Paul:
>The land is for sale. Sooner or later somebody is going to buy it. Small
>tracts aren't good for much else other than building a home. Will any
>member of this list be likely to do it worse than the next people the RE
>agent shows it to? Assuming that if it isn't bought now it's likely to
>stay like it is for long seems unfounded in reality to me.
I am encouraged by the growing number of people and organizations that are,
in fact, buying land and leaving it natural. They of course are in the
minority, but what a wonderful example to follow. Being a steward of land
left natural gives me great contentment.
>Ecovillages seem fraught with danger to me, unless it is very clearly
>spelled out how to break it up if the need arises. Look at the divorce
>rate in this country and tell me any living with common property situation
>would be more stable. I'd also suspect that unless you are talking about a
>commune, for the sharing of communal property to be �fair' there would have
>to be a ton of rules and restrictions spelled out first, or
>misunderstandings would be common.
Cities are fraught with more danger but that's where most people choose to
live. Ecovillages are like all human inventions, imperfect. I think of them
as the next generation of intentional communities, members of which have
learned the hard way what works and doesn't. None of that communistic
nonsense about giving all your worldly possessions to the community. IC
veterans are highly skilled at conflict resolution and teach it to others.
Yes, of course, all ecovillages have written agreements to avoid
misunderstanding and no one enters one mistakenly. Ecovillage members tend
to be smart, educated and sincerely eco-motivated. I would bet that history
shows that their communities are more stable than the rest of society.
Check out The Eco-Village Network of the Americas, Celo Community,
EcoVillage at Ithaca. Celo has long had a waiting list of people wanting to
get in. A good place to start is at http://www.gaia.org Follow the links.
Lots of ecovillages in Europe. Lots of ecovillages around the world to
observe and model on.
I prefer having a separate house on my own land but the model of individual
homes on acreage is unsustainable. Few ecologists completely walk their
talk and I'm one of them.
Gene GeRue, author,
How To Find Your Ideal Country Home
http://www.ruralize.com
"Find your place on the planet and dig in."
- Gary Snyder, from an essay in Turtle Island
