Practical Tools to Grow an Intentional Community

Peak Moment 83: Communities Magazine editor Diana Leafe Christian concisely spells out what the successful 10% of intentional communities do: common vision and purpose, fair participatory decision-making, clear agreements in writing, good balance of right and left-brain knowledge, methods of staying accountable to agreements, criteria for new members, good communication and processing skills. She also discusses peak oil effects on the wider community.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Diana
• Leafe
• Christian
• intentional
• community
• commune
• cohousing
• ecovillage
• peak
• oil

[domki366]

how did you get 27 minutes?

[peakmoment]

Peak Moment apparently was grandfathered in -- we started on YouTube in 2006 when there wasn't a time limit.

[TakeTheGreenPill]

THANKS!!!!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS! KEEP IT GOIN! ITS GOOD TO KNOW THERE ARE MORE OF US! CHEERS! PEACE TO YOU AND YOURS! TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP? Im in the process of moving out of the cities and my gf and i are looking into eco villages. We will see you on the path! 1luv

[peakmoment]

Hi TakeTheGreenPill,

See also Diana's half of Episode 148, "Finding an Ecovillage". Another Diana interview coming.

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Janaia

[stonescourt3]

hi. can you please explain your view of climate change? i know that we are in what appears to be a cyclical cooling period at the moment.

[peakmoment]

Based on the writings of James Hansen (NASA) and James Lovelock (The Revenge of Gaia), global climate change is the precipitous increase in atmospheric carbon. The causes are both natural (volcanic eruptions) but primarily human made (burning fossil fuels, deforestation, agriculture, methane from ruminant animals like cows). These changes are more far-reaching and potentially catastrophic to planetary life systems than cyclical heating and cooling.

[stonescourt3]

i think the best part of this video is where it's stated that any certain organization that is desired to be started is to be begun by its members and for the benefit of the other people. that's empowerment! think of the possibilities!

[0623kaboom]

@domki366 Consistent views on their video's will expand their basic time limit .. when the video's start to average over a certain number of views they get a bit more time .. What the limits are I have no idea But I have seen this on various pages where views are normally over 5k for each video they produce.

[ObiWanGinobiliTopFan]

@peakmoment Hello Janaia, I was wondering if you guys have any shows that are about the process of consensus-decision making in an intiontional community, with maybe a filming of a consensus meeting or something similar to that. I ask because this seems like it could be one of the tricky parts of community-living and it would be good to be exposed to what that process is like before diving into a community lol

Thanks! : )

[Dove11Star]

It's telling that the strongest focus is on being business-like, on community as a whole, on children, on future--ya' never hear that the ultimate priority is the PEOPLE--their health, happiness and freedom. THAT should be top priority. If the ppl aren't the treasure, then you have no treasure. Children will take on that energy, "less valuable as adult"--who would wanna grow up? Again, same as current society. Ppl who truly feel valued are not fat, unhealthy, diseased, depressed or lethargic.

[Dove11Star]

Doesn't surprise me that so few ICs work. I've observed on the sidelines for several yrs. Knew it was just ppl going out and creating what we've long had, just on a smaller scale. People have to change/heal first, and that's no easy task. Reason those that supposedly "work" (like rare marriages that do) is because many ppl in them swallow/endure what they feel they have to--feeling powerless to change it. Exactly like most of us feel and respond in the larger world we wish to "escape."

[Engineer245]

An old friend and I discussed starting up an "Intentional Community" in our local area of Tennessee but as a trained facilitator I asked him to come over to my farm shop where we brain-stormed the entire process. We discovered that our views of community were different; mine being one where everyone manages with a level field. We discovered that he wanted a cozy office while everyone else did all the dirty sweaty work. I politely declined.

[17seventySIX]

I have 125 acres in the hills of Santa Barbara California surrounded by BLM land....Would anybody be willing to help create a safe place to live, grow food, shelter, I have much knowledge but can't do it alone....Any suggestions from people out there? Any body in LA or San Fransisco with no where to go if the SHTF? We could even go underground.

[5lkk]

IMO practically every community that exists or ever existed is an intentional community in part, even communities where happenstance in their earlier moments of time.Concensus decision is something I'd like to learn more about. The idea of it sounds simple enough, but the nuts & bolts appear to be unlike anything most of us grew up with.

[ChristopherJManess]

So down to Earth on practical ideas.

[communeosho]

can I contact this person on email?

communeosho.co.cc

[communeosho]

Thanks for this video, Peak Moment!

For those who are interested in starting a community in India, please visit communeosho.co.cc or join us on communeosho.ning.com