grief oasis eco-village commune

STATUS AND PLAN

We are a forming community of couples, singles and pets currently sharing an off-grid house on ~100 acres of land. Over the next two years or so, we’re inviting people with a shared vision to join us on a rent or work-exchange basis with the goal of forming our group of founding members. We are within 30 miles of a town of ~5,000 (with smaller towns within ~10 miles) to enable folks to have outside jobs if they wish. We have internet fast enough for remote work (video calls, etc.).

Once we have established the core group, we will collectively decide on our legal, membership, and community structures.  Over the next ~5 years, we want to transition property ownership to a community owned legal entity (such as a land trust, LLC, etc.) in which all members share equity. We are actively researching and working to determine fair, desirable and practical equity accrual mechanisms and vesting schedules, but are fully committed to equal communal ownership of the property, assets, ventures, and liabilities. This will likely include retroactively awarding equity to early members who joined during the formation phase and stay on with the community as members. If anyone has experience and/or wisdom in this area, please reach out.

EXPANDING FROM HOUSE TO VILLAGE

Part of our commitment to lowering financial barriers to joining, and keeping in the spirit of our other values, is co-creating low-cost living solutions. For the sites we are considering for this project, zoning already permits several additional dwelling types, such as detached accessory dwelling units (ADU), farm worker dormitories, etc. Accessory structures could offer a way to move common spaces (office, kitchen, dining room, etc.) out of the existing house to increase its dwelling capacity through minor renovation. Depending on how the community wants to build more dwellings over time, a variety of minor- and major-use permits are also available. We are also excited to create low-cost alternative/natural/off-grid/low-tech/experimental structures, as long as they don’t endanger community members or the environment and natural life. There are several flat pads for siting dwellings, and we’re open to you bringing you own (such as tiny house or similar) or happy to work with you if you want to come build one.

CO-CREATING WITH OTHERS

This living document aims to offer a framework for our vision, rather than any rigid structures or procedures. Throughout our development we have drawn inspiration from a range of community models within the broader communities movement, such as Breitenbush Hotsprings, Twin Oaks Community, Earthhaven Ecovillage, Shimmerback Ranch, Occidental Arts & Ecology Center and others. We’ll add details here as they become available, but please do reach out for more info if you are inspired by the vision or want to share your wisdom :)

OUR CURRENT PRIORITIES

Our initial focus for building the community is finding folks who are interested in the possibility of becoming founding members, and who want to collaborate on our priorities of: (+) establishing a permaculture food garden–see garden details below, (+) establishing a grief & community healing ritual business, and (+) odd jobs needed to renovate and improve the existing land and structures.

OUR VALUES

Connection over consumerism, Ecology, Bartering, Right relation with nature, Relationality, Community and communal ownership, Equality, Sustainability, Practicality, Balance, Sovereignty, Dignity, Honoring individuality and creativity, Reverence and peace, Celebrating each other, Healing and transformation, Fun :), Learning and teaching, Love <3, Imagination, Trust and trustworthiness, Repair and reconciliation, Participation in local and global culture building, Purpose and satisfaction, Rest and restoration, Emotional freedom and freedom of expression, Sharing and togetherness, Science, Building, Creativity, Magic, Helping each other build tolerance for discomfort.

OUR LIBRARY

Here are some sources of inspiration & wisdom for us:

Grief, Community Healing, Ritual: Malidoma Some (The Healing Wisdom of Africa), Francis Weller (The Wild Edge of Sorrow)

Other: Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass), Thich Nhat Hanh (True Love), Betty Martin (The Wheel of Consent), Wendell Berry, Jessica Fern (Polysecure), Hafiz, Everyday Utopia (Kristen Ghodsee)

OUR GARDEN:

The land has 0.5-1 acre of fenced garden including raised beds, hoop houses, ~150 sqft greenhouse, ~900 sqft indoor/outdoor workshop. Water is a mix of spring and well, multiple year-round ponds, and the garden has 6000 gal of tank storage. There are a few assorted young/mature fruit trees.

Before permanent membership in the community, we invite folks for a rental/work-exchange to ensure we’re a good fit for each other. We draw inspiration from https://www.earthaven.org/rentals/. If finances are a limiting factor, we won’t ask you to pay rent or utilities. You’ll have a private bedroom and access to all communal spaces. We anticipate some shared community income that can cover staple consumables (basic foods, etc.). You may also perform outside work if you wish. We plan to offer vehicle share to any capable and legally insurable drivers living with us. We also plan to have various analog and e-cargo bikes for basic mobility needs.