Canadian Low Impact Living Initiative

Looking for others who are interested in forming a Low Impact Living(LIL) community in Canada.
Vision ideas...
*no connection to the electrical grid
*continual decreased usage of fossil fuels( car share,bicycle usage)
*small(300-900sq ft) homes built from local, natural and recycled materials
*steadily decreasing the need for large personal income
*humanure toilet and greywater reuse systems
*slower paced lifestyle acknowledging the process being as or more important then the outcome
*steadily increasing the production of food requirements( food forests, hugulkulture, ect)
*community projects and gatherings of celebration
*local economies
*less is more
*volunteering
*continual commitment to personal growth and communication leading to a greater cohesiveness within the community,lessening judgment, fear, anger and hate
*ongoing gratitude
Influences for LIL have been...Scott and Helen Nearing, the Lammas project in Wales,Dancing Rabbit and Possibility Alliance communities in the US,Tony Wrench and Jane Faith, OUR ecovillage along with the Sanctuary in BC,also Linda Smiley and Ianto Evans and numerous other low impact living projects/websites/books.
LIL will be located in an area of Canada with lower land prices,unorganized townships,adequate sunlight hours, and within an hour drive of a larger centre( >100,000 pop)
Other specifics to be decided.
If you are interested, please email lowimpactliving13@gmail.com

I am interested and have been actively seeking like minded individuals for a project that would be similar to this.

Q. which part of Canada?
Q. If Ontario, where I live, North or South Ontario?

cheers for now.

Hi Max
The area that has/is being considered is near Thunder Bay.
Please share your vision of what you are seeking,either here or via the email address.
Thanks
Kate

that all sounds great. if it was just me i'd be in, but i have four kids and just purchased a home this year. the idea is perfect though, if it were close to where i am, between sudbury and sault ste marie. good luck though, i hope you can find others. maybe i will be able to join you some day.

Kristine,Hi
Thanks for your note and well wishes.
Let's see where this goes,and yes, maybe you will be a part of it one day soon.
All the best.
Kate

Hello Kate,
The areas I am looking more towards are North Bay and upwards from there. Thunder Bay does have great things going for it, but due to family and other considerations it is probably New Liskard and up for me.

Are you set on location? My hubby and I are working on procuring land on Pelee Island where we intend to build a permaculture farm-- food forest, animal pastures, market garden. We are working on a deal to get the land in the next year, with plans to move out there in the next 2-3 years. Currently the land is a fallow ash forest. The ash have been all but wiped out by the emerald ash borer. What this means is an open canopy, great for starting our food forest. The other big bonus on Pelee is the climate. Pelee boasts the longest growing season in Ontario, as well as the most heat units annually. I am convinced this is the ideal location.
Anyone interested in low impact living on Pelee let me know. We can chat and see if we are on the same page, see if our goals match up well enough to work together.

Would be very interested in talking to the pioneers of this community. I like the idea but "where do you start?"

And lacy, are those plans still in the works?

Hey Laura Jean,
We received an email, when we got home from your place, from a guy on the island who is willing to help us buy the land... so it is looking more like a go everyday. He is currently in discussions with the current owner (of the fallow forest), and the MNR to see if there are any restrictions on the land. It is habitat, but because of the nature of what we would like to do our plans may not be an issue. We will keep you posted. Turtle Island is not off the table.
One of the big reasons Pelee is our dream location is because of the moderate weather. It has the most heat units, longest growing season and a well established tourist base. If we can manage to get out there, we can grow plants that we only dream of growing here (olives, almonds, pomegranates...).
On a side note, I feel drawn there. The island is never far from my thoughts. I have always wanted to live on an island, and it is so beautiful out there (it's funny the interior of the island actually reminds me of Kent County, while the edges of the island are naturalized, lush and brimming with wildlife... quite the juxtaposition).

Meet Up site community living
I have joined this group recently were also looking for property, currently listing for south of north bay area.

I'm very interested at doing this full time living, might be good for like minded groups to settle in close areas.

Wow, pelee island sounds great!
I'd love to live on an island, and we're planning on getting a sailboat in next few years.
Do you know if the property has shore access or marina close by?

Also definitely looking forward to growing a n edible forest garden that supports the local ecology.

Well, I'd once envisioned getting together a bunch of friends to build a viking-style settlement, replete with mead hall, training ground, bear pit for dispute settlements and a forge. Could probably even get power and wi-fi up in there without a lot of hassle. In addition, I have often wondered what life would be like in a low impact community with a community garden, a place for kids to actually play outside (and is encouraged by parents) and a drumcircle by a bonfire every weekend.

Any new progress for LIL in Canada? Is there anything happening south of Toronto?

Max Wild (nice name by the way) we are located toward Windsor (Sarnia area) and looking for permie type people to live and work on our operation. no definite plans yet open to reasonable suggestions.

Lacy VanCam wrote:Are you set on location? My hubby and I are working on procuring land on Pelee Island where we intend to build a permaculture farm-- food forest, animal pastures, market garden. We are working on a deal to get the land in the next year, with plans to move out there in the next 2-3 years. Currently the land is a fallow ash forest. The ash have been all but wiped out by the emerald ash borer. What this means is an open canopy, great for starting our food forest. The other big bonus on Pelee is the climate. Pelee boasts the longest growing season in Ontario, as well as the most heat units annually. I am convinced this is the ideal location.
Anyone interested in low impact living on Pelee let me know. We can chat and see if we are on the same page, see if our goals match up well enough to work together.

Hi Lacy, Are you currently living on Pelee Island? Sounds like the perfect place. Are you still looking for people to join you?