Lost Valley PDC ~ A week one perspective...

Hello Dreemers!  

I’m writing to you from Lost Valley Educational Center in Dexter Oregon, where I have spent the past week exploring the ecosystems here in the Western Cascades while attending a certification course on permacultural design. Since my arrival last Sunday, I have found Lost Valley, and the Meadowsong ecovillage to be warm and welcoming in spirit. Lost Valley defines itself as “a learning community creating catalysts for joyful ecological, social and economic regeneration,” and Meadowsong is the community in which this learning and regeneration takes place. The weather here has been cool, quite wet, and reminiscent of the Santa Cruz Mountains in January. Rain has paused my plan for camping in the meadow, but I look forward to moving outside when the sun returns…

The property that encloses the educational center and ecovillage contains a handful of cabins, yurts, camping sites, and a main lodge for dinning and social activities, as well as many gardens, orchards, creeks, ponds and hiking trails through forest land. With eight classmates, many residents, volunteers, and instructors living on-site, I am enjoying becoming a part of a close-knit community. I have met a truly amazing group of people, from all over the United States and outward to Mexico and Canada. All from different places and cultures, coming together with like-minds, looking for a place to learn and practice permaculture while building community...

During our first week of the course, we have come together to define permaculture, the focus of our gathering for the next five weeks, as this: permaculture is a malleable understanding of the revolutionary livelihood of working within the systems of a holistic network, while exercising sustainable living, creating unity with nature, and becoming abundant and dynamic forever. Or more simply stated: permaculture is the art and science of creating useable systems with which to produce the needs of humans without harming the environment around us. And with this definition, I am already finding that my educational experience here at Lost Valley is reaching far beyond the study of sustainable agricultural practices… 

 Much of our class discussion, activities and social interaction over the past week has reflected the need for a deeper understanding of the systems in which our earth and our societies operate, a deeper inner growth, required to fully understand the basic concepts of permaculture before moving forward to the hands-on practices. One fundamental and essential concept introduced this week is the difference between sustainability and resiliency. Sustainability being a system which can be maintained, and resiliency being a system which does not only maintain itself but also has the ability to withstand and recover from damage. Over the next weeks I look forward to deepening my understanding of sustainable and resilient systems while observing the world from a holistic viewpoint, taking into consideration the earth's natural patterns as well as the human perspective... 

Reaching beyond our permaculture curriculum, our course has spoken on the concept of power. Our power to move actively to reach our desires, to identify and become the change we wish to see in the world. Our power to overcome the fear of failure, with the transformation of fear into curiosity and excitement for the chance to be innovative and extraordinary. Everyday I am observing that change, like ideas, is spread from one person to another, and we need only start by being, by making decisions and actively living our lives in a way that we honestly believe they should be lived, for the betterment of all, and positive change will follow our light. A friend shared with me an opinion on the power of thought. He said to me that thoughts are like little burning embers, and the ones you stoke with thought and attention the most, are the ones that turn into true fires...


Sending love to friends, family, and Dreem Gardens, and looking forward to using our power of thought together, to manifest our own reality, toward a better tomorrow. 

Please feel free to share in my experience and check out more detailed pictures of my journey  along with my class notes at:  https://www.facebook.com/giovanna.piumarta under the photo section. 

Giovanna Piumarta 

A Visit to Earthaven Ecovillage

A Visit to Earthaven Ecovillage01/24/2012   Yesterday, Saturday the 21st of January, Melinda and I were able to stop by Earthaven Ecovillage. As one of the more researched communities of our EVRP, I was really excited about the opportunity to catch a glimps of it while doing our cross-country tour. I’d like to share our brief experience at Earthaven, while pointing out some features we thought were interesting and informative. Located in Black Mountain, North Carolina – about an hour drive from Ashville – the 320 acre community is set back in the temperate rainforest Appalachian region. To confirm it was indeed a rainforest a consistent rainfall accompanied our drive and 3.5 hour tour! However, part of living on a rustic ecovillage is cooperating with and appreciating the various elements and so our group of 6 visitors and tour leader, River Otter, happily tromped through the chill and wet together.  As we arrived, part of me was expecting to see a grandiose welcome sign, people running around working and building, natural building houses posted with informative signs, etc. What we did find was a beautifully modest “Earthaven Ecovillage” sign, silent fields with evidence work-in-progress projects, and specklings of unique single or grouping of dwellings. We drove along the gravel road toward the visitor kiosk as hand painted signs encouraged us to drive slowly and “take your time”, it was pleasant. Once we parked and introduced ourselves to the other visitors, we set off for the common building to seek a bathroom. This is one of the few flushing toilets on the property as the rest are composting toilets that make use of the valuable “humanure” we all produce. Within the common building gathered a group of members that were preparing for a learning forum. We were later told this was a meeting of the educational non-profit section of the community that were to discuss the future development of their educational programs. This group of people would prove as an example of the majority of age sampling at the community – younger folks in their 20s-30s and older folks of retirement age. As our guide, River Otter, explained her age group of 40s-50s are less common as they are either career or family bound.  Our tour’s first stop took us to the Micro-Hydro station located near the common house, next to the river. Using a system of funneling the rushing water into successive smaller pvc pipes to increase pressure and spin turbines, the river powered a significant portion of the community. The rest of the power comes from passive/active solar and an occasional gas generator to afford them 100% off-grid energy. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the construction of the Micro-Hydro system was simple and “homemade”, not necessarily an expensive and intimidating packaged product. River Otter shared that during the 3-4 year search for this land a “Bold Water” presence was of primary concern. She explained that this meant the water source had to be significant enough to be tapped into to draw spring water and electric power from. She also insisted that when searching for land to build a community on, that one should seek out a space that already has some buildings on it and/or already cleared land – as it is easier to reforest than clear trees. She pointed out that all of Earthaven was forested when purchased and therefore all the open space for farming and housing we saw was created by various methods of low-impact clearing.  We continued on our tour across a slated bridge made from felled and milled trees from the land, as most of the timber used to build there is. As she took us through several of the fourteen “neighborhoods” in the community, River Otter explained the wide variety of building techniques used for the dwellings. There is an impressive range from bamboo slated stuffed with clay straw; primarily cobb; straw bale; timber beams and straw; rammed earth (earthship); and more. The types of dwellings ranged as well – from single room cottages, multi-level homes, co-housing buildings, and old trailers used for transition. Many of the homes don’t have kitchens or bathrooms, as members can choose to belong to one of the community kitchens and shared bath houses. This, of course, serves to decrease the need for expensive facilities and allows for a stronger sense of community while sharing meals and living space. Even though Earthaven has several shared kitchens and facilities, it also strives to be a very individualized community. This means that they are an “income independent” community that encourages economic self-sufficiency requiring annual living/leasing fees. Many of the members operate their own small business (Red Moon Herbs, Round Mountain Builders, Useful Plants Nursery, etc), are consultants, writers, workshop leaders, skilled workers (construction, massage, chiropractor), and hold several part time jobs onsite or near by (babysitting, house cleaning, etc). To encourage community and local economic practices, Earthaven has its own currency that the members can exchange for various onsite work in place of US cash. When asked what the top challenges of living in a community are, one long-time member expressed that often the “non-physical is more challenging than the physical”. She explained that the social and interpersonal elements of so many people (50+ members) can be difficult. To address this inevitability they have many meetings and workshops to explore conflict resolution and communication. I can imagine that the culmination of such a diverse population of people dedicated to both individuality and community most certainly offers the consistent opportunity for personal evolution! Another challenge this member identified was earning income. As I mentioned, many of the members are small business owners and multi-part-time job holders. By choosing to live approximately an hour from the nearest “big city”, members really have to get creative with income unless they are retired. This creative income challenge, however, is one that all of the members are open to and see as more fulfilling than the hustle-bustle of the career path lifestyle so common to most of us. An intriguing solution to this could be the integration of a larger community business, common to the various “income sharing” communities such as Twin Oaks in Virginia and East Wind in Missouri. These communities employ their members to work within the onsite business allowing them the benefit of health, dental, and eye insurance as well as a monthly stipend. Though sharing income is not always appealing to people (myself included), I see a large community business as a viable alternative to economic struggle for members that could free up time and energy for more creative and fulfilling pursuits. I’ll have to investigate an independent income with community business opportunity option for our DreemLand.  The final challenge this member shared was building codes and permiting. This is a common discussion when it comes to the world of green and natural building practices. Due to the codes and regulations, many of the methods of sustainable building are outright illegal for people to live in – even if they are completely acceptable to the inhabitants. These codes really inhibit the valuable experimental process needed to shift away from the present environmentally damaging method of building and force green builders to dance the line of legality. Many of the buildings at Earthaven are struggling to conform to these codes and there are mixed emotions about the urgency to do so. Intriguingly, there are also consistent debates between the “green builders” and the who utilize manufactured, high efficiency supplies while the “natural builders” frown upon manufactured and support recycled/reclaimed/natural building supplies. You can notice the difference as you tour Earthaven as the natural builders have bumpy, curvy, hand-made looking structures and the green builders sport a more modern corners and roofed style. I’d imagine that a healthy blending of modern high-efficiency and earthly proficient techniques is best in the end. As we ended our tour back at the common building, Melinda and I felt we gained a significant amount of information as to how this community pioneers on to seek new sustainable solutions. Earthaven is an excellent example of the ongoing adventure of creating community, educating oneself and others, and how to push the boundaries of our culture and selves to create a positive change in this world. I am so thankful to Earthaven for their openness and hospitality! ~Dani

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

Cross Country Sustainable Community research project - planning begins!

Cross Country Sustainable Community research project - planning begins!09/11/2011   For those that do not know, the Cross Country Sustainable Community Research Project (CCSC), is our next major research project planned to launch during the summer of 2012. The goal is to visit 5-10 sustainable communities across the country in order to educate ourselves about various sustainble techniques. Through observations, interviews, and immursion we hope to aquire hands-on experience and education. This project will be an evolution to the 2009 Hawaiian Research Project (HRP). CCSC will allow us to explore not only sustainable techniques, but also consider various regions of the country as possible site locations for the D.r.e.e.m. Reality Education and Research Eco-Facility. This Eco-Facility, playfully deemed DreemLand for now, is the ultimate long term goal of D.r.e.e.m. Reality. It's mission will be to: Provide a focused workspace for research and application of environmental, economic, and social sustainablity Operate as a experimental model of "Sustainable Community" using techniques explored on site and abroad House several educational venues for a kid's camp, internships, workshops, woofing, etc Dedicate a significant portion of the land as a natural conservation for native plants, animals, and habitats The list of creative ideas are ever expanding, and we welcome others to contact us with thoughts and passions concerning the Education and Research Eco-Facility. We are presently still seeking education and land, but are eagerly projecting a breaking ground to this project by 2013. Back to CCSC! We realize that if we need to begin planning for this research project as soon as possible. As we learned with DreemKitchen - it takes a LOT to organize such things! Luckily, we have a good start with the guidance of the HRP. Additionally, we have begun diving into our "Literature Review" portion of the project. Dani has begun studying the book "Finding Community: How to Join and Ecovillage or Intentional Community", by Diana Leafe Christian. "Finding Community presents a comprehensive overview of ecovillages and intentional communities and offers solid advice on how to research thoroughly, visit thoughtfully, evaluate intelligently, and join gracefully"So far the book has done a wonderful job of introducting the concepts of What an Eco-Village is (and by it's other names such as sustainable community, intentional community, etc). Giving beautiful insite into the life of a "communitiarian". This, and other books are getting us prepared with the correct questions to ask and path to take for the CCSC. However, one more exciting step we have begun discussing in order to prepare ourselves for the research project and DreemLand is to actually live at a sustainable community. Melinda and Dani have decided to begin to locate a community to live in for the next year, to truly understand the community life. Contrary to the HRP or CCSC which will be visits to several communities, we intend to live in one. This also implies that D.r.e.e.m. Reality will be based out of a community as well. There are so many communities throughout the country and world to explore. Here are some resources that we will be using to help us find the right one for our needs: www.IC.org - Fellowship for Intentional Communities GEN - Global Ecovillage Network Both of these are extensive organizations that provide a wealth of knowledge about, for, and from Intentional Communities all over the world. They also each have directories that list the communities in your area!  Overall, the CCSC research project is begining to come to life with literature review and seeking a community to immerse ourselves in. How exciting!~Dani