Person petting a cow in a green pasture at East Wind Community.

East Wind Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Social
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1970

What we do

We are a 40-member collective located on 1,045 acres of rural Ozark Hills in southern Missouri. We are a member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities, and as such, we put great value in cooperation, nonviolence, and sharing. We support ourselves through two industries: East Wind Nut Butters and Utopian Rope Sandals. Our membership is very diverse, we have no central leadership, and we practice democracy. Our work lives are busy and varied, but we always find time to relax and enjoy community meals, music jams, and Ozark sunsets. Our land is one of a kind, very rural, and filled with all sorts of wildlife. We encourage individuality and diversity in our members. We are looking for skilled, hardworking, responsible, self motivated, and balanced individuals that share our values. Prospective members are encouraged to contact membership. Drop ins are not accepted, you must contact membership to visit.

Our Mission

Cooperation and Sharing; Homesteading, producing our own food

  • Purpose
  • Social
  • Community type
  • Commune
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Farming
  • Services Business

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1970
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1973
  • Started living together

Video

  • 40 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
40

How to join

Three week visitor period. One year provisional membership and then a full member vote at the end of that first year.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Prospective visitors are encouraged to contact our membership team to arrange a visit, but email first, as dropping in unannounced is not permitted.

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

There is a Board, a Social Committee, Membership Committee, and management teams for our businesses. The various managerships can serve as checks on one another. We try to avoid unhealthy power dynamics. It’s all about the people, really!

Economic model

  • Complete Income-Sharing

All member income goes into common pool for community use.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Labor: Yes (35 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
35 hours/week, members are required to work a designated number of these hours per week in our businesses.

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, Outdoor Kitchen, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Waterfront access, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately 1 meal per day

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Dietary type

  • Vegetarian Only

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Ethical Business, Investment Group, or Alternative Currency
  • WWOOF'ing, Guest Farming

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Religions
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions

Gender composition

  • Majority cis (over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Commune

    Communal living with shared resources, property, and often income or work responsibilities

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Self-produced food

  • 33 - 66%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Livestock / poultry
  • Land area size
    1045 acres

Guest Book

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

Location

  • Missouri, United States

East Wind Community

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Offer
  • Events
2 weeks ago

Restoring Choice - free online practice group, from Australia

Restoring Choice – free sessions and a practice group Many of us are less practised at three things than we realise: making clear requests, saying no when it isn’t a full yes, and hearing no without something getting damaged. These aren’t personality traits. They’re capacities that were trained out of many of us by ordinary structures – families where some needs were allowed and others weren’t, workplaces that reward overstretch. They can be trained back. Why this might interest people here Most communities teach communication after people arrive, once conflict has already surfaced. This works the other way round – building capacity first, and finding out what a group can do when most people already have it. What’s running Free 60-minute introduction, online. Same session each time; come to whichever suits. Register for intro session below: https://events.humanitix.com/reclaim-your-power-with-restoring-choice Four-week practice group, Tuesdays from 15 September, 6:30-8:00pm. One session a week, and at least one short written entry a day about a real situation in your own life. The writing is the actual work; the sessions support it. Sign up by Sunday 13 September. Register for practice group below: https://events.humanitix.com/restoring-choice-practice-group Everything is free. Times are Australian Eastern 6:30pm here is the early hours in most of the Americas. Worth checking before you register. Who it’s for No prior experience needed. It isn’t therapy, and I’m not a therapist. Many people find that looking honestly at how well they ask, decline, or hear a no is less flattering than expected. That’s common, and it isn’t a verdict on anyone. Run by Glenn Russo – 13 years practising this material, seven years co-facilitating an NVC practice group in Castlemaine. If you’re already living in community and would rather share what you’ve learned than join anything, I’d like to hear from you too.

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