California Ecovillage Odyssey

by Hope Horton and Paul Voss

The first principle in designing permaculture systems is: Observe and Interact.  It was in this spirit that Paul and I tripped off for a family visit in the California Bay Area, extending our stay to give us enough time to visit some long-standing intentional communities.  Paul did the research and zeroed in on three communities north of San Francisco that have successfully operated with shared ownership models for decades: Monan’s Rill, Santa Rosa Creek Commons, and Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (Sowing Circle).  Additionally, we visited an urban ecovillage called Canticle Farms in Oakland which we will write about at another time.

MONAN’S RILL

On Monday, January 2, we headed up to Monan’s Rill on the outskirts of Santa Rosa.  It was a cold day and rain followed us as we wound our way up a long rise towards the village nestled in the hills.  Founded in 1974 by a small group of Quaker friends, Monan’s Rill currently has 12 homes on 440 beautiful wooded acres with 16 adult members, 6 non-member residents, and 6 children.  (for excellent views and descriptions, visit  monansrill.org)

We were given a very warm welcome by Rick and Sue who have lived at Monan’s Rill almost since the beginning.  They had done their homework on Hart’s Mill by thoroughly reading the web site, and Rick presented us with three marvelous pages of comments that he thought would be useful to us.  After a lengthy discussion and a delicious lunch, we took a tour of the community and also visited the home of another long-term resident named Ken, a talented wood sculptor.  We took in a lot of very useful particulars, but here are some highlights of what we learned:

• Ownership: partnership (essentially a co-op); share price is determined on a sliding scale by age to encourage younger members to join; a low rate of return on investment encourages long-term commitment to the community rather than short-term financial gain; it’s important not to low-ball numbers you need to make a go of it financially
• Membership process: new people live in the community for 18 months before applying to become a member; presently there are several non-member residents who rent available homes (with the hope that they may stay if there’s a good fit)
• Community maintenance: members are responsible for everything; there is no work requirement but there are work days every month; they consider skills and ability to do work when recruiting members
• Governance: originally founded by Quakers, they use a consensus model but have needed to make values and details clearer over time as founders moved on; they stress the importance that all members fully understand and embrace the chosen governance and decision-making system
• Structures: individual homes; recommended standard homes with simple features because “building new stuff is exciting but maintenance is boring and goes on forever”; ensure enough storage and decide how it will be allocated across members
• House exchanging: people are able to switch houses as needs change
• Pets: numbers are restricted both by number and degrees of freedom (e.g., there are just a few outdoor cats allowed; dogs must be on leash)
• Community glue: have regular events (happy hours, potlucks, games) and celebrations; give special places on the property evocative names
• Biggest challenges:
  • Divorce: decide how you are going to handle it when a couple splits up
  • Aging: build in ADA features from the beginning; decide the level care the community can reasonably provide for an aging member before the member needs to hire help or move on; consider making one of our shared homes into an assisted living place as the need arises; continually recruit young people and children because one thing is certain: people will get older
• Key attitudes:
  • Generosity: give of your time and energy freely to support others; don’t keep score, as everyone’s needs and capacities change over time; focus on paying it forward; foster love and kindness
  • Patience: it’s okay if it takes time to make important decisions because people are in it for the long haul
  • Long-term commitment: to each other, to the land, to community well-being and viability
• Most pithy comment: “Building things is exciting, but the excitement doesn’t last long;  maintaining things is boring and lasts forever.”

We were very touched and moved by the hospitality and wisdom we received during our time at Monan’s Rill and extend our most heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Rick, Sue,Ken and Uta for their hospiality.

SANTA ROSA CREEK COMMONS

We headed back to Santa Rosa amid persistent rain and darkening skies towards Santa Rosa Creek Commons (SRCC), a “sister” community to Monan’s Rill.  Our hostess, Scout, invited us into her home and thoughtfully and thoroughly answered all of our questions, ultimately taking us on a tour and introducing us to several other members.  SRCC emerged in 1977 when it became clear that a sub-group of Monan’s Rill founders wanted to live in the city.  Opened in 1982, it currently lies on 1.8 acres adjacent to a creek and offers 27 housing units to about 30 adult residents.  There are two, multi-unit buildings which face a central courtyard, and an additional 2 houses facing the street.  It is a beautiful setting and the buildings are both attractive and practical.  A key organizing principle is long-term affordability.  Many similar values and attitudes to Monan’s Rill are also present at SRCC and I won’t repeat them.  Here is some of what we learned at SRCC:

• Ownership: Limited equity housing co-op; share price is determined by square footage; share cost is returnable when people leave, but no portion of monthly carrying costs; units range from efficiencies to 3-bedroom units, 560-1150 square feet
• Membership process: there is an application process which can take up to 18 months, and applicants are encouraged to attend work days/events to get to know residents; there is a waiting list; the group decides each year which skills are most needed and selects residents accordingly
• Community maintenance: members are responsible for everything; there is an 8-hour/month work requirement, usually done during community work days
• Governance: Issues are decided by consensus; every adult serves on the Board of Directors and two committees 
• House exchange: people are able to switch units as needs change; when a unit is vacated, it is updated by the community
• Pets: Numbers and types of pets are strictly regulated per unit
• Community glue: work days, potlucks, community and educational events; people live in closer quarters and greet/support each other on a daily basis
• Biggest challenges:
  • Adult children: how to deal with children who live with parent(s) but who don’t contribute money or work to the community
  • Aging: decide the level care the community can reasonably provide for an aging member before the member needs to hire help or move on; bringing in younger members with appropriate skills and abilities to do work
  • Key attitudes: similar to Monan’s Rill

As we were leaving, we met one of the founders, Calvin (now in his 90s), who filled us in on the original property acquisition process.  Our appreciation and gratitude goes to Scout and others we met during our visit to this vibrant and friendly community.

OCCIDENTAL ARTS AND ECOLOGY CENTER and SOWING CIRCLE INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY

The next morning, we traveled west to Occidental in the driving rain.  We had an appointment with Dave Henson, executive director of Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) and co-founder of Sowing Circle, LLC.  Dave is well known internationally for his work within sustainable agricultural, environmental and social justice movements, all of which further the cause of regional scale, socially just and ecologically restorative systems of governance and economy. 

Sowing Circle, LLC, is an intentional community with resident members and children who cooperatively own 12 homes and 80 acres of land as well as all buildings.  OAEC is a non-profit 501(c)3 which runs a farm and educational programs, leasing land and buildings from Sowing Circle, LLC.  Sowing Circle, LLC, also maintains an agricultural easement for organic farming, granted at the time of founding in 1994.     

Our time with Dave was limited and we focused solely on ownership models.  We returned with some new and useful perspectives on how we might legally organize Hart’s Mill Ecovillage which we will share with the community in due time.  We are extremely grateful to Dave for sharing his time and expertise with us! 

We drove back to the East Bay in driving rain but full of new ideas, inspiration, and energy for Hart’s Mill Ecovillage.  It feels great to have connections with successful communities on the other coast.  The biggest take-home for us might be a deeper awareness that building cooperative community is a long-term commitment.  What we create, if it succeeds, will outlast us and our individual opinions and preferences.  Serving the long-term values and interests of the community and all its constituents (land, people, creatures, neighbors, etc.) must be uppermost in our minds and hearts. 

We share this journey with scores of wonderful people who are willing and eager to share their perspectives and wisdom—just like us!  Together, we are forging a more beautiful world.