Localization
What Can We Learn from the Amish?
Posted on April 23, 2019 byTouch the soil, live simply, and be satisfied with “enough”: it’s worked for the Amish for almost 300 years and it can work for us as well.
How We Came to Inherit a Salmon Stream
Posted on March 30, 2019 byThe residents of Sahale Learning Center and EcoVillage welcome the salmon who swim from the Hood Canal up the Tahuya River each year to spawn.
Your Monthly Freebie: Localization of Happiness
Posted on March 11, 2019 byLocalization: Essential Steps to an Economics of Happiness By Helena Norberg-Hodge Edited by Steven Gorelick and Kristen Steele This month’s free resource comes from our friends at Local Futures, who work to renew ecological, social and spiritual well-being by promoting a systemic shift towards economic localization. “From jobs to finance, from food to climate, from education to… Read More
Planet Community – Episode 3 – Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage
Posted on December 31, 2018 byWe have to transform our cities! Over 50% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and it’s only increasing. Models for sustainable, equitable, urban community must be developed. In this episode of Planet Community we look at Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage in Cincinnati, OH. How do we move past the consumerism and concrete… Read More
Regenerative Victory Gardens
Posted on October 15, 2018 byStacking Benefits of Gardens When you plant a garden, you are doing more than practicing a resilient skill, and cultivating mouth watering beefsteak tomatoes. You are reducing food miles by creating sustenance locally, without the need for costly and dirty energy inputs. You can skip the application of dangerous pesticides and fertilizers, and instead of… Read More
How to Start A Meal Sharing Co-op: An Excerpt From Together Resilient by Ma’ikwe Ludwig
Posted on February 27, 2017 byThis post is an excerpt from Together Resilient: Building Community in the Age of Climate Disruption by Ma’ikwe Ludwig, published by The Foundation for Intentional Community. Visit our fundraising campaign to learn how you can support the publication of the book and get yourself a copy! **** Food is one of the true universals: everyone eats. Most of us have familial… Read More
The Cool Block Program Helps Neighbors Work Together to Fight Climate Change
Posted on February 16, 2017 byWhen we hear the words “intentional community,” we may think of residential communities like back-to-the-land communes and urban housing co-ops. But you don’t have to live in the same house to have a shared vision and make an impact. A non-profit called Cool Block brings entire neighborhoods together to support each other and build community over… Read More
Take Part In The People’s State of the Union This January
Posted on December 26, 2016 byBeginning in 2015, the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture has led a project called the People’s State of the Union, to coincide with the president’s annual address to the nation. Taking the perspective that democracy is “a conversation, not a monologue,” the PSOTU is a chance for communities to come together and share the hopes and challenges… Read More
How This Toronto Nonprofit Encourages Collaborative Consumption
Posted on December 12, 2016 byFor years, the news media has been looking to Silicon Valley as the epicenter of the new “sharing economy.” Maybe it should be looking to Toronto instead. Over the past few years, the Institute for a Resource Based Economy has been expanding the concept of collaborative consumption throughout the city, helping Ontarians reduce waste and make the… Read More
This Binational City Would Make Borders A Thing of the Past
Posted on November 14, 2016 byArchitect Fernando Romero has a plan for a binational city stretching over the U.S. and Mexican border. The project was on display last month at the London Design Biennale 2016. The designers call it “the first integrated masterplan for a binational city conducive to both sides of the border, employing tools of enterprise such as special economic zones… Read More
Buy, Eat, and Live Local With Help From BALLE’s New Toolkits
Posted on November 7, 2016 byWhether it’s eating local, supporting worker-owned businesses, or taking money out of Wall Street banks, the “localist” movement is on the rise. While the dominance of mega-corporations like Wal-Mart and Amazon may seem complete, small businesses make up half of the U.S. GDP and create over three times as many jobs. The Business Alliance for Local Living… Read More
How Seed Saver Networks Are Protecting The Planet’s Biodiversity
Posted on October 20, 2016 byAs more farmers and gardeners take an interest in permaculture, seed savers’ networks are becoming a vital way to preserve heirloom varieties and protect our planet’s biodiversity. Although not as visible as the farmers’ markets that line our neighborhood sidewalks on Sundays, they’re an integral part of the farm-to-table movement. Seed savers and seed libraries… Read More
The Boat-to-Fork Movement Promotes Local and Sustainable Seafood
Posted on October 17, 2016 byMany of us are familiar with the farm-to-table movement: we might shop at our neighborhood farmers market, or even subscribe to a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) model as a way to support local farms. But what about other products, like seafood? Can we find ways to eat fish locally and sustainably? A network called Local Catch… Read More
Shared Earth Connects Gardeners With Unused Land In Their Neighborhood
Posted on October 3, 2016 byFor years, projects like Fallen Fruit and the Urban Farm Collective have been making it easier for people to access the excess produce and gardening space in their neighborhoods. A new project called Shared Earth brings the concept to a wider market, using the latest peer-to-peer technology to connect gardeners with unused lawns and gardens… Read More
The Diggers Started Their Own Back-to-the-Land Movement in 1649
Posted on August 18, 2016 by“In 1649/to St. George’s Hill/a ragged band they called the Diggers/came to show the people’s will.” So starts Leon Rosselson’s song, “The World Turned Upside Down,” which tells the story of a radical Protestant sect in Surrey, England, that became one of the earliest examples of the agrarian socialist movement. The group formed during a… Read More
The First YIMBY Conference Says Yes In My Backyard
Posted on July 21, 2016 byMany U.S. cities are in the middle of a housing crisis. Some, like San Francisco, have been struggling with it for years, while others, like Portland and Seattle, hope to avoid following the same trajectory. There are many factors at play, including high rates of migration to urban areas, and the impact of peer-to-peer homesharing… Read More
The Placemaking Movement is Turning Cities into Communities
Posted on July 8, 2016 byOver 15 years ago, a group of natural builders organized the first Village Building Convergence in Portland, OR. It’s partly the reason why the city is now dotted with colorful intersections, cob benches, and unconventional living spaces. According to the organizers, “We recognized that modern life and the structure of our cities often don’t create… Read More
One of These 7 Finalists Will Be the First “Smart City” in the U.S.
Posted on June 23, 2016 byLast year, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its “Smart City Challenge,” a contest that will award one mid-sized city with $50 million in funding to improve its transportation networks. The USDOT hopes the selected city will become a role model for implementing safer, more energy-efficient technology. Out of 78 entries, the USDOT has narrowed… Read More
How These Collaborative Networks Foster Inter-Community Connection
Posted on May 16, 2016 byAs interest in community living grows, it’s important that we make it easy and accessible for people to get involved with their local co-ops and coliving spaces. For many people, community dinners, art and music nights, and overnight stays are the ideal way to explore whether coliving is right for them. Sometimes, it can be… Read More
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
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
5 Reasons Why Intentional Communities are More Relevant Than Ever
Posted on May 4, 2015 by5 Reasons Why Intentional Communities are More Relevant Than Ever In the 70’s and 80’s there was a flurry of intentional communities that then seemed to lose their relevance, and less followed. Interest and developments have once again mushroomed for obvious reasons. Here is a brief countdown of some of the reasons. 1. Freedom of… Read More
Income Sharing Urban Communities
Posted on May 2, 2015 byIncome Sharing Urban Communities Point A is a group which has “an audacious proposal to form urban, income sharing, egalitarian, democratic, ambitious, engaged communes in the cities of the American East Coast.” So far these cities include Washington DC, Baltimore, New York City, and Richmond. That is a lot of adjectives! Here are some descriptions… Read More
All About Healing
Posted on April 22, 2015 byLearn All About Healing Many are opting to localize their approach to well being, by taking as much responsibility for their health and healing as they can. AllThingsHealing.com explores health from many dimensions including the body and mind, your community, and the environment. It examines increasing and sustaining healing through a multitude of disciplines, which… Read More
