Happiness
Loneliness is an Epidemic, Community is the Antidote
Posted on December 3, 2019 byI’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve been pretty lonely lately. Here I am, Executive Director of the Foundation for Intentional Community, and while technically I am living in a community, my current transitional and transitory lifestyle, including working remotely, is leaving me isolated a lot of the time. It feels terrible, and it’s hard… Read More
How to Stop Climate Change and Never Be Lonely Again
Posted on July 30, 2019 byEmpowered, sustainable communities are the antidote to isolation. And they are the pivotal technology that makes renewable energy, essential for reversing climate change, actually renewable.
Pros and Cons of Polyamory
Posted on July 16, 2019 byPolyamory comes with abundant advantages as well as numerous downsides; a polyamorist weighs the tradeoffs, grieves disappointment and loss, and celebrates love.
I Survived a Dysfunctional Polyamorous Relationship and Learned Some Lessons about Love
Posted on July 9, 2019 byLove is too strong an instinct to be dismissed, repressed, or restricted, even if it is not returned. The author recovers from a soul-crushing breakup.
Bodies in Isolation
Posted on May 18, 2019 byBeing immersed in mainstream culture and isolated from supportive, body-positive communities can prevent choice and body-awareness exploration. But living in a supportive community can make alternative choices and attitudes easier to sustain.
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
4 Building Blocks of Community
Posted on February 25, 2019 byStart a Village “If you don’t like the way things are, Start a Village!” This was the essential message that Stephen Brooks delivered at his enthusiastic TEDx talk at Black Rock City. What does a guy at Burning Man know about community? Stephen shares inspiration through his travels, studies of permaculture, and teaching, how he… Read More
What it Takes to Create Community Connection
Posted on December 3, 2018 byCommon Conceptions of Community How can we create community connection — including more support, belonging, smiles, and growth — in our lives? Bianca Heyming gave a TED talk based on her experiences, affectionately called ‘Intentional Communities – 50% Less Hippie Than You’d Expect.’ She first comedically explores people’s misconceptions about living in an… Read More
Thanks for the Fun on #GiveItAwayTuesday!
Posted on November 28, 2018 byWhat a fun day it was yesterday! From 8am to 8pm on Tuesday November 27, many of staff, board, and supporters of FIC hosted a marathon event we called #GiveItAwayTuesday. Our premise was simple. So simple in fact that we were all laughing hysterically when we first joked about it! It was a late night… Read More
Planet Community – Episode 2 – Student Housing Cooperatives
Posted on November 19, 2018 byWhat is it like to live in a Student Housing Cooperative? Quite different than a typical student dorm experience, a Student Housing Cooperative is more like “the University of Life!” — where communication, problem solving, and cooperation skills are required. In this brand new second episode of Planet Community, hear from the experiences of people living… Read More
Join FIC for Giveaways on #GiveItAwayTuesday
Posted on November 19, 2018 byConnect With FIC for a Day of Giving Back! We are inspired to give back and show our love of community on this global day of giving – November 27th. Since 2012, the #GivingTuesday global movement has kicked-off the charitable giving season by leveraging the power of collaboration and social media. Join FIC while we… Read More
Cohousing is… Quotes from Cohousers
Posted on September 17, 2018 byQuotes from Cohousers Cohousing is… “… a challenging task, with pitfalls (and perseverance), with laughter and hugs (or nods and drawing into oneself), with food and nurturing (or caution and health concerns), with a good measure of comfort and, especially, community.” “… after parenting, the single greatest personal growth opportunity.” “… a collaborative way of… Read More
Cohousing Makes You Happier
Posted on August 20, 2018 byLoneliness kills. This is what new evidence suggests from a range of reputable institutions and studies, to bolster that likely feeling in your gut about this. To clarify, loneliness is not just being isolated. Isolation is a public health epidemic. You may spend professional and personal time around other people, but just how connected… Read More
Call it Your Community
Posted on July 25, 2018 byHumanity thrives when people work together. An “Intentional Community” shows what happens when people take this premise to the next level — by living together in a village of their own making which reflects their shared values. Intentional Communities come in many shapes and sizes, and go by many names. This includes cohousing, ecovillages, cooperative… Read More
It Takes a Village to Organize a Mind
Posted on July 19, 2018 byI studied psychology in high school and college, and still find it imminently relevant today. I am fascinated when evolutionary psychology can offer insight into the roots of why we tick the way we do. What is our more original “programming” — or the baseline that we are set to be impressed into by the… Read More
The Virtue of Sharing
Posted on July 11, 2018 byHow Important is Sharing to the Future? This ‘Future Tense’ podcast ‘The Virtue of Sharing‘ covered the remarkable nature of sharing, and it’s critical importance to a thriving human culture, and our well-being. Edwina Stott interviewed our friend Tom Llewellyn from Shareable.net, a non-profit “obsessed” with sharing. They just released a new FREE guide: Sharing Cities:… Read More
Is The Country of Bhutan The World’s Largest Intentional Community?
Posted on March 13, 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! **** A group of researchers studying variations in per capita carbon emissions notes that, “Much… Read More
This Year, We’ll Need Community More Than Ever
Posted on December 15, 2016 byI woke up on Election Day ready to get the whole thing over with. My life was already in a state of transition: the eco-village I’d lived in for two years was on the of cusp of disbanding. The new collective house I was moving into into had a lot of things to get in order:… Read More
A New Book Combines Zen and Permaculture to Educate and Inspire
Posted on November 10, 2016 byStefan Geyer, a London resident active in the U.K. permaculture community, is releasing a new book called “Zen in the Art of Permaculture Design.” It’s not a guidebook to specific permaculture practices, but a reflective look at the ways permaculture principles can inspire change in our lives and communities. According to the book’s copy, “Permaculture is… Read More
How Does Your Community Create Space for Romantic Partnerships?
Posted on October 31, 2016 byIn the popular imagination, intentional communities have a reputation for being free-for-alls when it comes to love and relationships. But in reality, that’s rarely the case, and many communities have guiding principles around how members are expected to relate to each other romantically. Gender dynamics, power imbalances, and more, can all come into play when living… Read More
Best Friends Build Tiny House Village
Posted on May 26, 2015 byBest Friends Build Tiny House Village Living in the same town was not enough for four couples who have been best friends for 20 years. They decided to double down on their relationship and buy a little bit of land “in the middle of nowhere” on the Llano River in the Hill Country of Texas.… Read More
Is this Normal?
Posted on May 14, 2015 by
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
Couple Builds Cabin of Windows for $500
Posted on March 23, 2015 byA Cabin of Windows Wouldn’t it be cool if a house had a wall of windows, so it couldn’t confine the sunset to just one little space? Lilah Horwitz and Nick Olson mused at this while watching a sunset on their first date. Just under 1 year later the two returned to those same… Read More
Which stage is your tribe?
Posted on March 17, 2015 byWhich stage is your tribe? It turns out that by listening to the way people speak to each other in working and social groups one can tell a great deal about their stage cultural of development. David Logan, a researcher and professor of management and leadership at USC, and co-founder and senior partner of consulting… Read More
How to Thrive on 10%
Posted on March 13, 2015 byHow to Thrive on 10% It is often taken for granted that the United States consumes and wastes 5 times more than the rest of the planet. At the same time it is well known and highly advised that dramatic reductions in carbon pollution is needed to address climate change. We also know that having… Read More
Why should you care about Intentional Communities?
Posted on February 9, 2015 byWhy should you care about Intentional Communities? FIC Board Member Sky Blue reviews the successful systems and culture Twin Oaks has built to allow it to thrive. “Twin Oaks Community has been my home off and on for the last 15 years. It’s one of the flagships of the Intentional Communities movement, and yet is… Read More
Where to Find Happiness?
Posted on February 8, 2015 byWhere to Find Happiness? Sarah van Gelder, co-founder and editor in chief of Yes Magazine, has adapted an article from her book, Sustainable Happiness: Live Simply, Live Well, Make a Difference, to address what actually makes us happy? From A Brief History of Happiness: How America Lost Track of the Good Life—and Where to Find… Read More
6 fascinating people who own almost nothing
Posted on January 4, 2015 byMost of us can only handle stacking, storing and stepping over our stuff for so long before we start to feel claustrophobic. We go on a cleaning spree and give (or sell) it all away. But that’s only a temporary fix. Living small requires a more permanent shift. You might find it hard to believe, but… Read More
A Walk in the Park to Beat Stress
Posted on May 3, 2013 byUrban living gives you brain fatigue. It flat out makes your brain tired of constantly being alert and aware. And a walk in the park can go a long way to clear up the resulting fuzziness. Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/health/study-shows-walk-park-fixes-fuzzy-brain.html
