Networks + Organizations
A New Look for the Fellowship for Intentional Community
Posted on April 2, 2019 byA letter from the new Communications Director, Cynthia Tina In the face of global crises of unimaginable scales and complexity, our strength is found in simple local solutions. Weaving relationships and choosing to take action together defies rampant isolation in modern life. Social isolation is a human health epidemic. Community is the antidote. Intentional communities… Read More
Cross-Class Cooperation and Land Access
Posted on March 23, 2019 byIt is important to not only talk about the role class privilege plays in our movement, but also celebrate the ways that cross-class cooperation can be a form of much-needed solidarity.
The Dilemmas of Being a Benefactor: Creating a Community Land Trust
Posted on March 16, 2019 by1 Comment
CommonSpace CLT fulfills its founder’s dream of using her inheritance to create an affordable, not-for-profit example of diverse community on protected land in perpetuity.
Land Speaking through the People: The Great Work of Our Times
Posted on March 9, 2019 byThrough Community Land Trusts, we can reimagine and experience anew our relationship with the land as communities of place-based people.
Review: Farming While Black
Posted on February 26, 2019 byThis book is written for young Black, Brown, and Latinx people with dreams of farming, but it is also a gift to all of us who care about farming, equality, and justice.
Black Land Matters: An Interview with Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm
Posted on February 24, 2019 byHeadquartered on a community farm, a nonprofit, people-of-color-led organization works to dismantle racism in the food system by increasing farmland stewardship by people of color, promoting equity in food access, and training the next generation of activist farmers.
Seeking Brigadoon: A Community of Dance-Campers Finds a Permanent Homeplace
Posted on February 10, 2019 byAfter 40 years of summer camps and other gatherings with shifting locations, Dance New England finally lands on its own 417 acres.
Thanks for the Fun on #GiveItAwayTuesday!
Posted on November 28, 2018 byWhat a fun day it was yesterday! From 8am to 8pm on Tuesday November 27, many of staff, board, and supporters of FIC hosted a marathon event we called #GiveItAwayTuesday. Our premise was simple. So simple in fact that we were all laughing hysterically when we first joked about it! It was a late night… Read More
Transforming FIC
Posted on November 19, 2018 by5 Comments
Developments for FIC at Organizational Meeting at Twin Oaks The Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC) met for its twice annual Organizational Meeting at the end of October. For over thirty years, this gathering has taken place at different intentional communities throughout North America. This year we met at Twin Oaks, a 50+ year old… Read More
Planet Community – Episode 2 – Student Housing Cooperatives
Posted on November 19, 2018 byWhat is it like to live in a Student Housing Cooperative? Quite different than a typical student dorm experience, a Student Housing Cooperative is more like “the University of Life!” — where communication, problem solving, and cooperation skills are required. In this brand new second episode of Planet Community, hear from the experiences of people living… Read More
Collaborating for a Regenerative Future
Posted on October 31, 2018 byWritten by: Cynthia Tina — How can we steward a more sustainable and regenerative future for North America? This was the central inquiry during a three day event called the Regenerative CoLab. Nearly 50 visionaries, activists, and organizers gathered in early October at Arcosanti, the legendary urban laboratory in the desert of Arizona, US. The… Read More
Use New Power to Build a Movement
Posted on August 1, 2018 byWhat is New Power? It is not just a change in technologies that is reshaping our world, our culture, and our participation in it. Our beliefs and expectations for what is possible, and what ought to be possible, is also changing. This is eclipsing the old lessons on the right way to create and sustain… Read More
Common Bound Is Coming!
Posted on June 8, 2018 byWe’ve mentioned this before but this year the FIC is especially proud to be co-sponsoring the New Economy Coalition’s Common Bound Conference in St. Louis, June 22-24. There’s still time to register here. What is Common Bound? They’re over 700 people across the new economy movement who will come together in St. Louis to connect… Read More
Transition Towns’ Stories for Change Beyond Survival
Posted on May 11, 2018 by4 Comments
Transition US, the national networking and organizing group for Transition Towns, is celebrating their tenth anniversary with the series, 10 Stories of Transition. Last month in the FIC’s webinar series, Don Hall, Co-Director of Transition US and founder of Transition Sarasota, talked about bringing the values and benefits of intentional communities to not just a… Read More
A Q&A With Eris Weaver About Cohousing And Politics
Posted on March 16, 2017 byThis is an interview with Eris Weaver, a presenter at the National Cohousing Conference in Nashville May 19-21. Eris will be leading several workshops and at the event, including Cohousers in Politics and Let’s Talk About Money. Check out our overview of the event to learn more, and be sure to visit our bookstore if you attend #Coho2017 in… Read More
An Interview With Alice Alexander About The National Cohousing Conference
Posted on March 2, 2017 byThis is an interview with Alice Alexander, Executive Director of the Cohousing Association of the United States and co-founder of the Durham Central Park Cohousing Community in North Carolina. She took some time to answer our questions about the National Cohousing Conference in Nashville May 19-21, which the Foundation for Intentional Community is co-sponsoring. Check out our… Read More
Vegvisits Is An Airbnb Alternative for Vegans and Vegetarians
Posted on February 2, 2017 by1 Comment
Over the past few years, peer-to-peer homesharing platforms have been making it easier to connect with like-minded people when you travel. While Airbnb is still the most well-known platform, it’s no longer your only option. You can choose from homesharing sites specifically intended for elderly travelers, LGBT guests, eco-friendly lodgings, and more. There are even sites… Read More
Boulder’s New Co-op Ordinance is a Victory for Intentional Communities
Posted on January 16, 2017 by“Do you want a Picklebric next to you?” asked an alarmed op-ed in the Daily Camera last summer. Residents of a Boulder, Colorado, neighborhood were clashing with members of the Picklebric co-op over the city’s occupancy laws. As of January, the answer is “Yes.” The Boulder City Council voted 7-2 to pass an ordinance that will allow up… Read More
How This Toronto Nonprofit Encourages Collaborative Consumption
Posted on December 12, 2016 byFor years, the news media has been looking to Silicon Valley as the epicenter of the new “sharing economy.” Maybe it should be looking to Toronto instead. Over the past few years, the Institute for a Resource Based Economy has been expanding the concept of collaborative consumption throughout the city, helping Ontarians reduce waste and make the… Read More
The Damanhur Community In Italy Has Its Own Currency and Constitution
Posted on November 21, 2016 byThe community of Damanhur in northern Italy is known for the Temples of Humankind, a 5-story series of underground chambers built by residents of the community as a spiritual gathering place. Begun in 1978, they were discovered by authorities in the 1990s, and nearly shut down. Now, they’re open to the public and have become… Read More
The First Seasteading Community May Be Closer To Reality Than We Thought
Posted on November 17, 2016 by1 Comment
In June, I wrote a blog post about the Ephemerisle Festival, a gathering on the Sacramento River Delta that imagines what a floating city might look like. The festival hopes to educate people about “seasteading,” which refers to long-term communities at sea, away from the interference of national governments, where residents can practice self-reliance and self-governance. At the time,… Read More
Buy, Eat, and Live Local With Help From BALLE’s New Toolkits
Posted on November 7, 2016 byWhether it’s eating local, supporting worker-owned businesses, or taking money out of Wall Street banks, the “localist” movement is on the rise. While the dominance of mega-corporations like Wal-Mart and Amazon may seem complete, small businesses make up half of the U.S. GDP and create over three times as many jobs. The Business Alliance for Local Living… Read More
The Micro-Nation of Liberland Could Be The World’s Biggest Planned Community
Posted on November 3, 2016 byPicture a country built from scratch: a city-state with open borders, where paying taxes is optional and there are no laws other than “live and let live.” At just three square miles, cars will be unnecessary; the open-air cityscape will allow for algae-powered residences and vertical farms. Private property, drug use, and sexuality will be free from interference by… Read More
The Jewish Intentional Community Conference Takes Place December 1-4
Posted on October 27, 2016 byThe FIC’s Intentional Communities Directory includes communities that range from the spiritual to the secular. If you want to find a religiously affiliated (or unaffiliated) community, there’s a good chance you’ll find one there that aligns with your values. For those looking for a community centered around the Jewish faith, you can check out… Read More
These Apps Connect Excess Food With People Who Need It
Posted on October 24, 2016 byNearly $500 billion worth of food gets thrown away in the U.S. each year – while nearly 50 million Americans go hungry. A new app hopes to use peer-to-peer technology to connect people throwing away food with those who need it. We’ve seen the sharing economy dabble in foodsharing before. Platforms like Feastly and Josephine let… Read More
How Seed Saver Networks Are Protecting The Planet’s Biodiversity
Posted on October 20, 2016 byAs more farmers and gardeners take an interest in permaculture, seed savers’ networks are becoming a vital way to preserve heirloom varieties and protect our planet’s biodiversity. Although not as visible as the farmers’ markets that line our neighborhood sidewalks on Sundays, they’re an integral part of the farm-to-table movement. Seed savers and seed libraries… Read More
The Boat-to-Fork Movement Promotes Local and Sustainable Seafood
Posted on October 17, 2016 byMany of us are familiar with the farm-to-table movement: we might shop at our neighborhood farmers market, or even subscribe to a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) model as a way to support local farms. But what about other products, like seafood? Can we find ways to eat fish locally and sustainably? A network called Local Catch… Read More
This Peer-to-Peer Credit Exchange Could Be Great For Intentional Communities
Posted on October 10, 2016 byFor a while, peer-to-peer lending platforms were going to be the next big thing. Instead of borrowing from big banks, we could borrow from each other, on platforms like Lending Club and Prosper. But pretty soon big banks starting getting involved, and the loans weren’t really so “peer-to-peer” after all. Investors started using them as a way… Read More
Shared Earth Connects Gardeners With Unused Land In Their Neighborhood
Posted on October 3, 2016 byFor years, projects like Fallen Fruit and the Urban Farm Collective have been making it easier for people to access the excess produce and gardening space in their neighborhoods. A new project called Shared Earth brings the concept to a wider market, using the latest peer-to-peer technology to connect gardeners with unused lawns and gardens… Read More
A New Site Called Simbi Lets You Barter Your Skills, Lessons, and More
Posted on September 29, 2016 byA lot has been written about how the “sharing economy” isn’t really about “sharing” – many of the companies that use the term are more about renting, buying and selling, or even just working. A new site called Simbi wants to change that, offering a platform where users can exchange services for Simbi credits (short… Read More
