Forming group to create intentional community

Hello all, I am posting here with hope that I may find some individuals with similar goals as myself to organize and develop an intentional community somewhere on the globe. This would be determined by all of those involved after we lay out goals.

Some of the main things that I am interested in doing: building structures using cob and other natural building methods; investing in and exploring renewable energy (photovoltaics and possibly constructing wind generators); producing most or all of my diet on the land around using methods of permaculture either as a food forest or in [a] greenhouse(s) as well as eggs from chickens; building a cob structure that can be used as a learning center of sorts.

I am very away of and interested in the changes occurring in our species right now. Our technological understanding and ability has brought us to begin recognizing more of our potential and science has brought the thought that behavior and values, corruption, things like bigotry, greed, and the profitability of differential advantage and war are determined by our exposure to conditions of the environment we experience through the sensors in our bodies. These things are not inherent to humans. I intend to contribute to social change and the eventual arrival at a Natural Law Resource Based Economy. This is a socioeconomic alternative to the market system and the social structures it creates. If you'd like to know more about this, the best explanation I have found so far can be found by searching on Google for "peter Joseph introduction to a resource based economy". If you're interested in this, you may also want to watch Zeitgeist The Movie, especially the part about the federal reserve.
There are more things of course that I would hope to broaden exposure to like unconditional basic income and technological unemployment and the third industrial revolution and why education, of a certain kind - that does not mandate itself but offers opportunity, for free for all, to as accessible and high quality resources to learn about the workings of nature and the change that is going to have to occur in the way that we manage our species - seems to be the key to the movement towards a better socioeconomic system. I'd be glad to discuss this more or share other content with anyone if you want feel free to ask but I'm getting a bit off topic this is just a big focus I have I would like to create a physical location that anyone can come to that will allow them to educate themself as best as possible, through many things but including such resources that already exist like computers that can access khan academy or academic earth. Or even just YouTube. I have been creating a website already that attempts to act as a hub of these kinds of information.

Anyways.. to continue the intentions I have, some other things I would be looking for: mountains; woods, a lot of woods; basically just wonderful wilderness; either a climate that would support a food forest with tropical plants or if colder, then probably somewhere like Netherlands or Denmark. But of course these things would be dependent on the working of all people involved.

So I may be forgetting things I would be surprised if not, there are so many, feel free to ask or suggest any other things I should describe my considerations for, that would be important for any potentially interested individual. I just realized one which is money. I had some idea which was just that all people involved contribute as much as they can and also some of the funding would be crowd sourced. I know some people would likely be against it but this project is I think very important and if people have money they'd like to contribute to a project, I'd be glad to try and create an environment on the property such money could afford me that would contribute positively to the community living there and the surrounding areas and anything that can be contributed to the planet and our global presence.
Of course these things could be determined conclusively by all those involved at a later time.

I hope that some people may be interested in working together.
Again, to anyone interested in the future I highly recommend looking into The Zeitgeist Movement and The Venus Project.

Thanks for reading,
Good fortune

Hey Alex
You should totally check out the Thrive movie, and the Thrive movement (just Google to get the links), as these are very similar to the Zeitgeist movies and movement. I was totally blown away by Zeitgeist years ago, but I was even more blown away by Thrive recently. I love the idea of a resource based and money free economy, as money has destroyed my life, and I am very aware of how it is currently destroying billions of other lives around the world. I wish I could help you build an intentional community, however I have nothing in the way of skills/knowledge/money to contribute, which is why I'm looking to join an intentional community that's already up and running. I have a friend called Daan Gorter who's looking to set up an intentional community in the Netherlands or Denmark (I think it was one of those countries, I haven't had contact with Daan for a few months), and I'm sure he wouldn't mind me giving you his email address: daanunder@hotmail.com Just tell him Chris Thompson sent you. Good luck with your intentional community: I'm sure that this, and a resource based economy, are the way of the future. The signs are all over the internet, that money and environmentally destructive lifestyles, are on their way out.

Good journey
Chris

Hello Chris!
Thanks for that suggestion, I watched it and it was definitely very good although I have some different suggestions for the end part about solutions ;o although I probably should rewatch it to really have a complete enough understanding of what they proposed to be certain of that. But hey skills and knowledge come from experience. I don't have any experience working in an intentional community and I don't have much money to contribute but... I have been learning just about growing my own food and about as much as I can through research online. I feel that the process of creating an intentional community or being part of one will be the biggest way of acquiring knowledge and skills that are relevant to such an endeavor. We are animals, we can survive if we are not too corrupted first. I think when I made this post I was just very desperate to leave the environment I'm currently in and, being a very obsessive perfectionist in some ways, I could not find what seemed like it would be the kind of environment I do want to live in from looking through already existent ICs online. Of course.. I'm sure that is a somewhat limited listing and reading is quite different than experiencing. But it's not like I can go visit them. Anyways... Again thanks for the suggestion of the Thrive Movie. I already have shared it with some people I think will find it interesting as well. I think I actually had seen the beginning of the movie once a while back but sort of dismissed it because I made assumptions about free energy. I'm now in a very different place though so I'm glad that I was able to see it again.
I will likely email Daan, at least to maybe have some hopefully interesting discussion!

Hello Alex, Christopher and other readers of this topic,

For the last several years am I thinking about starting or joining a community. From time to time I was reading on this forum, but I didnt register. Alex post made me register, so I can join the conversation here. Sorry for my english, its not that good.

Because this is my first post, lets introduce myself. I am a 34 years old dutch guy living near Amsterdam. I studied sociology, but didnt finish the course. Meanwhile I was working in a restaurant and learned to cook. Now I will quit the job, and have to look to find something. Already as a child I was thinking about the world, and how we humans are destroying it. I felt the need for change, it was the time of Chernobyl and acid rain. Now I know much more than back then, the last years I made a study of the whole global financial and monetary mismanagement, that will lead us to a gigantic global crash. In the same time I learned about permaculture, and for me it feels like a solution for many crises we face in the world today (if it would be adopted by the masses). But if I think I know what we should do, shouldnt I have to try it for myself?

The last years I feel less comfortable in the city, thats because of many things of levels of environmental, social and economical order. I want to reduce my ecological footprint, and grow my own food. For me the need of change is very urgent, and its difficult to see how most people still seem to be happy with their lifes. But while the greatest wealth-transfer from the poor and middle class to the ultrarich continues, most people in the Netherlands are still far from a revolutionary mindset. The imminent global collapse will result in a lot of chaos around the world, but especially in cities it will get to be ugly.

Till this moment I tried to save some money so I would be able to buy some land to start a permaculture-project. But my income is not high, and property is very expensive in this part of Europe. So I am thinking of other countries, like Portugal, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Romania or Sweden. I like winter, so moving east or north sounds nice. But I am also a vegetarian, and I think its easier to go south if I want to produce my own food. And thats more important. For me central Portugal looks good. It can be hot in the summers, but less in the mountains, and in winter its much cooler than in Algarve or Alentejo. Also much more rain than in the south. Its possible to buy a property of one hectare (about 3 acres?) for around 5000 euros. Most of the time there is already a barn or ruin that could be restructured, but I also would love to make a house with earthbags, straw or whatsoever. Also most of the time there is a well or stream, and fruittrees or other useful plants on those plots. Right now I have the means to start such a project for myself, but I think it would be quite lonely, and I know I dont have all skills needed.

So it would be perfect if I would find a group of likeminded people who want start a community. For me its important that all members contribute, but that doesnt need to be monetary. I mean it would be nice if others would have money to contribute, so we can buy a bigger plot, or on a better location, but I think somehow it must be possible for people to join who dont have money. They could be very helpfull if they have skills so we can become more selfdependent as a group. Bigger is better, the more people, the more division of labor, and that would mean more independent. But also, a bigger plot would be better, I would like to have as much of (food)forest surrounding the 'village' as possible. I would like to share lots of things together, but I think its also important to have some space for yourself. So we could work together to create the whole permaculture-project, and by building our homes, have dinner, drink, play music, or play a game, simply enjoy life together. But not too much like an hippie commune, I would like to have my house (or at least room) for myself. We shouldnt be all like each other, diversity would be better. I mean we should all have some things in common like reducing our ecological footprint and grow our own food and try to be selfsufficient. But for instance I am not religious, but I am open to live with others who are, as long we respect each other. I am vegetarian (born like that, although I ate some fish in the last years) but I dont mind to share the project with others who do eat meat. As long they understand they cannot eat it as much they like. There will be room for chicken, mainly for the eggs, but when they get old they can be consumed. When we are able to buy a bigger plot there may be room for bigger cattle, so there could be more meat.

I hope this post will help me to get in contact with people who have similar plans. I feel the time is running out, I need to act, we need to act!

Andreas - have you checked out the community at Vale da Sarvinda?

Here's a thread about them - Vale da Sarvinda - a 180 hectare land restoration project in Portugal

Yes @Burra Maluca, that community is certainly very interesting, thanks for posting about it! I would like to visit that place and places like that, the next time I go to Portugal. And its really big, 180 hectare..