Person standing on wet rocks near a stream at the Foundation for Intentional Community.

A Watership Up

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Forming
  • Ecological
  • Nomadic

Founding year

  • 2013

What we do

It was something to think about after occupy…
We needed something, anything, so we consensed…then we travelled…then we worked…then we suffered…then we died…because it wasn’t actually sustainable…it wasn’t even livable…and ultimately it wasn’t survivable.
This option removes the encumbrance of land ownership, which arguably is impossible–or at the least incredibly injust–in these united states…
You can be a nomad anywhere.
You can help others anywhere.
Primarily sailboats.
Secondarily water-based living.
Tertiary nomad lifestyle.
(tentative description)

Our Mission

A water-based, sustainable effort, with a view to a better quality of life.
(tentative statement)
disclaimer: almost all of this is planned; the only actuals are a couple of sailboats on the ohio river; there are no requirements for supporting one another; see the forum for more in depth clarification; zero members, zero donations, zero $

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Coliving
  • Student Co-op
  • Ecovillage
  • Sustainability practices
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Farming
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Networking
  • Services Business
  • Others

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2013
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2017
  • Started living together
  • 0 Total member
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
-

How to join

You have to make the meeting.
It helps if you have a boat…
The “real” is in international waters.
The “community” is on your boat.
(see discussion forum)

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Contact the email address listed (the message button), or text the phone number.
[Current Focus: Ohio River (Cincinnati to Louisville) to Canada to Montreal (Quebec) to Nova Scotia to Maine]
[Secondarily any of the great lakes or the ohio river; Mississippi still a possible]

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

In terms of leadership it is avant-garde style. Time, effort, and input, but most importantly quality… Those who lead, lead.
Yearly gathering of all recognized vessels in international waters.
There are values, techniques, and sometimes codes–plenty of guidelines.
All vessels are autonomous unless they identify with a flotilla.
We do not govern.
All persons (of flesh and blood) fully qualify as members. All vessels also count as members. All flotillas also count as members.
No member shall be barred from leaving any member, at any time, under any condition–though it is encouraged that these decisions be made at the gathering…
It is strongly encouraged that these decisions be negotiated.
No member shall be denied the right to negotiate.
No member is “required” to accept any other member.
The main idea is acceptance and cooperation…not to mention a healthier life; however, we shall not infringe upon the free agency of any individual.
Once again if a member chooses not to attend the gathering nor send an emissary, they are no longer considered members. You cannot operate as us, that year, unless you physically attend. We may seek out a vessel or group if they send emissaries, consecutively, over several years. We may seek a member out if they drop all contact without notice…we will not follow you if you don’t want us to.
There is no quorum. The IC, whole, assembly, et. al. is whomever arrives. If you need help, please ask.
We enjoy expeditions. Qualified and seasoned expeditions don’t mind the separation–some see it as a necessity.
(see forum)

Economic model

  • Partial Income-Sharing

Members contribute a percentage of income to community funds.

Additional economic information

Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Trade or die…or prove the statement wrong.
(if you’re that sustainable what exactly do you need? tribes, clans and groups that have separated historically tend to die out… individuals and couples tend to do quite well. try sargasso and fish, or a distiller, and a year out there)
There is no monetary cost to join.
There is no regulation to that effect however.
Merit based efforts are strongly encouraged.
We will make every effort to ensure that there exists at least one (1) vessel, with space available for new member(s)–at no initial charge (cost) nor any debt thereafter. We do expect members to pull their own weight (or of others they bring with them, if they so choose)–this is a vital necessity aboard ship.
We have no stance to judge one another–nor will we create one, but we do make judgements based upon the evidence.
If a working group chooses to exploit its members it will more than likely end up as all exploitive endeavors. History 101… …and the general assembly will more than likely catch wind of it as well.
Membership requirements remain as stated.
(there is a focus on eventual boat ownership for all members if desired; boat trading; group property if feasible–otherwise individual ownership and/or crew ownership while aboard is encouraged) (other forms of boating are not discouraged though not exactly the focus) (we have found that unfortunately money does not help people gain the skills and motivation for this effort. we see it more as a drug…for emergency use, or simply as a mechanism–effort to property–for acquisition of the necessary tools to maintain the vessels; however, realizing more native skills that require very few outside tools is also very important. although, in the desert that is blue water…there is very little to harvest…unless one has gills and/or a pressure suit.) (donations of very useful items is encouraged; esp. boats)

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

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Hot tub or hot springs, Outdoor Kitchen, Large Scale Kitchen, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Recreational vehicles, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced
  • Hunting / Fishing

Community activities and engagement

  • Transition Town (post-petroleum and off-grid communities.)
  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Ethical Business, Investment Group, or Alternative Currency
  • Organization, Resource, or Network
  • WWOOF'ing, Guest Farming
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Religions
  • Baha'i Faith
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Jewish
  • Muslim
  • Hindu
  • Quaker
  • Sufi
  • Hare Krishna
  • Native
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions
  • Unitarian Universalist

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Guest Book

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

Location

  • Indiana, United States

A Watership Up

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
  • Events
3 weeks 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
Need
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Events
6 days ago

Womens Tiny Mud House Workshop

I’m Na, a regenerative designer, earthen builder and educator with the Global Ecovillage Network. I’m passionate about helping people step into action, however big or small. A women’s build I joined back in 2015 was a much needed transformational experience that set me on this path. Offering this workshop is a way of coming full circle and passing that same spark on. Sat 16 to Fri 22 January 2027 This is a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn earthen building techniques and build a tiny house from the earth up, with your own hands. Why tiny? A tiny house requires careful, creative design and asks – what space do we actually need to live? It uses far less material and takes less time to build, so it’s practical and economical. This also allows us to experience all stages of a house build, from design and brick-making to building and finishing. You’ll get your hands into every part of the build. We’ll work with mud brick (adobe), cob and bamboo, then earth plasters and finishes. This workshop is open to women of all ages and abilities are welcome. Come if you’re new and curious, if you want more practice on specific parts of a build, or simply to play in the mud with wonderful people. It’s genuinely good fun. We’ll be in my little forest, a small house on the edge of a village and national park, 20 km south of Chiang Mai, Thailand. You can stay on site in simple earthen dorms or tents, and we’ll share home-cooked Thai food in the cool, bright days of Thai winter. Read more and register here 
January 16, 2027 00:00 – January 22, 2027 23:59

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