Author: earthaven


Diana Leafe Christian, author of the books Creating a Life Together and Finding Community, is publisher of Ecovillages, a free online newsletter about ecovillages worldwide (EcovillageNews.org), and a columnist for Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) (gen.ecovillage.org). She is a trainer in GEN’s Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) program, and speaks at conferences, offers consultations, and leads workshops internationally. See www.DianaLeafeChristian.org. Articles by Diana Leafe Christian include: Ecovillage Activists in Japan (Issue # 138) Can We Make a Difference? (Issue # 137) The "Ten Most Beautiful" Communities in the World (Issue # 136) When Adobe Pueblo Meets Star Trek (Issue # 136) Worth Their Weight in Gold (Issue # 134) Remembering Eileen Caddy (Issue # 134) Avoiding Abundance’s Traps (Issue # 144) Reunion Under the Redwoods (Issue # 153) We the People (Issue # 154) Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity Is Good for Communities (Issue # 155) Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity Is Good for Communities, Part II (Issue # 156) How the “N Street Consensus Method” Helps N Street Cohousing Thrive (Issue # 157) Consensus and the Burden of Added Process: Are There Easier Ways to Make Decisions? (Issue # 158) So Why Do Cohousers and Ecovillagers Join Community? (Issue # 158) Saying Goodbye to Consensus-with-Unanimity in European Communities (Issue # 159) Transparency, Equivalence, and Effectiveness (Issue # 160) Self-Governance with Circles and Double Links (Issue # 161)

On Community: A Graduated Series of Consequences and the “Community Eye”

Posted on November 26, 2019 by

Just knowing the community has this process in place deters people from breaking agreements. People don’t want to get a knock at the door by one fellow community member, much less three or four.


Your Community and the Law

Posted on April 30, 2019 by

Earthaven Ecovillage learns the hard way that it’s important for a community to choose its legal entities carefully, and to consult and listen to lawyers. A member shares some lessons from their ordeal.


Radical Governance Changes in Two North American Ecovillages

Posted on October 31, 2014 by
1 Comment

Earthaven and Dancing Rabbit embrace their groups’ evolution and growth with innovative new governance and decision-making methods.


Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity Is Good for Communities

Posted on June 7, 2012 by
5 Comments

How can a diverse group best make decisions? After many years advocating it, the author concludes that consensus is not the answer.