Eco-Communities Workshop

Do you dream of a world where communities support each other again? A life of gifting, mutual aid, home industries, and self-governance? A society where individuality and communality balance each other out for a whole human experience?

In this workshop series, international permaculture designer and teacher David Dornbrack will guide us through six evenings geared towards learning modern theories of communal living, intentional

communities, and humanistic permaculture. We will discuss the pros and cons of communal living, and how to transcend these cons for a happy life together.

Course Series

⦁ Introduction to Intentional Community Living and Ecovillages

⦁ Permaculture and Ecovillages - The Connection

⦁ Examples of Intentional Communities for Study

⦁ Social Systems Design: Decision-Making and Conflict

Resolution

⦁ The Economics of Intentional Communities

⦁ Site Design and Land Use for Communities

You should bring: Coffee mug, spoon, notepad, pen, water bottle, enthusiasm

Cost: $10 per session, or $50 - if you pay this upfront you will be able to attend all six sessions, which effectively gives you one session completely for free.

Session 1 - Introduction to Intentional Community Living and Ecovillages: Programme

6.30pm Arrival, greetings, registration, find your place, prepare a cup of tea/coffee

6.45pm Short summary of why we are here – 5 key points

⦁ Coming together and meeting each other

⦁ Getting each other up to speed on shared knowledge about intentional communities

⦁ Learning a basic history of ecovillages

⦁ Understanding our abstract feelings about living together

⦁ Comprehending our concrete reasons for living together

6.50pm Ask each participant what they know about ICs and EVs

7.00pm Define an IC, Define an EV –coming up with a definition that we as a group can agree on, then, learning the ‘official’ definition as well

7:15pm: A short history of ecovillages and communities – 1960s to present

7.35pm Visioning: Abstract feelings, intentions, wanting to live in an intentional, ecological community village

8pm: Tea break

8:30pm Concrete, explainable reasons for wanting to live in an intentional, ecological community village.

8.55pm Summary of what has been learned, what to look forward to in the next session, assigned ‘homework’ (write a list of 10 things you do want and 10 things you don’t want in an ecovillage/IC)

9.10pm Goodbyes