bONES Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 it's happening all over the world, with all kinds of different people from rainbow gatherings in the States to kibbutz in Israel and so forth i've been interested in communal living since I was a teenager...when things were rocky at home, i'd go off to live at my best friends farm...it was the closest thing to a hippy commune i'd ever seen/known. his extended family introduced me to so much...good music, buddhism, communal living, compassion and nature, to name a few! I've been inspired by places like The Farm by people like Steven Gaskin, and those that chose and continue to live in the spirit of community. Could it happen within the skank community? A big parcel of land in Canada somewhere, people committed to seeing our farm sustain itself, a place of shared growth, respect, music, organic gardens.... The Farm Community anyone have thoughts on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Wish Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 In this day and age, I think it is a somewhat impossible notion. There will always be one bad apple to spoil the bunch. A true commune would require a group of willing participants who are also able to perform a variety to tasks to ensure the survival of the group. Inevitably, like every good road trip, there is always that one person who won't chip in for gas, wears last weeks socks, and is a bother- and in your commune what if that person was responsible for watering the vegetables or mending clothes. Chaos, I tell you. And chaos amongst peace loving freeloaders is the most intense, uncontrollable kind. And besides, how would you ever contribute to your RRSP? Sean ps. If you can't tell by now, I am in a weird mood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bONES Posted February 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 quote: I think it is a somewhat impossible notion. how is it not only working, but flourishing at The Farm in Tennessee then? I agree with you though, i have totally encountered my share of freeloaders along the way. what i am interested in is...co-operative land use! I'm not looking to live in a big house with a bunch of people...more like having my own space within a kind community of people on a chunk of land somewhere. There could be a common house where members can congregate for whatever reason, yet return to the privacy and solitude of their own dwelling. Not a 5 bedroom house with a 3 car garage! I'm thinking more along the lines of a yurt, trailer, straw-bale house, etc. I have friends in the Slocan Valley who bought into a co-op a few years ago...they hold sustainable living, straw-bale construction and permaculture workshops, etc. to generate income for the community. it seems to be working for them i think it takes optimistic, respectful, conscious and compassionate people to make this style of living a success Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Fetish Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 I not only grew up on one for a time- but i wrote my thesis for my BA on this topic as the living arrangement impacted on children who experienced them. Here are two of the best resorces for info on these types of movements around the world. they can be a great place for many people at certain times in thier life. Intentional Communities Web site Directory of Intentional communities around the world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Beware of this type of communuity living: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggrtrhhrtgg Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 It could totally work, I lived on a Kibbutz in Israel for a short period of time, and they were able to incorporate communial living with the outside world easily... Their community had everything that we have in our lives, even the best discotique in the Neger... I was really amazed how they adapted to the world outside of the kibbutz... that really impressed me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 i think about this everyday, my plan for the next 10 years is to get some property up nort and start a comunity. i just heard of one that opened in bancroft ontario, about 3 hours from toronto. they are looking for people to come joing then full time or part time, i think people are even invited up for the weekend any time they want to go, i'll try and post some more info if i can find it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 I have some friends doing a co-op property farm share with a half dozed other families/couples up north can't beat country livin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kung Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Let's steer away from the communish and hence culty aspect of this for a moment. What we're really talking about is living off the grid, in some co-operative fashion having all the necessities for at least simple living. The Everdale Farm up in Erin is a good example and set up as such (Tasha knows all about that too). They've got a model house setup with a grey water filtration system, straw bale and/or cob construcution, some interesting heating and design aspects. They do farming and have a seemingly non-operational small wind turbine. Although the land their, they have 50 acres would be super pricey. So if you were talking more the near north there would be price advantages but some factors like the Canadian shield and perhaps more harsh winters to deal with. Although the group of co-opers I met with just last week up in Sudbury suggested there were some advantages to organic farming in the near north as alot of the land has never been sprayed and a heartier crop might fair well. Another guy I met just yesterday in Kingston, Fatehr Brian Hart was talking about the Kingston Trade Winds project which is looking at siting a bunch of wind turbines on Wolf Island and running the cable themselves (at a cost of about 8 million which for some reason they have to then 'gift' it over to Hydro One for some reason or another if they want to use or sell the electricity generated). Anyways a bit off topic but Hart also talked about a crop called Switchgrass that can be pelletized for heating and is carbon neutral when burned. They want to manufacture this in the Kingston area with a co-operative business structure. Just some thoughts of what others are doing- there's certainly alot of knowledgeable and accessible people out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Fetish Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 I bet the one that your talking about up by Bancroft is the one my parents and thier friends from TO and KW started up way back in the 70's- Dragonfly Farm! it is an ever changing entity that can offer shelter and a home to those that choose to seek it out and contribute to it. and everdale is an intersting example of a group people that set up an intentional community with a business model. And certainly the people that started Dragonfly way back when soon relized that many of them didn't knwo how to make money away from the city- so you have to negotitate a business model for the community that works form pooling of resources and energy and and equal dispersment of the benifits of the community. It can work- but it requires work as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irie. Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 i've heard about this working all over the place. not a commune but an actual working farm. from apple farms in New Hampshire to self sustaining farms in Hawaii. it's possible if everyone has respect and love.....and isn't afraid to work for your keep. depending where you go it isn't always hard manual labor. i've been thinking about moving to a co op farm for quite a while. was even going to start one on a horse farm......and i've been thinking of moving to Canada since high school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulvee Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 This may of some interest,and relevence here http://www.motherearthnews.com/202/article.asp?page=handmade Groove Fetish: My parents have a cottage up on Lake St.Peter, and as i kid i used to get them to drive me by Dragonfly and look at the "Hippies". Sometimes we stopped and bought flowers off them.. Cool ass place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Freak Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 I lived on a bio-dynamic(self sustaining organic farm, based on the philosophy of Roudolph Stiener...also the founder of the Waldorf Education Philosophy) farm out west for awhile, it was cool. Self sustained farming is A LOT of work...you need a huge amount of land just to have one cow. Remember, self-sustained means that you borrow little to nothing from outside your own means: grow your own feed for all your animals; you have certain guidlines you should abide by as far as your crops go...etc...to much to get into. If you're really interested, biodynamic farming info I havn't been to that site for awhile but I think it's the best one out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Fetish Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 Good old Lake St Peter and Foster's General Store. yah- we were quite the spectacle then and well- I think it's still noted locally for its particular brand of colour. It was a cool place as far as I was ever concerned and I think it has served many people well at various times in their lives. Small world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kung Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 The co-operative living model is alive and well in Ontario. I've just got back from a tour all over the province and can speak to that personally. Mind you this is not commune but co-op living and their are alot of implications in terms of governing yourself. I've always thought that something like this could work if you had the right group of people, I always imagined a kind of straw bale hobbit house community in the near north of Ontario. Alot of challenges though. You hear peole from the housing co-ops often complaining about the challenges of keeping poeple motivated about the co-ops duties and activities or maintenance issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthejourney Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 I am totally IN!!! I have been into this sort of living for a while and have done some research. There are lots of communities around the world and in Canada. Most of these people are willing to share their knowledge on how to start such a project. For me, it wouldn't happen for a few years but it is always in the back of my mind. I have some friends and friends of friends that all have talents/skills to contribute to this sort of thing. Our idea is to set up and have it sort of like a retreat/workshop place for people to come to. I will be a certified Iridologist and Clinical Herbalist in a few years. My friend is certified in aromatherapy and massage. Her boyfriend makes drums amongst his many talents.Another friend is an electrician and she is moving into wind/solar power. Another friend of mine will soon be done wilderness guide school. Then they have friends that know how to do cob/strawbale building from the ground up and have been looking to purchase land in the Queen Charolotte islands in BC. Add in some good cooks and farming people etc and this thing could take off. We could all learn some of eachothers skills such as organic farming and the building techniques to contribute to the community. I personally like this because when i have a family i want to be around like-minded folk....for myself and for my children if i ever have any. Everyday I try to move towards a more sustainable life style and I believe this is totally possible. Definitely no living in one home....you need several homes on a large amount of land, with a common house. And you need to find land with a good water source. YOu also have to be careful to respect others belief systems in this situation....some of these communities have become cults by making everyone have to be into/believe the same thing. All and all...great idea and i truly hope that I myself can be apart of such a community one day. Here's one site to check out http://enc.ecovillage.org/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigger Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 I've been interested in communal living for years thanx for the info folk's. I think it can work just need the right plan . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 I've read the comments here over the last day or two and find it really ahrd to comment on my own experiences, and to view them as conclusive evidence that community living works or doesn't work. When I was in India I spent a month in Auroville (www.auroville.org). It is one of the world's largest intentional communities with the population currently around 1700, of which about 1/3 are indian and the rest foreigners (Germany, France and Scandinavia make up most of that group). It was actually designed to provide housing and livelihoods for 50 000 people at some point. In it's 40 year history it really HAS managed to live up to the expecations that so many people and organizations - including UNESCO - had for it...at least philosophically. Yet when you're actually there and when you actually talk to people you realize that in many whats what's great on paper is not as great in reality. For example, main commercial and industrial traffic from Auroville's many cottage industries travels on Ring roads, and these roads pass right through the greenbelt because at one point someone thought those areas would become mixed occupancy (commercial, residential and industrial). That hasn't happened, nor is the industry really booming so many people are traveling along very long roads to get where they're going, and they're inducing a huge dependancy on motorised travel instead of more eco-friendly alternatives One of their other issues is the conflict between designing Auroville the way The Mother (spiritual leader of the community...read more on the website) intended or following generally accepted principles of sustainable construction...fuck that...following construction principles that Indians have been using for years without fail. There was a very tangible clash between the spiritual and the practical there, similiarly between those who wanted Auroville to thrive economically and those who valued spiritual sustainability above all else. Fortunately, I worked on two projects there that brought out the best in people. One was an organic farm being run by a british woman. Here is her website: http://www.buddhagarden.org/. She was applying very sound farming principles to grow organic food for the community. She was adapting crops to harsh, dry conditions, and doing whatever she could to help boost the food supply so aurovillians wouldn't be compelled to drive or bike into Pondicherry to buy groceries (taking money out of the community). I also helped a kid named Island build a house, or at least get the foundation started. He had actualy grown up in Auroville and was now trying to lay down his own roots. We ended up mixing concerete with a few bags of cement and tons of earth which we pounded for days to level. It was hard work but it was fun too. My experience is just one, and a short one, but I do beleive there's promise in a sustainable community. I'd urge people who are interested in them to consider what skills and benefits they could bring to an existing community...one that is made up of caring and nurturing people who might desperately need a: computer expert, organic farmer, woodworker, accountant, day care worker, doctor, nurse, outdoor rec person...creating a new community could mean you wish to isolate yourself from the rest of society, and practically speaking it takes a shitload of money to do it...something that many people seem to forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 Hey Luke, Did you visit St.Ignatius? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treefaery Posted February 5, 2004 Report Share Posted February 5, 2004 I have been interested in self-sustainable living forever. I am in school for midwifery right now, so I think that these two interests compliment eachother well... very similar to The Farm. Although I have heard that The Farm isn't as fully functioning as it has been. I still am planning a road trip there to visit in may. I don't know very much about self-sustainabilitly, only from research, not actually doing it. I have so much to learn... what I really need is a man to help run the farm...any takers? Anyways, it's so great to hear stories of people with similar interests. We should all keep in contact and share info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bONES Posted February 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2004 what I really need is a man to help run the farm...any takers? have ya met Jared yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siloet Posted February 5, 2004 Report Share Posted February 5, 2004 cooperative cummunity living eh..... what diferentiates cooperative community living from what we are living in now...I think the only differance is the establishment of currency and organized government...Even on these Farms there is some level of trade...ie Work for food etc...The community we are living in now is still a cooperative community just on a greater scale. In fact it can be argued that it is even more cooperative because we are cooperating on a global scale. You are cooperative community living. What is it that you want from cooperative community living, what is it that makes it appealing. Whatevert that is why dont you try and bring it to the community you already live in, or share your ideas with the world. As opposed to going off to a farm somewhere and hiding fromthe rest of the world... Just a thought...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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