Everything in this website is for educational purposes and for gathering like-minded people to our group.  If you're interested in joining us, please see the personal requirements on our home page. Humans naturally congregate, and our community design takes into account multiple tiers of such smaller groups. New members who are accepted will have a vote in the community, once they get any necessary training in our decision-making processes. 

Land will be purchased as a cooperative.  This means each member has a membership share, and that share entitles them to one vote. (See Ownership Structure page.)

Each person in the community will have a voting share in the community.  Shares are transferable, can be sold to another qualified individual, and can be passed on to heirs - but the recipient must be approved by the community. (This is how you can prevent a drug-dealer from buying the house next door to you.) This is an ownership structure, in cooperation with other owners. 

This is also why we screen our applicants very carefully. 

Individual members may group together to form households, households will be grouped in villages, and all the villages together comprise the community. 

Members can work together in various ways. For example, if the cost of a standard one-acre parcel is $10,000 then a couple with two children who also have the wife's parents living with them (total of 4 adults and two children) need to collectively come up with $10,000. This can be done by each of the adults pooling $2500 each, or one of them paying $10,000, etc. The adult members of each household will each have one vote in the community affairs. 

Here is another example: a couple or individual who owns an acre with a house could share it with another couple or individual who will do the gardening and household care for the entire household. Duplexes could be built, as long as the carrying capacity of the land is not exceeded (one acre per household, and maximum 6 adults per household).

There are many combinations of people possible in a household, as well as many combinations of exchange between them. (See Traditional Financing and Alternative Financing pages.)

Houses will be grouped together in separate groups, called villages, consisting of 8-10 houses.   Each household will be associated with one acre of land. A village common area of one or two acres will be maintained in the center of each village. Each village will thus consist of around 10 acres of land. (See Neighborhood Layout page.)

Each village in a community should be autonomously run, within the overall guidelines and requirements of the community.  Each household in a village has a say in deciding layouts and themes for their village, including fields, gardens, orchards and parks. They work cooperatively together as a team in many things they do, especially in agriculture and in helping one another in various ways. They may also work cooperatively to barter with neighboring villages.

The overall community management is based on consensus and dynamic governance. In Texas, the co-op members elect a board of directors, who are responsible to make decisions within the community - but the members can also override the board of directors. The board of directors appoint several offices to run the day-to-day affairs, such as a president and secretary. But no matter what, the one-member one-vote is always the deciding factor. (See Governance page.)

We plan to have a school for every four villages in a community, and a central complex in the community.  A central complex may include higher educational facilities, as well as other buildings such as a church or temple, auditorium, ashrams, restaurant, guest house, meeting places, offices, and so forth. The community members collectively decide on what community buildings they desire. See Community Layout for more information.

We will have a lake in the central part of the community, which must be excavated if necessary. It may take 2-4 years to completely fill up from rainwater, but if it is stream-fed it will be faster. If properties can be found with a suitable lake then considerable time can be saved although the net cost will probably be the same. The lake will be for recreational and aesthetic purposes, and for emergency use in case of drought, fire, or other hardship. (See Sustainable Communities and Community Layout page.)

Water for household use will be primarily from rainwater harvesting using the roof areas of each home. Every home will have a 10,000-gallon storage tank for water. Grey water will be processed and used for selective irrigation. Composting toilets may be used, but many states (including Texas) require septic tanks in rural areas. Some counties will allow one septic tank for multiple homes by special arrangement. (See Necessities: Water page.)

Each village should have a well which will provide water for crop irrigation from the local groundwater. Rainwater harvesting and use of filtered grey water via constructed wetlands will generally not be sufficient for crop irrigation needs. If there are no aquifers in a location then lake water will need to be used and the lake should be made much larger and deeper. (See Self-Sufficiency page.)

Electricity should be provided by solar power, depending on location.  The community may be grid-connected in the beginning, to a rural electric cooperative, as battery-backup systems add considerably to the up-front cost. Net metering should be used and electric bills can be kept to a minimum by using appropriate construction methods. Over time, or in emergencies, the community can disconnect from the grid. Proper construction methods, housing designs, and conservation of energy will greatly reduce the need for electricity. (See Necessities: Energy and Necessities: Shelter pages.)

Electricity brings with it televisions, computers, internet, etc., which are both useful and detrimental.  Families in particular do not want their younger children exposed to certain elements. Since the internet can also be tools for providing and receiving useful information, any village that desires it could have internet access via a central hub, which will allow automatic blocking of undesirable elements. Members of a particular village in a community can opt to not have access, or they can agree to turn off their village access for certain hours, to help residents in getting good rest and assist in rising early for spiritual practices or early gardening in hot times of the year. The greatest health and spiritual benefits come from following the natural cycle of the sun. (See Lifestyles page.)

The community should have a community store and a market for exchange and purchase of goods. Items not produced within a community can be purchased in bulk by the co-op store for better price and reduction of waste from containers and packaging. We plan to have several recycling stations set up that are managed by the community store. Excess crops can also be traded to other community members or sold in a local market to visitors and guests. A community can also produce many items from cottage industries that can be sold to the general public. (See Necessities: Community Economics and Necessities: Waste Management.)

Homes should be built using local natural resources as much as is practical. The best material for building is earth, and it can be used in a variety of very beautiful ways. Other materials will also be needed, some of which can be grown and developed over time, such as bamboo, trees, or fired clay tiles. (See Necessities: Shelter page.)

We desire areas for natural recreation throughout each community such as pavilions, ponds, trees, parks, gardens, cycling or running paths around the lake, swimming areas, and so forth. We would like indoor recreation facilities such as an auditorium for musical or dramatic performances. We want a nice place to live, not miles of crop rows for business purposes. (See Community Layout, Community Buildings, and Necessities: Recreation.)

No gasoline or diesel vehicles should be allowed except for times when someone is moving in or out of a community.  We will have one central parking area just inside the entrance to the community. We would also like fencing around the entire community, as there are often problems with animals eating or completely destroying crops, and similar problems related to security. It is much more costly in total if everyone has to fence off their own property. (See Necessities: Transportation page.)

On average, one acre of land can provide food for 6 vegan people, but one meat-eater requires 21 times that amount of land, or 3.5 acres.  Therefore our community is strictly for vegetarians or vegans. Lacto-vegetarians require one half an acre on average. (Source: Diet for a New America.) We apologize if you are looking for such a community and are not vegan or vegetarian, but eating meat is opposed to all principles of sustainability. (See About Us and Necessities: Food pages.)

Those who do want milk products are welcome to have cows, on community land designated for them.  Animals live in separate areas from humans. The community must first have sufficient land and shelter for them and be knowledgeable in their care. Oxen (or certain types of horses) are excellent sources of power especially for tilling the land. Cow manure is a great natural source of fertilizer and can also be used for energy and heating. (See Necessities: Animal Husbandry page.)

Next - Location Research