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Techniques for Living:

Lessons from Canada’s Intentional Communities

IN BRIEF

Techniques for Living aims to present practical methods for living in harmony with the planet while enriching the life of the individual—gathered through the research of Canada’s alternative populations.

THE PROJECT (section title??)

Whether you believe radical change is inevitable or just feel drawn to more harmonious ways of living, it is clear that the momentum for cultural shift is reaching a critical mass. With so many of us seeking a fundamental change in the ways we live our lives, its important that this restless energy be met with the tools, techniques and inspiration to transform our angst into action.

Fortunately, thousands of people are already hard at work, quietly inventing and rediscovering techniques for living out their values, and creating more spiritually, culturally and ecologically rewarding lifestyles. They are the modern pioneers of co-op farms, ecovillages, off-grid homesteads and intentional communities. 

This project will examine the cultural, energetic, technological and architectural aspects of these communities. Their dynamics will be presented holistically as templates for planning new communities and specific techniques will be presented individually as a series of ‘how-to’s’.

WHY THIS WORK IS IMPORTANT (this section still a bit rough)

Often, the success of alternative communities lies in their local and self-sufficient approaches to living. Additionally, land value, availability and zoning tend to push these developments to remote or isolated locations. For these reasons these communities are often hidden or overlooked and a wealth of cultural knowledge remains hidden along with them. This project will respectfully work with these communities to pass along their skills and experience. 

We can also look to the people of these communities for examples of successful transition. The ‘alternative population’ is largely an emergent one, with the majority having transitioned to these lifestyles from relatively main-stream backgrounds. There’s something radically practical about their stories in that they are stories of people we can relate to, who share our uneasiness about the current culture and have found ways of doing something about it.

PROCESS

1 - Preparation: Purchase a low-impact touring vehicle running biodiesel. This is used for traveling to these communities as well as a mobile shelter and studio.

I have sourced a converted Ford E350 HandyDart for this purpose with a biodiesel system installed (including used cooking-oil filter system allowing fill-up directly at any diner). The rig also includes a 2500W solar system and high-efficiency wood stove for heating during the colder months.

2 - Research: Travel to intentional communities in a wide range of climates and ecological environments across Canada and document their ways of life through photography, audio, video and writing. Content is published to a live blog and YouTube channel. (The folks selling the HandyDart are themselves residents of a co-op, so they will be my fist stop. There is also an excellent listing of intentional communities here: http://directory.ic.org)

3 - Publishing: The best of the blog is compiled, edited and expanded upon for print publishing as a visual how-to text full of useful instruction on how to live off the land along with the inspiring (and sometimes cautionary(good)) stories from these communities.

FUNDING

I hope to raise $25,000 for the purchase of the vehicle to kickstart the project and get me on the road. Day-to-day expenses of the project will be funded out of pocket. Print publishing costs will be evaluated when the time comes. (might need a rough estimate here)

WHO

I see this having three major audiences in order of priority:

1. Anyone who is frustrated sorting out what to do with their life—looking for ways of living from their values. I see this as being a very large group, mostly under 40-year-olds. I see this group benefiting most immediately from the ‘how-to’ components of this, allowing people to easily integrate one-off techniques (i.e. an urban humanure system) into their lives. (These are the people I hope will help seed-fund the project)

2. People who are interested in adopting entire systems from the research (i.e. starting up their own co-op farm, intentional community or homestead)

3. The alternative populations themselves; as a new resource for them to cross-pollinate and learn about each other.

Thinking bigger bicture: Ideally, the blog and handbook(s?) would help some people move from group 1 to 2 to 3 and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the resource along the way. As people with an interest in this stuff turn their interest into action, they are encouraged to contribute their experiences and help grow the resource, building momentum and encouraging more people from ‘group 1’ to take action. So over the longterm, I see this as more than a resource but as a cycle and as a community.

ABOUT ME

I am a former tree-planter with a background in design and a hearty appetite for adventure. My experiences include work on an organic farm, construction of a recycled cabin, basic biodiesel tinkering as well as newspaper and book design. I am also a hobby photographer, cyclist and all-around outdoorsy type.