by7 Comments
Some saw this radical environmental education program as a “cult,” others as an intensely focused experience of challenge and growth. Had participants lost their individuality, or gained a new sense of self?
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Communities Articles, Group Process, Issue 148, Life in Community, Sustainability
More Perspectives on Leadership and Followship
Posted on September 7, 2010 by1 Comment
The author identifies additional leadership skills, cautions against blind followship, and reflects on the many types of power in cooperative groups.
Being “Overthrown”—A Celebration
Posted on September 7, 2010 byThe founder of Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage describes what it’s like to be criticized, marginalized, stripped of leadership responsibilities, and given the opportunity to explore a new role.
LA Ecovillage Video on Yes! Magazine Website
Posted on August 15, 2010 byYes! Magazine has a video of Los Angeles Ecovillage on their website. Los Angeles’ Eco-Village from Streetfilms on Vimeo. “Urban ecovillages work with surrounding neighborhoods and the city at large… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Video + TV
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage’s Cob House in Yes!
Posted on August 14, 2010 byYes! magazine has an article and slideshow on one of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage‘s cob houses. The article is on the cover of the upcoming issue of Yes! on Resilency. The… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, News Articles
Egalitarian Community in Ethiopia
Posted on July 30, 2010 byA recent article from newsdesk.org looks at the progressive Awra Amba community in Ethiopia. Sixty-three-year-old Zumra Nuru, a longtime promoter of gender equality and religious freedom, founded the society in… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, News Articles
The Independent looks at ‘Modern Communes’
Posted on July 14, 2010 byA recent article in Britain’s Independent describes the successes of Lammas Eco-village, Brithdir Mawr and Steward Wood communities in the UK. If reassurance were needed that life in a commune… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, News Articles
Profile of Mackenzie Heights Collective in Vancouver
Posted on July 14, 2010 byBritish Columbia’s independent online magazine, The Tyee, posted a lengthy article a couple months ago on the advantages of collective living, profiling the Mackenzie Heights Collective. Currently housing five adults… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, News Articles
Cooking Co-ops in the NY Times
Posted on June 25, 2010 byThe New York Times did a nice feature on cooking co-ops. A cooking co-op, or dinner swap, is simply an agreement by two or more individuals or households to provide… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, News Articles
Harvard Magazine Features Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm
Posted on June 21, 2010 byHarvard Magazine has a nice feature on Nubanusit Farm and Neighborhood, a cohousing community in New Hampshire. They tore up the parking lot and put up a communal paradise. Or… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, News Articles
Open Meetings: Worth the Risk?
Posted on June 7, 2010 byAuthor: Beatrice Briggs Published in Communities Magazine Issue #147 Q: Our group is committed to education and to sharing our lives in community openly with others. We frequently host visitors,… Read More
Education for Sustainability
Posted on June 7, 2010 byAuthor: Chris Roth Published in Communities Magazine Issue #147 I’m listening to the rain fall on the roof of Karma, the passive solar residence at Sandhill Farm where I’m staying… Read More
How to Add Zest to Your Sustainability Education Program
Posted on June 7, 2010 by2 Comments
A permaculture teachers hits upon a gold mine of effective methods for enlivening her teaching—by drawing from the principles of permaculture itself.
Seeing the Good in the World
Posted on June 7, 2010 byAfter several years teaching about community in the abstract, an anthropologist and environmental studies teacher finds that direct student engagement with intentional communities provides the spark needed for personal inspiration, connection, and the potential for social transformation.
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Communities Articles, Finding Community, Issue 147, Life in Community, Sustainability
To Learn Sustainability Is To Learn Community
Posted on June 7, 2010 by1 Comment
Strained by difficult economic and ecological conditions, farmers Claudio and Fernando discover new avenues toward prosperity and land restoration through alliances with a peace community dedicated to regional renewal.
Live and Learn
Posted on June 7, 2010 by1 Comment
The residents of an eco-oriented, education-focused intentional community and demonstration site wear many hats, both public and private.
BBC News Looks at Co-housing
Posted on June 4, 2010 byIn this video, the BBC‘s David Sillito checks out the co-housing movement, talking to members of a community in Dorset, England. Watch the video here.
Twin Oaks on CNN!
Posted on April 22, 2010 byIn this video produced by CNN, members of the Twin Oaks community in Louisa VA describe their goals and daily experiences, and demonstrate their shared commitment to sustainability. Check out… Read More
Feature Article on Cohousing in the Boston Globe
Posted on March 25, 2010 byThis week an article in the Boston Globe examines the growing momentum of the cohousing movement in Massachusetts, and discusses the importance of community and environmental consciousness to Boston residents.… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, News Articles
London Times reports that “communes are back in fashion”
Posted on March 11, 2010 by“We’re all in this together” is the headline of a recent article in the Real Estate section of the TimesOnline that looks favorably on the rise in sustainable communities in… Read More
Filed Under: All Blog Posts, News Articles
Second Family
Posted on March 7, 2010 by4 Comments
A mother responds to empty-nest syndrome by discovering her new family in community.
Together and Apart; Eden Within Eden
Posted on March 7, 2010 byReviews of two great books on community living, one on life in a convent with surprising insights even for the most secular, and one on the history of utopian experiments in Oregon.
From Visions of Utopia to “The Many Faces of Community”
Posted on March 7, 2010 byGeoph Kozeny’s community documentary brings forth reflections on Hearthaven, discussions among neighbors and friends, and ultimately a new intergenerational family community.
Exploring Family
Posted on March 7, 2010 byWhat do Hopi Indians, John Keats, lost loves, intentional community, and family have in common? For better or worse, they’ve combined to befuddle, enlighten, dismay, and inspire our author.
Growing Family in Community
Posted on March 7, 2010 byTwelve-year-old Jibran has always lived with fuzzy boundaries between “family” and “community.” They became even fuzzier when he came home to discover his mom’s positive pee test.
Parenting in Community
Posted on March 7, 2010 by1 Comment
Though “baby having” had not been a consensus decision, a small community embraces a newborn, survives his infancy, and bonds like any other family: doing each other’s dishes, snuggling on the couch, and fighting over who gets a shower before the hot water runs out.
