Common Ground Ecovillage has a strong core of committed members who are giving of their time, talent, and resources to building a community together. We are a growing group of individuals and families from the Triangle area, ranging in age from 20’s to 80’s. Except for several retirees, we have middle-class jobs in the area as teachers, farmers, business managers, computer technicians, artists, musicians, and more. Here are some of our members:
Amy H.
I am a professor at a university in North Carolina (hint: think red), and think a lot about the socialization processes embedded in families and cultures (including those created by geography, ethnicity, or oppression). I am also very interested in the socialization of gender, and have heated but happy arguments with the more biologically-based family members about gender differences. I also have thought deeply about issues related to race for a long time, and have been able to investigate social and racial justice issues in my research. I work a lot (all right, my family might say all the time), and when not working (which I consider proof that I don’t work all the time), I am equally busy: gardening; fooling around with the cats, chickens, children; exercising in the form of yoga or hiking; or trying to create social change. Common Ground Ecovillage is creating a vision I am passionate about, and from which I have learned a lot – including many cooperative living skills which have benefited my family and my workplace and farming and forestry skills—I have a lot to learn and I love how this community continues to teach and inspire me.
Amy L.
Amy is a therapist who works with college students at a nearby campus (hint: think light blue). She and her wife Krystal have three young children. She is an introvert, a dreamer and a realist. She enjoys reading and hikes. Besides being a therapist, her favorite job has been as a camp counselor. She first researched intentional communities when seeking secular options for creating community for her children. She has found connection, wisdom and inspiration at Common Ground. Sometimes living by her values seems like swimming upstream, and she appreciates having encouragement, examples, and support along the way.
Anthony W.
Planning, Design, and Development Circle Operational Leader According to Wikipedia, I am “an American philosopher, teacher, and writer, author of widely used primers in critical thinking and ethical practice and [have] written a variety of unconventional books and essays on philosophical topics”, though apparently my thinking is also too wide-ranging and practical! I am companion of Amy and father of our two lovely and adventurous children; a carpenter and mason thanks to building from an early age with my architect father and jack-of-all-trades grandfather, both of whom also had longtime associations with Frank Lloyd Wright; a musician (vocal a capella groups mostly), avid backpacker and wilderness lover, chess player, watercolorist (thanks to my mother) and nature journalist, and urban gardener. I am the current record-holder for the number of nights camped out on the land.
Bailey H.
Being the best mother I can be to this little guy entrusted in my care lead me to Common Ground. I believe it takes a village not only to rear children, but also to create substantial change that our society and planet will need to thrive toward our fullest potential. Each moment we spend with the people involved in this community and each task we complete help us to grow just a bit stronger in some way. Every step in my past from earning a BA in Motion Picture Production at Brooks Institute of Photography to studying Global Sustainability at UCLA and managing real estate investment properties has lead me here, with a burning desire to work passionately toward a better future for our children. I most specifically see that happening by reconnecting with the environment and our food. I am wholeheartedly inspired by this communities work in collaborative skills and conflict resolution tools. We look forward to living in a manner that most reflects our life’s mission here at Common Ground Ecovillage!
Becky L.
Born and raised in North Carolina, I grew up in intentional community as an adult. I bring to CGEV my experience from 25 years of life and leadership in Arcadia Cohousing, where my husband, Lee, and I raised our son, Kody Elijah. I’m a retired biochemist and elder care provider.
I approach intentional community as a big extended family, where you stick with people as they struggle and find that the more I engage, the richer my experience. Relationships are my main focus, and I find that reconnecting brings joy. My experience at Arcadia has improved my listening and facilitation skills, self-control, and patience in figuring out what people are trying to say. I am dedicated to CGEV’s plan for limited equity affordable housing and modeling of sustainable living in an agrarian ecovillage.
I practice peer counseling for emotional healing and to transform childhood and generational trauma into understanding. I enjoy taiji, yoga, hiking, gardening, and creative expression through movement and through glass and paint.
Gonzalo G.
I am captivated by the natural world and its landscapes. Growing up in Northern Spain I was able to spend countless hours hiking mountains, meadows, and valleys. As a young adult, I spent a year living in a spiritual/ agrarian community and later devoted time and energy to another community. Both experiences created happy and fulfilling memories and showed me the amazing process of working and sharing life with people, seeing the trees and plants growing, participating in the multiple activities and human gatherings along with the constant evolution of the community itself. Most recently, living in the suburbs of a big city the longing for a more meaningful and embracing lifestyle began, and so did the search for a community. After lengthy research of listings in the Intentional Communities website, my partner and I decided to make several visits to Common Ground Ecovillage and began getting to know the members. I am fascinated with the potential of this community and I am experiencing inspired and enthusiastic growth since we moved to North Carolina. It’s exciting to be a part of a cooperative, constructive, and brave future that requires tenacious effort to maintain our ties and connection with our Mother Earth Planet and its sentient beings. CGEV possesses the understanding, interest, and smart approach to becoming a lighthouse for healthy living in the North Carolina landscape.
Hope H.
I am a founding member of the Common Ground community, motivated by creating a human world that belongs to the earth rather than the other way around. I have been interested in living in intentional community with my husband, Paul, for decades. I set out to bring dedication, commitment, and love to the grand vision of CGEV while watering the tendrils of elderhood that offer support and guidance to the burgeoning community. I and encourage myself and others to let go of ways of being that want to push, control, judge or inflict “power over” rather than “power with” dynamics and invite creativity, collaboration, and acceptance of change as the only constant to our work in community. Being in and among the land is what brings me life. I find deep nourishment in foraging, straying off path, and helping to restore the ecosystem here to a more native condition. I hope to continue exploring the uncharted pieces of our land and learning more about the other species of flora and fauna that reside here.
Jeffry G.
Land Stewardship Circle Operational Leader I grew up in the relative seclusion of the woods of the rural Georgia piedmont. From as early as I can remember, my primary passion other than being outdoors was school, especially science. I followed that passion to an enjoyable career in neuroscience research. Since retiring from that endeavor I have taken up a second career in market farming and returned to the woods. What attracts me to Common Ground Ecovillage is its lovely piece of land and its core agrarian mission. I have been a member of Common Ground since 2015, and along with my wife Margret, are now farming a portion of the Common Ground land.
Kathleen B.
The search for intentional community came from wanting to fulfill a way of living I had enjoyed for short periods. Gonzalo, my partner, found the CGEV website while we were living in Florida. The principles and intentions really caught my attention. They upheld the ideals I value and am trying to live by. Growing up biracial (Korean & White) I felt like I had to work extra hard to be accepted. In community I can offer my talents and let go of the fear of not being good at everything. We’re coming from such different experiences, orientations and filters. The work of weaving these together to make something alive & beautiful is art. It’s the art that thrills me.
Katy A.
Planning, Design, and Development Elected Representative With a varied background in landscape architecture, construction, business and nonprofit management, Katy is dedicated to fostering innovative approaches to creating communities which integrate low-impact development with restorative agriculture and land conservation. She grew up as a “free-range” child on a small 100-acre farm near Atlanta, GA learning skills such as gardening, canning, animal husbandry, butchering (chickens), sewing, basic mechanics, and carpentry from her grandparents. Katy holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia, and has previously held professional licenses in real estate and commercial construction. She has worked as a civil engineering technician, onsite construction superintendent for multifamily communities, and senior VP for a national real estate development firm. In the latter role, she was responsible for pre-development activities including land acquisition, feasibility, permitting, rezoning, and coordination of design professionals. She co-founded and managed a Raleigh-based software company with her husband for almost 10 years, which was named as one of the Triangle’s “Fast 50” fastest growing private companies. After that, Katy served as statewide outreach coordinator for the NC Solar Center (now the NC Clean Energy Technology Center) at NCSU, and later as executive director for Sustainable North Carolina.
Krystal S. My family and I (wife Amy & 3 kids) have been involved with Common Ground for about five years. I enjoy spending time on the land and with the folks of Common Ground. I was a stay-at-home mom for five wonderful years. Although I have had a consistent career in healthcare, I have considered or tried many other paths (bartender, baker, farmer, child care, etc.). I am happiest when doing- mowing the lawn, fixing things, playing on the playground with the kids. I look forward to learning new skills on the farm and maybe driving the tractor from time to time.
Lisa B.
I moved from NYC to Chapel Hill in 1983. Although I grew up outside of the city and lived in Brooklyn in my twenties I didn’t really feel like a city person. In my adopted hometown I started a family and found a slower and greener place that suited me. As a social worker with the Orange County Department on Aging, I had the privilege of meeting many older adults in the county which helped me connect to this part of the world and put down roots through listening to their personal stories and local history, and traveling the rural roads throughout the county.
I have been thinking about intentional communities for a long time, and I sense (and hope) that in this community I will become my best self and will be both challenged and supported in this journey. At Common Ground Ecovillage, we all have the opportunity to learn from the land – its inhabitants, waterways, geology, weather etc., and to steward it’s well being which draws me to this community.
I get my energy through making music, observing nature, being courageous in relationships, and connecting to my Jewish identity. Since retiring in 2019, I have discovered the pleasure of using my hands to fix things and my brain to approach problems. I look forward to developing this new sense of competence at Common Ground!
Lucas B.
An avid permaculturalist and yogi aspirant, currently helping heaps of veggies grow and coordinating community meals out at Common Ground. Rockin’ out on the river of justice and food sovereignty. All in the story of interbeing as best as I can. Co-creating a culture of consent,
compassion, power with & with-in, reciprocity, mutual thriving, honorable harvests, and reverence for all of life. In a former life I studied economics and desired to be an investment banker. In another I threw 1000s of pitches chasing summer across the hemispheres, playing & coaching the game I loved, while also teaching mindfulness meditation to athletes. Now, greatly inspired by my experience as an apprentice at Rancho Mastatal in 2022, I’m fully devoted to bringing the beautiful vision of Common Ground Ecovillage to life.
Margret M.
I have been involved in Common Ground Ecovillage since 2015, when my husband Jeffry and I were given a tour of the land and fell in love with it. From the beginning I have been involved with the Land Stewardship Circle; for four of those years serving as the circle’s Elected Representative. This has kept me connected with all things land-related, both the good (foraging, trail work, our flora and fauna…) and the less good (exotic invasives, trash clean-up, vegetable crop pests…). Since 2017 I have been very busy farming on the land, alongside Jeffry, other farmer- members, farmers-to-be, and volunteers. This has proved to be the single most important catalyst for deepening my connection to and gratitude for our land, the people of this community, and the food I eat.
I have had a lifelong interest in participating in and painting the natural world, and consider myself an amateur naturalist, careful observer, and botanical fine artist. I fantasize that someday I will have enough free time to create a series of watercolors documenting this bountiful, beautiful piece of unpaved paradise.
Momo F.
I am a simple human being who loves playful communion with nature and well being. I explore this daily through physical artistry and the enthusiastic inquiry of creative Self expression.
I am devoted to supporting humanity to be the most amazing and joyous beings that we are!
I feel honored to witness the beauty and revelations as humans become reacquainted with our natural essence.
My artful skills range from practical to poetic, from intuitive to technical. I inspire FUN as a natural improviser, mystic solutionist and adventure guide. My specialty is in guiding people to connect with our True Nature inside and out through embodied movement arts.
For the past 40 years I’ve worked as a teacher, artist and performer of dance, movement and somatic transformation as my primary profession. My credentials include an MFA in directing Theater and Dance, a BA in Outdoor Education with emphasis on Healing and Performing Arts, Certified Yoga Instructor and Hypnotherapist.
I founded, built and directed a retreat center for Embodied Arts in Nature. I taught all aspects of Theater and directed a Drama Department in Seattle. I am a program facilitator and board member for the outdoor arts education nonprofit NatureMoves.
Well known for my work with Butoh dance, I lived, worked and performed in Japan for five years with founders of Butoh; Kazuo and Yoshito Ohno. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the art of Butoh Dance, I created over 500 DailyDance videos.
In past 9 years, I’ve served as an Ambassador and Guide of The Gene Keys, and course contributor for The Dream Arc. created a new movement modality for embodied contemplation of the 64 I Ching and DNA based Codes of Creation and Consciousness called DanceWaves.
Currently single and living close to my elderly mother. I am now passionately engaged with realizing our dream of becoming co-owners and resident members of Common Ground Ecovillage.
Paul V.
From a modest upbringing that instilled a strong work ethic, independence, and resilience (but, sadly, not a good sense of life-purpose early on), I now find myself in later years inspired to break through the “old story” of bootstrapping independence into the new story of interdependence with one another and with our, perhaps irreparably damaged, planet. I feel a strong and uncommon belonging to Common Ground, and I participate with immense joy and purpose in our vision of reunion with each other and with the non-human elements of a sorely injured and hurting natural world – all the while constructing a space to hold our collective failings, too. I so wish to help further accountability regarding our shared values and to see the inspiring aspirations of this community come truly into being – or Interbeing, to borrow from Thich Nhat Hanh.
I feel a deep sense of obligation to keep the CGEV dream alive from an inner place of joy and purpose. One of my favorite things is to give tours of our land to potential new members and enjoy the opportunity to observe the place I love so dearly through new eyes with each such visit. I am inspired – indeed, driven – to continue the work of this project for the benefit of generations to come to set the world on a course to a better (well… for now, I’ll settle for not-worse) place. It’s a massive undertaking and doesn’t leave much room for just waiting and hoping, so I’m in it for the sustained long-haul work of genuine social transformation.
Quai D.
I’m a philosopher and I use my writing, my voice, and my songs to tell stories – true and imaginary. If you want to understand a person, a community, a nation, or anything in the world, listen to their story. If you want to be understood, tell your story.
I’m an introvert who enjoys being among people in good conversation, laughter, singing, or peaceful silence. I just need to balance those times with my introvert recovery time to regain my energy. I have a bit of an edgy, satirical sense of humor which I am as likely to aim at myself as anything else. I love a good/terrible pun. And because of all of the above, I’m not the best at “small talk” so feel free to go deep when speaking with me. I am nondualist (Advaita Vedanta persuasion) which gives me the understanding that what alleviates suffering is that which moves us closer to the truth of our shared being and consciousness. Therefore justice and equity are core values to me as is nonviolent communication. I endeavor to treat everyone with forgiveness, sincerity, kindness, simplicity, and truthfulness. I’m also aware that the kindness of sincere truth-telling can be really uncomfortable, but the commitment to engaging in the practice of authentic conversation is the foundation of all healthy relationships, including community. I identify as a cisgender male, he/him, hetero, altersexual, and poly.
Planning to live at Common Ground with my life partner, Ren. Check it out. I hope you dig it!
Randy D.
Living locally since the late 1960s, including in a cohousing community for 26 years, brings me an abiding sense of place and devotion to this land and the people who relate to it with reverence and, in doing so, respect and care for it. I currently work in local government and have appreciated being involved in projects about local creeks, climate resilience and action, and other regenerative initiatives. Some interests/hobbies include permaculture; natural building; local food; renewable energy; alternative transportation (meaning alternatives to fossil fuels, and driving); appropriate technology; sharing stuff, responsibilities, decisions, and life in general; singing; and alternatives to power over, winner/loser, plutocratic, and hypertechnocratic paradigms. I’ve been involved with Common Ground since 2014, with a few highlights being: building a little cob hut; care of the forest (aka, the “Wood Wide Web” project); and serving on the Land Stewardship Circle.
Ren E.
In no particular order, I am: an extravert with loner leanings ♥ a storyteller with a comedic bent ♥ playful like a lazy puppy that got into the coffee ♥ sincere and honest to a fault ♥ lover of all things chocolate ♥ partially disabled by medical-grade alphabet soup (ask me) ♥ musically inclined: my instruments are my imagination, acoustic guitar, flute, voice, and in process, blues harp ♥ a songwriter and poet ♥ older and wider than I think I am, not so sure about wiser ♥ an artist in sand, snow, peanut butter, and anything else you can shape or mark (also traditional drawing/painting media) and iPad app doodler ♥ a rock and dirt collector ♥ curious about everyone and everything (almost) all of the time ♥ an animal lover, especially quirky cats and underdogs ♥ an explorer of vegan cooking ♥ a virtual world and Sims enthusiast ♥ freaked out by most insects (what am I doing here???)
AND… I identify as a cisgender female, she/her, hetero-ace, poly, and pan-romantic. ♥ My shadow side superpowers: over-commitment, distraction, skeptical optimism, wasting precious time, filling silences with babbling, getting lost in thought ♥ My bright side superpowers: magnet to fringy people (like me!), skeptical optimism, using my privilege for good, super-friendliness, social open-mindedness, expansiveness, willingness to be wrong (but you’ll have to prove it!) ♥ A past life, and/or my previous home planet surely involved living in water. ♥ My brain requires transition times between activities or springs start popping out and I fall over. ♥ I have equal tendencies to organize chaos and disrupt apple carts, depending on which the situation calls for. ♥ The Emperor has no clothes, nor does the elephant they rode into the room on. ♥ I blame physics (specifically, entropy) for the state of my immediate surroundings. ♥ For me, time is a nebulous concept: I often forget it’s a thing. ♥ I believe that strong communication skills and developing a willingness to deal with conflict quickly until it becomes second nature is essential to living in a community.
Planning to live at Common Ground with my life partner, Quai. Won’t you please? Won’t you please? Please, won’t you be my neighbor?
Ruthie H.
My new role as a parent has created an imperative to find intergenerational community in which to raise one year old Wesley. My own parents are Anthony and Amy, and I have watched their efforts in creating Common Ground bloom into a life-giving project, providing continuous opportunities for growth. The focus on social and economic equity at CG provides me more opportunities to grow and expand my understanding of diverse world views.
CG also provides many ways to be outside in a meaningful way. Since I use a lot of my brain power studying the effects of climate change on ice sheets in Antarctica, I want to contribute physically to creating CG; in the past I have enjoyed building parts of Harts Ease and the barn, as well as helping with the farm. I want to show Wesley that Mom can have as much play time as Dad; I enjoy activities such as running, hiking and backpacking, ultimate frisbee, soccer, watercolor, knitting, crafts, and much more
Theresa J.
Although I am a fairly new member of Common Ground I have jumped in with both feet as I am often energized by leaping into change. I am a climate refugee from the wildfires of the west coast although I originally herald from rural Michigan as a one of 7 siblings. Those early years planted the seeds of living in an agrarian community since we had a small house; I became skilled at shared living and spent most of my time outside in the forest and at home in the natural world. Now more than ever as we face ecological crisis, I am passionate about cultivating deeper relationship with the earth and each other to create a more healing and restorative ecosystem for us to thrive in.
I have spent many years planning and creating intentional communities sparked in part by the desire to embark on the journey of motherhood yet realizing how isolating the nuclear family model is. Being a parent is one of the most beautiful and challenging parts of who I am. I live into a loving reciprocity with life and enjoy being of service and sharing my rich spirituality. I am a deep and expressive communicator and skilled conflict mediator of 30 years. I cherish bringing aliveness, intimacy, and play to this community and I am often dancing, singing, or creating magic in the kitchen.
