Cultural, Agronomic, and Technological Community (C.A.T. Co.)

  • Community
  • 0 followers

About the Community

  • Forming
  • Rural

What we do

Welcome to C.A.T. Co. —a group where individuality is celebrated, and community thrives. We are currently working to acquire and old convent we intend to rehab. we’re a group of middle-class professionals in our 30’s who’ve come together to live, learn, and grow in harmony with each other and with nature.

Our Purpose:
We exist to support one another in times of need, to explore life’s joys, and to foster personal growth. Living close to nature, we embrace sustainable practices like foraging, gardening, and working with animals while balancing our love for life’s small luxuries. We’re here to empower each other, save money collectively, and create a fulfilling, joyful lifestyle.

What do I mean by save money collectively? Well we don’t want you to give us your pay check or anything like that. We haven’t decided on a monthly amount, but something in the low single hundreds each month is what we are thinking now. This money will be pooled together to handle property taxes/utilities/construction materials for shared spaces. That kind of stuff. We intend to have a small surplus saved up in there so we can continue to support people should somebody lose their job or something of that nature.

Leadership (or Lack Thereof)
Our leader, Donnie, is a self-proclaimed figurehead—here to take credit for the good times and perhaps serve as a scapegoat in the rare event of an angry mob. Donnie’s leadership style is more about being the friendly face of our community’s history than wielding authority. Decisions are collaborative, and every voice holds the same weight.

Spiritual Freedom
While Donnie identifies as a Pantheist with a leaning toward Fatalism, and others may embrace Buddhism, agnosticism, atheism, or something else entirely, there is no single belief system here. Our guiding principle is simple: Believe what you will, so long as it does no harm to others. Your spiritual or non-spiritual journey is yours to chart. Unfortunately, nobody as of yet has chosen to worship Donnie himself, but he can only hope.

Daily Life
Life is about balance—work, play, and everything in between. We have no rituals, but our version of communal bonding includes spirited tabletop game nights featuring Dungeons & Dragons or other card and board games. We aim to construct much of our infrastructure onsite to minimize our environmental footprint and preserve our old-growth forest.

Inclusivity
Our community is a haven for diversity, with many members identifying as LGBTQ+ and sharing a commitment to inclusivity and mutual respect. If you believe in “live and let live,” you’ll find yourself at home here.

Vision for the Future
We dream of expanding our community to include more families, especially those with children, to create a richer and more dynamic environment. Our members share a love for foraging, gardening, and creating—a blend of nature and nurture that defines who we are. We welcome those who want to contribute their unique skills, interests, and energy to help us build a supportive and thriving community.

Our Vision

Freedom of expression, living close to nature, saving money.

Our Mission

Freedom of expression, living close to nature, saving money.

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • 24 Total members
  • Not open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
24

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Reach out, we are still in the planning/building phase, but we’d love to get to know you now before we are actually looking for residents.

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

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
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Monthly fees/dues: $400
Labor: Encouraged or suggested (4 hours/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: Yes
The monthly “fee” will be as small as we can make it to keep the lights on and the internet speedy. Sorry, we haven’t figured out an amount yet, we are still forming after all.

We’d like to save funds as well for upgrades to the property. Things like construction materials for communal buildings, plants, livestock and stuff like that.

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

Common House, Garden(s), Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • About once a week

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies

Property status

  • Privately owned

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%
  • Land area size
    25 acres

Reviews

Location

  • Illinois, United States

Cultural, Agronomic, and Technological Community (C.A.T. Co.)

Promoted Needs and Offers

Need
  • Communities with Openings
12 months ago

Water Birch Co-op. Urban living in central Denver.

Large, lovely house built in 1900, two blocks from Cheeseman Park in downtown Denver.  5000 square feet. The house was a Buddhist Meditation Center for 20 years before we got it and has lovely, calm vibes. We currently have ten people and have room for one more. We are an intentional community sharing dinners, 3 living rooms, 2 new kitchens and a kitchenette, & 5 baths. Staple food (organic) is bought together. The group is self-regulating as a co-op; it decides together how the house runs. There are chores ;-) Average cost per room is about $1000 ranging from $650 to $1354. Currently available room is $875. We are just finishing renovation of three bedrooms on the third floor  they are $875 each and share our largest, newest bath (shower and separate claw foot tub) and a brand new kitchenette  they all have beautiful windows and lots of light. PLEASE CHECK OUT COMMUNITY LISTINGS FOR MORE INFO. Initial lease for 3-6 months while we and you decide if we are a good fit for each other.  Deposit in the amount of one months rent is required prior to move in.  We do background checks on all members. Utilities are currently $130 per person per month and are all-inclusive.  They will change if costs go up, that amount is insufficient to cover utilities, or more people mean the cost per person goes down.  WiFi is via mesh network from gig-speed fiberoptic service.  Heat is with radiators.  Cooling is evaporative.  We have a storage room in a nearby commercial facility.  And a new large workshop in the garage. Shared food is $125 per month per person; it is a pass-through cost divided evenly among residents; it does NOT include meat or alternative protein nor any alcohol.  We will not be surprised if that needs to go up some soon ($10 or 15). We have two dogs and three cats in the house  that seems like a sufficient quantity of furry friends for now. Our community intentions include: Communication with compassion. Shared space and life. Shared meals. Shared staple foods which are non-GMO and Organic. Group decision making. Safe, inclusive space: queer and trans friendly, anti-racist, non-violent, and feminist. The purchase of the house by the co-op in about five years. The expansion of the co-op, possibly to include other housing types (like separate apartments). Weekly meetings and house committees to manage our community. We are considering implementing Sociocracy as an organizing method. Quiet hours are from 10:00pm to 8:00am. We are looking for community members who: Want to live in a community not just have a place to sleep and eat. Want to live in a beautiful, clean, and organized house and are willing to help make and keep it that way. Residents should expect to spend 16 hours per month towards this goal. Are curious, compassionate, flexible, and open to living with others who will undoubtedly have different ideas about many things. Are interested in pioneering a new co-op. There will be work involved to get there. Are responsible and communicative. Embrace enthusiastically that living in community requires introspection and personal growth. Are not joining the community as a way of running away from something.
Need
  • Communities with Openings
5 months ago

Join us in the mountains of Western North Carolina

Coweeta Heritage Center/Talking Rock Farm is located in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Coweeta is located in a beautiful and diverse temperate rain forest. It feels very remote here yet we are just 12 miles from Franklin, NC. Winters can be mild. Coweeta is blessed with springs and a stream, pristine forests, and abundant wildlife. Power is provided by a hydro-electric system which is not connected to the grid. An organic garden and trout pond provide healthy food that is also shared with the local community. Hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities are just out the back door. Coweeta is looking for others who would like to join together to form an Intentional Community embracing the principles of Voluntary Simplicity. Simply put (no pun intended): We wish “to live simply so that others may simply live.” It is a recognition that nature provides us with valuable services and resources that we can use to enrich our lives. Utilizing local resources, appropriate technology, and working cooperatively, we can discover creative ways to meet our needs as “directly and simply as possible.”. An example of this, in the tradition of many Indigenous People”, is to gather, and use wildcrafted foods as part of our diet. There is great joy in going to nature’s grocery for our sustenance. Voluntary Simplicity is based on the recognition that “very little is needed to live well” and that “abundance is a state of mind.” Living lower on the economic ladder allows us more time and freedom to pursue other life goals: community and social engagement, family time, artistic or intellectual projects, more fulfilling employment, political participation, sustainable living, spiritual exploration, and more. According to the Voluntary Collective, “The grounding assumption of Voluntary Simplicity is that all human beings have the potential to live meaningful, free, happy and infinitely diverse lives while consuming no more than an equitable share of (the world’s) resources.” We affirm the need for a work/life balance, the right to a healthy environment and healthy food, and healthy community relationships supporting a diverse population. It is our responsibility as engineers of a new generation to make the changes that we want to see happen and pass this on to the next generations. We can’t wait for someone else to do this important work. Voluntary Simplicity is a quiet revolution that can change the world. As one person said, “we must be poets of our own lives and of a new generation.” We hope you will join us here at Coweeta or elsewhere on our journey to a healthier and more sustainable future! Temporary housing is available in a 27 foot trailer trailer with attached deck next to a creek while we build additional housing. Your basic living expenses (shelter, basic food items, power and water) are met through our market garden or other fundraising projects that you will participate in. You are expected to contribute a given amount of your time and energy to help grow our community and meet our financial obligations. Possible future plans include establishing a retreat center for healing our earth and each other. Work includes organic gardening, construction projects and other community building activities. Come join Coweeta and learn how to live lightly on the land and enjoy the Earth’s bounty! For more information, visit www.coweetaheritagecenter.com Contact [email protected] for a visit or more info.  Paul
Need

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