Kevin Skvorak

Hey Lia,  

I sort of agree how people get their money is important, but what is most important is what people do with it in this time, and how they build sharing relationships with it now. Designing for a post-capitalist future is a central part of our collective work imo.  I also hold the prejudice, rightly or wrongly developed but developed thru experience nonetheless, that the more money  people have, the less willing they are to invest in truly sharing relationships. I agree it is something to be cautious about.

FYI I got what savings I have from farming, working in the trades, and managing other peoples farms. Christine is still working in publishing for her income.  As for intentional community, I have lived in quite a few, and happy to share experiences.  peas

Hey good people,

I and my partner Christine are reaching out to see if there are other folks looking to do something in the general Catskills region of NY. I have a lot of experience in community, farming, PC design, and all the rest, and we are looking hard now at land in the region. We have enough money for a decent homestead/farm, hopefully big enough to share, but we want to reach out in case there are like minded folks at the same stage of their journey and ready to do something relatively soon. There are a couple of larger farms in the 150+ac size, with houses and infrastructure, for around $800k and we have over half of that. ( It is a pricey area in general compared to o0ther spots in the country, but anyone else looking here will know that. Damn NYC!)

Here is something we have up on the IC.org forums. Maybe that is the best way to connect. we will set up a zoom call in the next week or so.

https://forum.ic.org/t/seeking-others-to-build-an-ecovillage-in-the-catskills/730

'We are in the early stages of organizing, and are reaching out to discover how many others are seeking to start an ecological community in the Southern Catskills area.

The type of vision that inspires us is one that is truly diverse, ecological, affordable, multi-generational—and of course grounded in kindness and compassion.

Our ideal is a sharing community for all ages living in real partnership. It is important to us that this is a place with economic opportunities for young people to live an ecologically sane life of purpose now. It’s also important to have a home for elders to live with the joys and security of a supportive community and the satisfaction of giving back to the next generations, and for all of us in-between the opportunity for becoming good ancestors if we can!

So, we are searching for a good-sized property that can provide room for more than just co-housing; there will be room for organic farming and other land-based enterprises which might include farm stays, education, small eco-manufacturing, and more.

We have years of experience living in communities and are excited to start one in the Southern Catskills. If this resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you.

Christine and Kevin"

Permaculture farmhand wanted-
The job is helping set up a silvopasture/grazing operation on 200acs in Livingston Manor NY.

The situation is pretty flexible, 20$hr P/T or F/T.  Good opportunity for someone local who wants to commute, or if someone wants to come for a week or more up to a couple of months even, that is fine too. Someone could camp on the land and work p/t if that works best for them.  It is a very scenic spot about 2miles out of town so it is bikeable to the store etc.

The work is fencing, land clearing, still a bit of tree planting left, general farm set-up etc.

Contact Kevin k.skvorak@gmail.com

Hey good folks,

There is a new project happening in NY that may be of interest to some here looking for community. Below is one of the outreach letters we have been sending out. There is a lot of potential here: good dirt (the Rondout valley has some of the best dirt in NY), existing infrastructure, (in need of repair of course) connections to established community, and more.  Please feel free to get in touch with any questions. We don't have a website set up ourselves yet, but some of the old sites below have some pics of the place from last year when a different operation was there.  We are having the organizing meetings mostly in NYC at the moment, and the place upstate still has a few bedrooms left for visitors/ potential members etc.

Solidarity Farm NY:

The Vision-

An upstate worker cooperative / intentional community farm and retreat center serving other intentional communities and coops in NYC.

The Mission -

1) To provide nutrient-dense, organic, ethical food to the cooperatively minded of the greater NYC area.

2) To provide opportunities for retreat, recreation, connection, and education in transformative living skills like permaculture, regenerative farming, cooperative living, personal development, and more.

3) To provide a home, a community, and right-livelihood to those drawn by this vision and the values embodied within it.   There will be a place here for anyone who wants to not just work hard, but to discover if a commitment to a democratic worker cooperative and intentional community life is for them.

The Place - The location is a former Catskills retreat in Kerhonkson NY in the rich Rondout Valley. (After renovation) there will be 20 bedrooms, abundant community spaces, artist and craft workspaces, commercial kitchen and sustainable food education space, and more.

Business Plans -  We are getting the farm business started by selling whole-farm shares to communities and coops in NYC. We are initially offering community-sized CSA shares: a bulk delivery of  veggies/eggs/meat delivered each week to the respective community/coop house.  (note- we will be developing other market opportunities as well, so people can also be involved in this from the ground up.)

Ganas, an intentional community in Staten Island with 70 members will be an "anchor" customer.  One of the side benefits of the project is a place to stay in a community in NYC on days off, delivery days, etc. and be connected to a growing network of intentional community in NYC!

http://www.ganas.org/

http://www.regenerationinternational.org/2017/02/24/what-is-regenerative-agriculture/

http://nefarmaccess.com/selected-project-profiles/maybrook-hotel-farmworker-housing/

https://www.facebook.com/MaybrookFarmCommunity/?rc=p

to find out more contact:
Kevin or Nadette
Kevin
k.skvorak@gmail.com
347 820 2947
Nadette Staša
nadette.stasa@gmail.com
917-535-1989 cell