Stacked logs in a forest clearing with trees and greenery around.

Northwestern Ontario Environmental Science Education Research Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Forming
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2021

What we do

The Northwestern Ontario Environment Science Educational Research Community is a non-profit corporation that is also a science based research community.
It is grounded in the scientific method, individual liberty, participatory economics, respect for the natural world, and the benefits of sharing knowledge and labor.
More details will eventually be available on our website.
Please note that we host our website ourselves and sometimes our connection to the internet is unstable.
Dec 2024: This year, inspired by beehives, we have invented our own method of building a house and have begun construction of a prototype. The foundation will take most of 2025 to construct and the home should be ready for habitation in 2026 (based on 1 person doing all of the labor part time) This home, made with all natural and locally available materials, will be passively heated and cooled and should be entirely safe from wildfire even though the core building material is wood! Contact for more information.

Our Mission

NOESERC researches sustainable and self sufficient methods of food production and storage, transportation, power production and storage, construction, and economic, political and social structures. This knowledge is then shared freely to all.
The environmental case for severely restricting fossil fuel use has been made and is quite clear and compelling. It has also been thoroughly rejected by the various current civilizations as one can easily witness by the rising demand and use of fossil fuels. As a result, by 2035, most of the current worlds oil production, including around 95% of western oil production, will be reduced to 0. We will be then living in a post-oil world. Here at NOESERC we are doing everything we can to prepare for a world in which climate change is running rampant, society has collapsed, and oil is gone. We are starting over. If this sounds like a worthwhile challenge to you, we need all the help we can get.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Ecovillage
  • Commune
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Services Business
  • Others

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2021
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2021
  • Started living together

Video

  • 2 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
2

How to join

Ideally the process will be as follows:
Step 1: Become a friend of NOESERC. Interact with the directors and other friends of NOESERC on the official website.
Step 2: Submit membership questionnaire to be put on a waiting list.
Step 3: Once the requisite cabin is available you will be interviewed virtually by the directors.
Step 4: If successful, you will be contacted to provide references and a background check will be performed.
Step 5: We will co-ordinate your move to your new home.
Practically we do not have everything exactly in place for that yet. It has not been a top priority because we have had only a single expression of interest in the last 4 years.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

The best bet is to send us an email and begin a dialog.
If that goes well you will need to arrange to show up for a working visit.
If that goes well, and you are still interested in joining, you will be extended an official invitation.
Then your new life will begin.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

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

I am working on the details of community governance but with only 2 members this is not a high priority.

Economic model

  • Partial Income-Sharing

Members contribute a percentage of income to community funds.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Regular fees: $400
Labor: Encouraged or suggested (28 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
This is a much more involved conversation but essentially all members “owe” the community 4 hours per day.
This can be paid for with labor or cash at minimum wage.
A one-month cash equivalent commitment is required to become a prospective member.
After a year of continuous residency, full membership is acquired.

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

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Fire pit, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately all meals

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

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

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By several individuals through an LLC or a Tenancy In Common agreement

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar
  • Hydro

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Land area size
    63 acres

Guest Book

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

Location

  • Ontario, Canada

Northwestern Ontario Environmental Science Education Research Community

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
1 week ago

Beautiful 3+ Bed, 2.5 Bath Townhome in Established West Emerald CoHousing, Seattle

A rare home is available at West Emerald Cohousing, an established all-ages intentional community in West Seattle. For those considering a move to the Pacific Northwest—or hoping to join a mature community rather than one still in the forming stages—West Emerald offers decades of community life, beautiful gardens, shared resources and a peaceful setting within the city in a convenient location since 1999. This unit has a unique floor plan that is ideal for co-buying, co-living, or for one household. The home itself offers a flexible 3+ bedroom, 2.5 bath layout: Garden-level room with a separate exterior entrance and half bath—ideal for a home office, studio, guest space or client-facing business Main-level bedroom and full bath, laundry, making one-level living possible Open great room with large windows overlooking gardens filled with birdsong Well-designed kitchen with generous storage and pantry Two additional light-filled spacious bedrooms and a full bath upstairs Thoughtfully maintained and updated Located at the end of a common pathway for added privacy and garden views, Just feet from parking, which is out of view West Emerald community amenities include: Common House with gathering and activity spaces Community meals and events Mature gardens and shared outdoor spaces Workshop/maker spaces and bike barn Exercise room EV charging opportunity Excellent Metro access to Downtown Seattle just minutes away Nestled into a dell, it’s Seattle’s best-kept secret South Seattle College and lifelong learning, NW Wine Academy, the Seattle Chinese Garden are nearby, with easy access to Alki Beach, Lincoln Park, magnet schools, ferries, and the shops and restaurants of the West Seattle Junction. 6000 17th Ave SW, Seattle, WA Is a wonderful opportunity to have your own comfortable, private home while becoming part of a vibrant and well-established Seattle all-ages cohousing community. For more information contact the friendly Realtor at 206-579-9066, or at ki**********@**********te.com who will be happy to meet you there or do a facetime tour.
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
3 months ago

Do you feel called to help co-create a small, newly forming eco-spiritual community?

Old structures are crumbling. New ways of living are calling. We are answering that call. Wild Grace is an eco-spiritual community located in the Sierra foothills 30 minutes from Grass Valley, California. We recently completed new homes for those who feel called to our vision. Currently there are four of us living on this sacred 80 acres of land although we are a hub for an expanded neighborhood community. Many join us weekly for potlucks, expressive dance, Qi Gong, monthly musical gatherings, and seasonal celebrations in our temple, as well as tending to our orchard. We are excited to welcome others to join us on the land who are dedicating their lives to spiritual growth and ready to live in a more focused and intimate heart-centered lifestyle. Might that be you or someone you know? The fundamentals are simple. Spirit. We listen personally and collectively together most mornings, usually starting with a musical offering, a prayer, or a short reading, followed by about 40 minutes of what we call “sacred silence.” Heart Circles. About once a week we gather to share and listen. We are informed by authentic and compassionate communication practices. Nature. The land itself—an 80-acre oasis of field and forest perched above the wild and scenic South Yuba River—calls for our stewardship in the gardens, orchard, greenhouses, and general care. In turn, nature feeds us abundantly, both literally and spiritually. Interbeing. We join with others to share inspiration and connection as we host monthly gatherings of song, story and prayer that draws from the larger community in addition to other events we share with our closer neighbors. As we attend to these fundamentals, Grace flows to and through us—often in “Wild” or unexpected ways. Grace catalyzes through us, but is not something we possess. Because we all are connected, we feel that Grace actively transforms n
Offer
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 days ago

Housing Co-op in Berkeley, CA has two member openings for 1-bedroom units

Parker Street Cooperative (PSC) – a co-owned housing co-op in Berkeley – has two openings for 1-bedroom units for new prospective members! THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS 11:59PM ON NOV 1ST, 2026 You can find the application on our website at parkerstcoop.org Our monthly assessment for a 1-bedroom will likely be just $675 (compared with average rent of about $2,400 for a 1-bedroom in Berkeley). This covers all our shared costs. This is a great opportunity to become a fellow co-owner at a very affordable cost and secure long-term low-cost housing with a co-op community in a fantastic location in Berkeley! The current  share price for a 1-bedroom membership is about $30,600 (which is a small fraction of market rates and entirely refunded/sold back with nominal interest if a member leaves the co-op) ONE-TIME CAPITAL CONTRIBUTION FEE Lastly, if admitted, becoming a member also requires a one-time, nonrefundable $6,000 Capital Contribution Fee, which helps sustain the co-op property. For example, renovating a unit prior to move-in averages about $12,000.   CO-OP DETAILS PSC has 24 units in two buildings. We’re located in a highly convenient Berkeley location, fairly near the UC Berkeley campus, downtown, a bunch of grocery stores, Ashby Avenue, the Berkeley hills, two BART stations and other public transportation, and just two blocks west of Telegraph and two blocks south of Dwight.   The apartments have beautiful, nearly wall-to-wall windows in the living room, sizable windows in the bedroom and kitchen, hardwood floors, and original Art Deco kitchens and bathrooms. Shared spaces include common rooms, rooftop decks, beautiful though moderate garden spaces (17 fruiting plants!), high-quality fitness equipment, a very well-equipped maintenance room, bike/storage space, and a rear parking lot. MAKING IT POSSIBLE We co-own and manage the property and work together to help keep it very affordable for us and for those who come after us. For that reason, we need people who are excited and prepared to contribute substantial time, energy, and skills to the co-op, such as project leadership, budget management, facilitation, conflict mediation, administration and/or gardening. An ability to get along with a wide range of different people is also highly desirable, and prior co-op experience, or similar experience with cooperative or community-based living, is a plus. MAINTENANCE SKILLS — HIGHEST PRIORITY FOR THIS OPENING For these specific openings, substantial maintenance experience/skills are a major priority! 9-MONTH PROSPECTIVE TRIAL PERIOD The final two candidates selected after our interview process would first enter a 9-month fixed-term tenancy. As a tenant, the candidate would pay $1,675/month in rent, along with a $1,675 security deposit (which is either refunded or credited towards the share value). Near the end of the 9 months, the co-op will make a final decision about whether to offer the candidate admission as a co-op co-owner. CO-OP TOURS We’re planning to organize at least two tours of the co-op property in October before the application deadline. If you’d be interested in joining a tour, please contact us at pa***************************@***il.com and let us know. We don’t have openings that often, and each one is a special opportunity! Please feel free to share this opening with anyone who might be interested in being a new member for our community!
Need
  • Communities with Openings
7 days ago

Looking for a family-friendly farm, cohousing, or intentional community

This might be a little hard to explain, but I’m going to try. I’m 28, Colombian-American, and I have a seven-year-old daughter. Our life is a little unconventional. I travel, my work is not a normal 9–5, and I’ve realized I don’t want to keep building our life around temporary housing, hired help, and having to recreate a support system everywhere we go. I keep wondering whether there is somewhere we could actually belong. Not necessarily an “intentional community” in the formal sense. It could be a farm, a group of families, cohousing, an intergenerational household, or something I don’t have the language for yet. What I want is for my daughter to grow up around people she really knows. Other children. Adults who become familiar and trusted over time. A place where people notice when someone needs help, where meals or childcare or work sometimes overlap naturally, and where community is more than everyone living near each other. And for myself, I want people I can actually think and build with. I care a lot about spirituality, inner work, land, education, caregiving, and learning how to live differently. But I also care about power and about whether the communities we create reproduce the same things we say we’re trying to get away from. I need to be around people who can acknowledge things like racism, class, gender and systemic inequality without becoming defensive or treating those conversations as inherently divisive. I’ve been developing some of my own thinking around all of this through a framework I call Conscious Colombia, Participating Wisely, and Contemporary Sādhana. A lot of it comes down to a question I keep returning to: how do we become people who can participate in community wisely, while also creating structures that remain accountable and open to correction? I don’t have a fixed location in mind and I’m not looking to rush into anything. I’m really just trying to find the people and places where this kind of life is already being attempted — imperfectly, seriously, in real life. If you’re building something like this, living in something like this, or even asking similar questions, I’d love to talk.

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