GAIA CENTER

Creating Intentional Community

What is Intentional Community Anyway?

An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities.

The members of an intentional community typically hold a common vision.

They typically have shared resources and responsibilities.

Intentional communities include; cohousing communities, eco-villages, communes, co-ops, etc.

Many Hands Make Light the Work!

Our Project’s Goals

To have a working farm that produces food for the community members (and possibly a CSA/ market farm).

To have cooperative businesses that support our endeavors.

To build and live in a way that is in harmony with the Earth.

To live out these goals in a way that is conscious of our intent and celebrates the challenges and rewards of collective living.

A Rural Farm Village

About the Land 78 acres of land, 16 acres of pasture. 62

acres of wooded rolling hills. The land has a creek and a few groundwater

springs. We are located on a gravel road 3 miles off

the interstate. The land is located outside of Colfax, Iowa.

23 miles east of the Capitol. It has an existing open-sided barn with

electric, and three fenced paddocks. There are many black raspberries,

mulberries and wild plums growing wild across the property.

The Land

The Community House

•The Main house is a 2,300 sq ft. building designed for community dining, workshop and office space.

•There is living space on the second floor.

•A wrap-around porch will accommodate outside seating when completed.

Community House Details Whole tree construction using ‘round wood’ taken

from the property.

100 yr. old barn beams and other recycled materials designed into a pole framed structure.

Designed and built as a strawbale building. The plaster failed and the walls were re-constructed using ‘stick framing’ and recycled cellulose insulation.

Plans include incorporating-water catchment, solar hot water heat and PV Panels.

We Live & Learn

And We Try Again – Possible is Better than Perfect!

Compost Happens . . .

Thoughts on How it Could Look

MembershipDecision making and Group ProcessThe FarmCooperative BusinessesHousingStructureCultureSpirit

How We Grow Together

Some Membership Options

1. Most people are full time Residential Members.

2. Others are transitioning to the farm, and are full time Associate Members.

3. At the beginning, everyone is a Provisional Member to get to know each other.

4. People that do not want the country life, but want to be involved, can become a Support Member (i.e., someone involved in a cooperative business).

Together So Much is Possible

Decision Making/ Group Process

Ideas we like~ 1. We believe that everyone deserves to

have a voice in the process of community.

2. We would like to have regular meetings run with a modified consensus model (consensus minus 1).

3. We would like to have twice monthly business meetings.

4. We would like to have monthly visioning meetings.

One Way It Could Look

Life on the Farm

Permaculture Land use:

Food forest and perennial food crops Humane animal husbandry (chickens, goats, etc.) Organic vegetable gardens (ornamental flowers?) Ponds and aquaculture Greenhouses and four season food production

We would like to grow most of the communitiesfood on the land.

We would like to employ canning, preserving anddrying to eat wholesome foods year round.

Prosperity

Cooperative Businesses

We envision diverse enterprises on the land.

Businesses could be owned by a few members or Community owned.

Some ideas we have~-Artist cooperative -Events and retreats

-CSA/ market garden -Educational workshops

-Healer’s co-op -Drum making

-Green Building Business -Spirituality classes

Even Working Together Can Be Fun

HousingWe envision different options ranging from –

1. Green built cabins scattered around the property with a shared dining facility

2. A large central dormitory style building.

3. Yurts and other 3 season housing that people can live in while building more permanent structures

4. Lots of ‘common spaces’ throughout the community (i.e., libraries, music space, entertainment areas, workshops, meeting spaces, etc.)

One of the important things for us is that the community is designed for people to ‘run into’ one another during the course of our daily lives (while ensuring private space for individuals also).

Home is Where the Heart is

So What are We Building? Housing types-

• Single family houses• Dorm/ Group

housing• Short Term/ 3

season housing Costs Sharing the labor of

building Ownership

• Leasing/ renting/ contract

• Zoning & Permits

Styles-• Strawbale, • Cordwood,• Yurts• Cob• Underground/Berm• Living Roofs • Earthbag

Foundations

Finding Peace While Working Together

Structure How will we be organized? Areas to talk about are:

•Legal Structure

• 501 (c3) (d) non-profit

• Limited Liability Corporation LLC

• Community Land Trust

• Cooperative

•How will Enterprises be run?

• Community Owned

• Small groups (like an Arts Coop)

• Individually

• How would space be used for each of these?

•Buildings/ Residences

• Who will build them?

• Where will the capital come from?

• How would spaces/ land be allocated?

• What happens if folks want to move on?

•Income and Community Resources

• What will be the expectations for member contributions (both physically and monetarily) to the community?

• Will there be work and enterprises that community members can support themselves with in the community?

It’s Easy to Have Fun When Your Friends are Your

Neighbors!

Culture An agreed on code of ethics: Non-violent, egalitarian, accepting of all sexual

orientations, gender identities, races and ethnicities.

Goals: - To be joyous in our shared endeavors.

- To strive to be:

Collaborative, respectful, open minded, helpful, communicative, progressive, and feminist.

- To pursue an environmental ethic, loving kindness, willingness to work through conflicts, sharing of knowledge & skills, inclusive socializing, tolerance of differences, practicing generosity, forgiveness & abundance consciousness.

- Most importantly to have the simple willingness to keep trying.

Spirit in Community

~ Connecting in our common respect for the Earth and the cycles and seasons of

the land.

~ Finding the Sacred in each other and ourselves.

What’s Next?

Land Tour Discussions Potlucks Decisions Commitments Work Parties Drum Circles Coop Projects Planting Building Fun Creating Community!

Let’s Dig In & Get It Built!