EVRP - Acorn Community Research Overview

EVRP - Acorn Community Research Overview12/31/2011 This blog will offer an overview of the preparing research done on Acorn Community, exploring the various foundational, organizational, and sustainable elements. The abundance of information below was gathered from the Acorn website, which is exceptional! For more detailed information you can check out: ·      The D.r.e.e.m. Reality EVRP study page ·      The Acorn Community Website I. Foundation ·      Founded: Spring 1993 ·      Location: Louisa County in heart of Central Virginia, borders the South Anna River ·      Geographical Information: 72 acres ·      Infrastructure: Original farm buildings, starting to build new green buildings II. Organization ·      Identification: Secular, egalitarian community, eclectic culture ·      Decision Making: Consensus, non-hierarchy ·      Council & Committee Structure: Meet twice a week to discuss community issues and check in with members. ·      Income Structure: Shared (Part of Federation of Egalitarian Communities) III. Visitation Information ·      Tours: Day tours available with advance contact, $5 donation per person ·      WWOOF/internship: Send letter of introduction to info@acorncommunity.org ·      Membership Application: required 3 week visit, $75 donation IV. Social A. Membership ●      Present Members: Around 20 members, age – early/mid 20s mostly ●      Membership Process: 3 week visit, interview, community decision, 1 year provisional member ●      Membership Rights & Responsibilities: Full members – health care benefits, right to block a vote (Provisional members do not) ●      Community Service Requirement: Expectation – 42 hrs/week, 6 hrs/day B. Community Life ●      Meals: Shared dinner, breakfast on own ●      Community Events and Social Life: Heritage Harvest Festival – educational event promoting gardening sustainability, local food & preservation of heritage plants. Liesure – hang out, art, music, no cable tv, movie nights, visit Twin Oaks (7 miles away) ●      Children and Families: welcome, but no education structure ●      Health care needs and practices: Full members have health care coverage ●      Spiritual/Ideology Focus: Personal responsibility, supports queer & alternative lifestyles, strives to create a stimulating social, political, feminist, and intellectual environment VI. Environmental  A. Energy, Transport, and Water ●      Energy: no mention of solar or other alternative energies ●      Automobiles: Cars are shared – town trips by one person with list of needs for members, community and personal bikes B. Agriculture ●      Farms & Gardens: Certified organic in 2000, Garden 4 acres for food & seed business, Orchard, Herb Garden ●      Food self-sufficiency/supply: Garden C. Architecture ●      Building Descriptions: Learning and experimenting with green building. 2 original land building renovated, 1 new built, 1 Strawbale/Cob visitor hut in process. ●      Future Goal: More sustainable and green building techniques VII. Economic A. Assets vs. Liability ●      Legal Entity:  Unsure ●      Land ownership: Unsure B. Business and Income ●      Sources of Income: Seed business (1999) – Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, growing network of farmers, gardeners & seed savers dedicated to organic and heritage agriculture ●      Shared Income Process: Trip Request Sheet - items needed in town by members are deducted from their account without money exchanged VIII. Further Questions ●      What alternative energy sources/goals they have? ●      Children and education? ●      Health Care for Community members? ●      Number of members on average? ●      Does seed business provide all community and individual income? Personal Thoughts – this seems like a small, hardworking community  of people that want to spend time together and away from mainstream. They have found a way to live peacefully and comfortably, have their minimal financial needs met as a community. Not necessarily striving for large scale village status. Thanks for reading! ~Dani

EVRP - EcoVillage at Ithaca Research Overview

EVRP - EcoVillage at Ithaca Research Overview12/30/2011

This blog will offer an overview of the preparing research done on EcoVillage at Ithaca (EVI), exploring the various foundational, organizational, and sustainable elements. The abundance of information below was gathered from the EVI website, which is truly informative!

For more detailed information (and more attractive formatting!) you can check out:
·      The D.r.e.e.m. Reality EVRP study page
·      The EVI Website

I. Foundation
·      Founded: 1992 by Joan Bokaer and Liz Walker, first resident site building ’95, first fams in Oct 96, 2nd resident built 2001,
·      Location:  Finger Lakes region of upsate New York
·      Geographical Information: 175 acres
·      Infrastructure: 3 Co-housing neighborhoods (60 homes, 2 Common Houses), carports, berry farm, barn on 20-acre organic farm

II. Organization
·      Legal Structure:  Educational Non-Profit Organization (and Intentional Community)
·      Decision Making: Consensus
·      Income Structure: Independent Income, on site resident businesses

III. Visitation Information
·      Tours:
o        Free Public Tour – Last Sat of each month at 3:00pm (meet at FROG Common House)
o        Private Tour - Mon & Sat morns. 1.5 hrs. $35 indiv, $50 households. Other days $47 indiv, $62 household. $25 cancel fee (email visit-coordinator@)
o        Group Tour – students, community groups, professional orgs, etc. Provide broad overview of project & chance to tour facilities. Can be tailored to specific interests of group
·      Workshops: Introduction to EcoVillage (1 day), EcoVillage Experience Weekends (Fri afternoon – Sun afternoon), Creating Sustainable Communities: The Social Dimension (Weeklong)
·      Accommodations: Overnight visits & Common House Meals
IV. Social
A. Membership
●      Present Members: 150 adults & children
●      Membership Process: Structured learning process before decision to live at EVI
●      Community Service Requirement: Volunteer 2-3 hrs/wk on various work teams:

B. Community Life
●      Meals: Share common dinners several times per week in 2 Common Houses
●      Community Events and Social Life:
o   Various annual celebrations to mark season, ad hoc parties, music jams and concerts, talent shows
o   Study and Support Groups – Men’s & women’s groups; activity groups - photography club, garden club, handworkers group; classes in yoga, swing dance, new economics, etc; Cooperative home-schooling (soccer, art, science club, etc); Kid’s fun (chess, stamps, crafts); Workshops (consensus, meeting facilitation, food preservation); Teen Group; Deepening Relationships group; Meditation Circles; Political Discussion evenings
●      Children and Families: Cooperative Homeschooling
●      Housing/Neighborhoods: Two 30-home cohousing neighborhoods (FROG & SONG), third in planning stage (TREE)
o   FROG Neighborhood – completed in Aug 1997 (first cohousing proj in NY)
+ 3 acres, 30 homes (15 duplexes) lining pedestrian street, one-acre pond, community garden, playgrounds, centralized compost bins, open fields.
+ Shared facilities: Common House – dining/cooking area, dish room, kids play room, sitting room, private offices, guest room, muli-use room, teen room, laundry, storage. Carport structures have full-featured wood shop, metal shop, recycling/bike shed
+ Eneregy: passive solar on all homes, insulated with 6-7” dense-pack cellulose (recycled newspaper), triple-paned fiberglass windows, south-facing arbors, shared hot-water system for heat, 1 gas boiler per cluster of 6-8 homes.
+ Legal Structure: Housing Cooperative (EcoVillage Cohousing Coop) – members purchase shares associated with their unit through proprietary lease.
o   SONG Neighborhood – completed in 2004 (Common House in 2006)
+ 30 homes, 55 adults, 30 kids. Common House, Kitchen Garden, and Community Garden
+ Green building- passive solar, photovoltaics, solar hot water, high-efficiency condensing gas boilers, Eco-Block foundations, Durisol foundations, Structural Insulated Panels, super-insulated roofs, high-performance windows, straw bale insulation, rainwater collection, composting toilets, drain heat recovery, salvaged materials
o   TREE Neighborhood- to be completed in 2012- 40 homes, designed to accommodate different-sized households, shared & private gardens and other outdoor spaces
●      Spiritual Focus: Varied

V. Environmental
A. Energy, Transport, and Water
●      Energy: Passive & Active solar system to support each neighborhood’s need
o   Future Goals: village-scale wind power,
●      Automobiles:  Future Goals: onsite biodiesel/vegetable-oil fuel production

B. Agriculture
●      Farms & Gardens: 2 CSA farms (veggie & berry). Over 80% of 175 acres planned to remain green space – 55 acres in conservation easement held by Finger Lakes Land Trust (www.fllt.org)
o   Future Goals: Organic orchards, roadside farm stand, biomas energy crops
C. Architecture
●      Building Materials and Methods: Details of Technology and building practices for TREE Neighborhood (http://www.toolbase.org/Home-Building-Topics/Indoor-Air-Quality/EcoVillage-at-Ithaca)
●      Land Development: Land Partnership Committee – focuses on land-use and resource inventory to make informed choices regarding placement of future projects
●      Future Goals: Education Center, natural cemetery

D. Waste Management

• Future Goals: on-site biological wastewater treatment, graywater recycling

VI. Economic
A. Assets vs. Liability
●      Legal Entity:  Own land and assets

B. Business and Income
●      Sources of Income: CSA veggie and U-Pick berry farm, Office spaces for cottage industry, Donations/Membership
●      Members Methods of Income: Not connected to non-profit EcoVillage or EcoVillage/CTA
o   Beadwork, BeingChange (art & story), Blink Digital Graphics, Carpenter, RMG Choice Software, Cresent Moon Creative Communication, Dr. Deanna Hope Berman (Midwife, naturopathic, health store), Ecolibrium Financial Planning, Frog’s Way Bed & Breakfast, Hands on Gourds (homegrown lamps & banjos), Ithaca Piano (lessons), yoga, many others
●      Education Opportunities:  Experiential, project-based learning, workshops

VII. Further Questions

• Who/what owns the land? How was it purchased?
• What role does non-profit play in structure/community?
• Children Education?
• Any other alternative energy besides solar? Tapped into Grid?
• How self-sufficient with food production?
• Where get water from?

Thank you for reading! (For a more eye-on-the-eyes formatting, please visit here)

~Dani

EVRP - Earthaven Research Overview

EVRP - Earthaven Research Overview12/26/2011

This blog will offer an overview of the preparing research done on Earthaven Ecovillage, exploring the various foundational, organizational, and sustainable elements. The abundance of information below was gathered from the Earthaven website, which is exceptional!

For more detailed information you can check out:
·      Full-Detailed Earthaven Report on The D.r.e.e.m. Reality EVRP Creation Site
·      The Earthaven Website

I. Foundational Information
·      Founded: 1995 (paid off in 2005- $580,000)
·      Location: Black Mountains, North Carolina. Southern Appalachain Mountains, Katuah Bioregion
·      Geographical Information: 320 acres, 2000-2600 ft elevation, forested mountain land (3 valleys, streams & springs, flood plains, bottom land, steeper ridge slopes)
·       Infrastructure: Approx. 35 buildings throughout 14 neighborhoods. Roads, footpaths, bridges, campgrounds, ponds, constructed wetlands, off-grid power systems, gardens, Council Hall, kitchen-dining room, small swellings, several homes

II. Organizational Information
·      Land Ownership: Legal entity is Homeowners Association (members own all property & assets in common), Individual Site Leases for member homesites (not deed or title)
·      Decision Making: Consensus based, Council and committee structure
·      “Income-Independent Community” – each member responsible for earning own living

III. Visiting Information
·      Tours: Alternating Saturdays at 10:00am
·      Classes: Various topics
·      Live & Work Arrangement: Hosted by members, multi-month commitment, approx. 24 hrs/wk, site development
·      In-depth Vistor Week: tour, panel of members, presentations, etc
·      Camping: April 3 – Nov 1

III. Social Information
A.    Membership
·      Approx 60 members (40-50 live on site, 8-10 children)
·      Membership process: Supporting member (financial contribution, camping), Exploring member (lives onsite months to a year, non-member fees, community service), Provisional member (6mo – year, community members asses better), Full membership (live in community, build home/hut, full decision-making rights)
·      Fees (varies due to annual economics): 1-time joining fee $4,200, 1-time residential site lease $10,500 – $21,000 depending on size of site & family
·      Annual Community Service Requirement: Full members- 1,500 hrs over 10yrs, Provisional members- 48 hrs per quarter
B.    Community Life
·      Shared meals in various locations/neighborhoods, individual homesites
·      Community Events: movies, music, potlucks, dancing, games, holidays, yoga, crafts, etc
·      Children & Families: Kids homeschooled in “Forest Children Collective”
·      No community-wide spiritual practice, general awareness of Earth’s Spirit

IV. Environmental Information
A.    Energy & Water
·      100% off the grid! Hydro-electric/micro-hydro, passive & active solar, propane where necessary, active energy conservation
·      Automobiles: some biofuel production, mostly gasoline vehicles, future goals for ethanol-based vehicle fleet and car co-op
·      Water: Retain as much as possible – roof catchments, swales, dug ponds
B.    Agriculture
·      Not yet growing all own food, near future goals
·      Developed fields, orchards, terraced areas used for variety of farms & gardens (herbs, animal, medicinal plants, trout pond, nursery, CSA farm, biofuel, honey/bees)
·      Practice Sustainable Forestry and preserve much wilderness
C.    Architecture
·      Build with natural Earth-friendly materials, living roofs, lumber milled from trees on land, recycled building material, straw-bale, cob, etc
·      One Earthship on location
·      Community buildings and Individual homes
D.    Waste Management
·      Composting, human waste management

V. Economic Information
A.    Assets & Liabilities
·      Earthaven Association: all Earthaven members own all Earthaven property and assets in common through homewoners association, individual members have Site Lease but not deed and title to homesite
·      Land: Homeowners Association, Land Use and Common Rights Agreement of Earthaven Association, purchased by private member loans, if disbanded sales distributed proportionately, profit distributed evenly.
·      Expenses: Annual Operating Expenses (property tax, insurance, repair & maintenance, roads, bridges, equipment, promotions, admin costs of committees, legal & accounting services. One-time Expenses/Capital Expenditures (clearing land, build new buildings, roads, bridges, power systems, improving/remodel, new equipment, repay debts for infrastructure build by members)
B.    Income
·      “Independent-Income Community” – each member responsible for earning own income
·      Developing “Village-scale economy” – encourage members to make living on village by operating own small-scale ecologically sound businesses, hiring each other when possible, or telecommuting to outside jobs
·      Community Non-recurring income: new member joining fees & site lease fees
·      Community Recurring: monthly dues & fees from non-member & member residents, special event fees, agricultural lease fees, electricity sales, grants & donations
·      Member Income – various partime on/off site jobs, workshops/classes, site development, energy system installation, rental, plant/herb sales, consultation, etc  

Thanks for following along!

~Dani