Here on my homestead
I dream of cabins, built high
above the river
This is a great question, and one that I have in fact thought a lot about over the years, including all the years I lived in apartments and condos, wistfully thinking of some future day when I would finally have some acreage on which to realize my dreams.
But, while I'd like to host a mini ecovillage of sorts on my place, I've always thought of it more as a place to host events, such as writer's and music retreats, rather than as an actual village intended for year round living.
Call it the loner in me, but I'm a westerner by birth and in my heart, and as much as I love people, I've learned well over the years that I need both space and alone time.
So my thought on this place has always been more along the lines of having half a dozen or so small cabins, each completely private with its own deck and small garden, situated amid some perennial food bearing plants on different parts of the property . . . say two or three above and overlooking the river, a couple further into the woods, and perhaps a couple closer to the clearing near the studio, where I plan to eventually put in an outdoor shower.
But what would be most important to me if I were looking for an ecovillage in which to hang my hat on a more permanent basis, where I was looking for community on more than a sometime basis, and where I had the opportunity to influence the creation of those assets that are most important to me?
First and foremost, I would want there to be an extensive permaculture gardening system to feed everyone, incorporating a host of perennial food plants including vegetables, fruit and nut trees and bushes, year round greenhouses with aquaponic systems for production of fish and vegetables, and separate areas for the culture of tropical and desert plants, to feed our souls through the coldest winter months.
In my perfect world, every cabin / tiny house / earthship would have a garden of its own, incorporating vining fruits such as grapes and kiwis to shade the south-facing porches in the summer, and fruit and nut trees and bushes to provide fresh nourishing foods for all.
Extensive culinary and medicinal herb gardens would be necessary, both for the health and well-being of the community, and as an ongoing source of income, as plants and plant starts could be sold locally each spring and fall, while value-added products such as extracts, salves and more could be marketed and sold online and locally all year long, and courses could be taught on how to grow and utilize the plants each season.
Natural medicine is only as valuable as the knowledge we share in its ongoing uses.
Ideally, in addition to kitchens in individual homes, a communal commercial kitchen would be a boon to anyone doing canning or cooking on a larger scale, or especially for resale, as it gets the biggest and (in rural areas) most difficult hurdle out of the way.
I've had an idea for years for an Amy's Organics style food business based around hearty and delicious soups, many of which are vegan, but our nearest commercial kitchen is in Nashville, nearly two hours away, and scheduling time there on a consistent enough business to start and maintain an ongoing business would likely be problematic.
And starting a commercial kitchen on our place, while it could be done fairly easily, could just as easily cost tens of thousands of dollars to accomplish, and thus has so far not been within our financial means to accomplish on our own.
But one of the defining characteristics of the communal villages I've been privileged to visit in my life is the tendency toward communal cooking, not always but on a regular basis, as a way to nourish souls along with bodies, and to build bonds among young and old, residents and visitors, by breaking bread together and sharing experiences and wisdom.
A communal commercial kitchen, with an indoor or outdoor dining area as a central gathering place for the village, could go a long way to fostering better relationships among the whole community, while encouraging everyone to share the workload in gathering, preparing and preserving food enough to get everyone through the winter.
And, it could possibly lend itself to allowing some among the residents to start cottage businesses, that they would otherwise be unable to begin on their own.
Another thing that has always been of great importance to me, much to the consternation of my husband, is a library. And, in any village, a communal library, where everyone pools their books, programs and knowledge, winds up being not only an important gathering place, but a place of learning, troubleshooting and skill sharing, and becomes a most valuable resource for everyone involved.
I've lent out a lot of books over the years that were never returned, but I still have literally hundreds if not thousands of books on a wide variety of subject matters, many of which speak directly to living lightly on the world, growing and preparing organic foods, animal advocating and care, woodworking and a variety of practical crafts, practical boating and camping skills, emergency medical and dental care in the absence of medical facilities, and much more.
The last two books, "Where There Is No Doctor" and "Where There Is No Dentist," I have had in ebook form for well over twenty years, keep them on my phone at all times, and recommend them highly, as none of us know when or where we may be called upon in case of emergency.
The nonprofit publisher offers them in several formats, including allowing the majority of chapters to be read for free in an online wiki, and updates them on a regular basis. You can access them, and nearly twenty additional books and pamphlets that they publish, here: https://hesperian.org/books-and-resources/
I also have an abundance of ebooks and audiobooks, a wealth of meditations and masterclasses, and a number of full courses that I've purchased over the years, on everything from healthier living, business acumen, mathematics, history, science and scientific thought, languages, and much more.
Between Marek and I, we also have some pretty amazing musical instruments, musical recordings, concert DVDs, tools of all sorts, art and crafting supplies, and much more.
While it wouldn't be practical or advisable to lend some things out, such as my father's 1890 Steinway, I would be perfectly willing to allow someone to play it here, once our studio is functional. And I've several times had friends come over to listen to music, read ebooks or watch programs that I've had on my computer. It's part of being a friend.
I'm guessing that most of you reading this have a number of books, programs, tools, skills or knowledge that you could share with others, which would interest and enrich them and their lives, and which just might bring you closer together in the process.
We each have far more to give and share than we realize.
And, in giving, we receive far more in return than can even be imagined.
And so, in closing, the three things I would want the most in an ecovillage going forward are:
Diverse perennial permaculture, forest farming and aquaponic gardens, along with extensive culinary and medicinal herb gardens, to provide the majority of food and nutrition needed for the community;
A communal commercial kitchen, to make preparing and processing the food far easier, and to allow anyone who wants to to start a cottage industry based on the food they prepare there;
A communal library, where the community can pool resources and knowledge, thus allowing a ready exchange of ideas and information, along with a place for gathering, learning, troubleshooting and skill sharing.
And a fourth, which was originally my first, and which led us to purchase the place we are living on now:
A ready supply of easily accessible clean drinking water, with full, legally enforceable water rights. Water is life, and will only become more and more precious as our climate continues to change.
The photo above was taken by me in April of this year using my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 smartphone.
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art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics
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