Hey Guys,
I’m back with another development in the living together front. I’m currently really inspired and pretty stoked. We are wwoofing at the oldest intentional community in NZ and its an infinite learning experience. Observation is our most useful skill here, but we still have to do the odd monotonous task. Currently Rebecca is sorting the library and having to catalogue the whole thing. A place like this yield’s itself to some pretty awesome literature and one jem we stumbled upon is an old freelance magazing publication: Outlaw building news. I wanted to share some inspirational things from it:
Outlaw Building News: 1972 Introduction
A thousand million years ago, there were five forms of photosynthetic life in the ocean: red, brown, green, blue-green, and yellow green. The form colonized the land. We go to the shore and see brown pacific kelp dying in the strange air.
We will never know the experiments which discovered the order principles and integrites which we carry in our genes
Ever since lately, the genes have had minds as their co-pilots. The purpose of minds is to help genes make life a success.
Our failures are chiefly failures of the imagination. We know our image of things is wrong. We know this because things go wrong in our own image. If there is a global failure of life, then it will be a failure in our own image, our image of living.
This class is a life architecture class. At its boldest, architecture is a statement of an image of living, for the form living takes is the germ of an architecture. And it has always been so in the way kelp grows its air bladder and floats its long ronds into sunlit water, in the way a fire must be built to cook a morning breakfast. A stovepipe, flue that draws well and a floatation chamber inflated under water. Order principles are experimental results. From Wallace Stevens: “the greatest poverty is not to live in a physical world”
We live partly in a physical world and partly in our image of it. Making a place in the country forces a physical world on us and demands some new images of us. Some old images get flushed into the open and we can look at them.
Here’s to helping ourselves see this process (Adam’s insertion)
Outlaw building news: 1972 excerpt from page 3:
“(It) was designed to give some actual experience in how to make a place in the country- learning something of the process of building a livable situation in harmony with the setting and ourselves. A learning situation directly connected to life’s flow, survival, sharing skills.
There was no place within the university system where we could live together, prepare good food together, build structures…. So we chose the country. A place where the awareness of change in ourselves, in our place, is too great not to be recognized.
We grew under the sky rather than under a ceiling. We worked to the sounds of nature, rather than the hum of fluorescent lights. We came together in a time and place that was right for us as a group.”
Outlaw Building News: 1972 excerpt:
“To move ones body in accord with ones thoughts is the highest form of learning I know”
Thought these passages were a fitting. If you cant tell I’m pretty stoked about seeing what happens.
I’ve heard from some more folks and thought I would expand on the list of folks and what they are up to (all things in Bold are the biggest changes):
Rebecca Wolfe: Definitely in. Will be returning to Oregon in July, and has offered to start looking for a place for the group to rent
Adam McGrath: Definitely in. Will be returning to Oregon in August, then heading to Colorado to pick up AMac. Most likely going to be buying a diesel van or pick uptruck to move Amac and get my trailer. Then this fall we will make it run on veggie oil and work towards making it a group vehicle. Amac’s inclusion is currently pending
Max Bittman: Definitely in. Bought a huge black house bus he is running on veggie oil of some sort. Mentioned going to california then meeting up with everyone in Oregon in the fall
Michael Zeligs: Definitely in. Finished school. Could be headed to india in june.
Zach Waddel: Definitely in. Going to Peru this summer then heading out to Oregon.
Alex McCaffree: Applied for a Geo-corps job. If he gets it he will be living in Cali playing with rocks from Oct to march, then heading to Oregon. Otherwise he will be moving with Adam in August out to Oregon. Still in boulder working 3 jobs
Dana Guber: Is back in boulder now. Working some jobs. Plans to return to South America in the fall, then will be moving to Oregon in March or April
Pete Lundeen: Back from south America. Working in pueblo. Could be going to beloved and possibly moving to Oregon in November. Has a new phone so contact him to get his digits.
Erin Grady: Will graduate soon. Then off on some crazy adventures including the Earthfirst gathering in main. Hitching across Canada. And then Norcal to make some cash this fall. Could very well be lookin for a place to nest for the winter before heading out into homelessness again.
Tatiana Tinsley: Just became a new aunt. Will finish up school and maybe teach abroad or do the peace corps. Staying close to home for a bit.
Alec Harris: Just decided on Harvard law, but is deffering for a year. Exciting stuff. Could be getting a new job which may give him some time to travel, and join the group in oregon from time to time, but is committed to law school
Conor Burns: Conor has a good job at the moment in Engeneering and has some debt to pay off before he can commit, but is indeed interested
Davis Fogerty: Has still another year at CU finishing up his masters degree.
Paul Kimbro: Still in Alaska skiing, and pursuing professional skiing career. May come and live with us in oregon till the snow starts falling in November or December. Also very keen to teach about vegie oil vans!
Alex Marienthal: Is very interested in the idea, but is currently living in Bozeman MT and just finished school in snow science so he is working on finding a potential job in the field, but maybe involved in the warmer months
Dustin Cady: Still living in Spain, but has a teach for america job in Colorado Springs for at least 2 years. He is very interested in helping out with the idea.
Veronica S: plans for the next few years include: finding a job in the counseling vicinity (i have applied to some in Portland, Bend, Seattle, Denver, Boston, New York and DC...in order of preference), then going to grad school for clinical counseling of some sort if my job next year proves satisfying.
Eckert: Is off to Alaska to fly fish guide this summer. Ski bum this winter and travel and finish up school. Could be joining in Fall of 2011.
Lauren: Still living on the east coast down south. Plans on going to gradschool is pretty open ended at the moment.
The fallowing list is folks I have not heard back from: Dominique, Casey, and Gracie.
Stoking and growing,
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Ideas for the Beginnings of a Life Worth Living
Hello friends, dreamers, anarchists, deviants and lovers alike I’m writing because the time has now come to stop talking and start acting. For many years now we have all been given the great gift of no social responsibility. We are from the most affluent generation and we have been told to do nothing, simply just to educate our selves, discover who we are, enjoy the ride and sort out what to do to enter “the real world.” Some how along this path bestowed upon us all we have learned more than we were perhaps intended to. What if “the real world” is not what we want, what if social normalization is fucked up, what if we see the model in front of us and we just don’t fit. Well we’ve all know for a while that these what ifs are what ares. At some point we’ve all pointed out the worlds problems to one and other, be it late nights drinking talking shit about the “normal” kids around us we don’t understand, heated debates about the politics controlling our youth, or heart to hearts about what we each want from life.
What I find most interesting about all of this is that we are all reaching similar conclusions, the most profound being that we all believe in some form of coexistence together. Be it simple small group dynamics or large scale gatherings, some of the most powerful, inspirational, and happiest moments I have experienced have been shared by my friends who are all living out the fleeting moments of life collectively. This sense is so strong in all of you, a huge part of your experiment with no social responsibility has been to seek the collective, to live in co-ops, build something for burningman, take others into your homes, go couchsurfing etc. What each person and their experience has taught them is amazing, even bordering on profound. I’ve sat down one on one with all of you and heard these ideas, seen your passion, seen what you want. These ideals are beautiful, but unfortunately for you and for me they are not fully reality. Every one of you is not content with what is in front of you, each one of you feels the weight of the injustice in the world and all of you want to make something more of the world around you, to make something more of yourself, and to make something better. Unfortunately all of our idle chat does not amount to us living fulfilling lives. I’m no moral authority in this world and I have no place to say what is right and what is wrong, nor do I want this position. But what I do know is that if we can agree on what is right together than we are making a bold step in a direction, rather than just drifting through life.
We are all growing up and for most of you that step of entering the “real world” is at your doorstep or at least a possibility in the foreseeable future. I suppose its possible that one can delay this social circumstance for a few more years, and it seems a good option. I might suggest it and even encourage it, if that is your inclination. A lot of you are now finally in control of you own lives, no more college, no more homework, no more predetermined plans, no more hoops to jump through. It’s a wonderful time, a time I’ve thoroughly explored not being a college student and what I have experienced in it is priceless and an education unto itself. Some of you I’m sure have a need to travel, a need to explore, a need to still solidify their voice, or a need to have no responsibly or plan at all. Go do these things and I’ll support you 100%, I understand these needs, I’ve gained lots of experience this way. But before you roam, please consider one thing: for me there is an alternative and I need your help. That is why I’m writing this letter
As all of you know by now I’ve been going on and on about building a working prototype of some form of a collective and if you don’t well there it is. As a lover of life and keen observer I’ve gathered many ideas and theories about philosophy, sociology, life and love. I’m not about to write my personal manifesto here or anything, but rather share with you what I’m going to do about all the various things I’ve ranted on about now for years. I know that each of you has been touched very strongly by the things I’ve already stated and each of you already believes in the power of US. I’m in no way belittling all of the small things that we have done to improve our social surroundings or to make ourselves happy, but there is a point where we have to follow through with our ideas and actually live out our ideals and personal morals outright, not half assed. I’m not sure that I have any solution to the world’s problems, but I think I’ve started to sort out a way to live out these convictions, create a life worth living, and to be the change we all seem to so desperately crave. So I’m asking all who crave this to collect, unite, buck the system and make the leap in to the “real world” by building our own real world. It’s time, it’s a Call to Farm!
Our world, and most specifically our American social world, is pulling us apart. Literally. Everyone is now finished or finishing college, and what looms ahead we all don’t want. So I ask why are we running away from one and other. You’ve all heard from adults “college is like that”, or “those were the days being young” This infuriates me. Yes it holds some validity, as I already explained how we are products of so much socioeconomic success and we have been given this glorious chunk of time, but it neglects the most powerful element, the human one. That magic, those moments, they aren’t dreams, they are real and oh so real. All they were was US being US. Each one of you being who you were as fully as possible at those moments, we don’t need college for that to be real. I never went to the institution; I had a job while you were there. Do any of you doubt how much I love you, do any of you doubt the sincerity of good laughs together, do any of you doubt what I’ve done with you as being insincere. I would assume not, I certainly don’t think this the case at all. Humans interact one on one in very special ways, but the rules that guide these individual relationships are very unique, they only exist between the two parties. What the out side person sees is just a perception, these perceptions are what rule so much of our social order. For example we can all call each other friends, but you don’t know the exact rules of Rebecca and my relationship. Or we can all understand what brothers are, or mom and daughter etc. I’m not saying this is bad, social order is brilliant, we all stop at stop signs, we have the internet, the list is endless. What is important to gather from this though is that most of social rule is based on something completely abstract, something we can’t pinpoint at all. This is why it pisses me off when we hear adults say: “those were the days.” Its not necessarily the way we must progress, it’s the people and the rules they were operating under at that time. The beauty of this is that time is irrelevant if you live that way everyday, even if it’s an uphill battle. I certainly don’t do it even a fraction of the time, but that’s because I’m constantly battling with complacency in the social world. Mostly because social normalization is not asking the basic and most challenging thing: Be you, all of you who you are to the core of your being and share that with everyone. More often than not it is asking you to fit in and only be you when the time is right, when that’s possible. We each experience these moments of freedom from this trap when we are dancing and squiggling like mad men (and women), camping with your best mates by the fire, or just getting a brilliant hug that changes your whole day. I know this is the way of the larger social world and I can’t complain too much, I’ve managed my whole life through it, I’m sure I could keep going. But I don’t want to, I see no reason to. I want all of you by my side creating our own rules in our own space, free of the convictions of our modern social world. No I don’t wish to run from it, WE WILL NOT DROP OUT! I wish to see the brilliant side of all of you, that glimmer, that smile, the idea that’s even too crazy for you to fully comprehend, come to life. I want to be a part of building that space, that place that’s as free as a festival, as joyous as a dance party, as fun as a huge feast, as hard as making someone sad happy, and as challenging as loving some, our everyday reality. I want your help to address the things that hold us back, get rid of them, and build something special where we can live, learn, be ourselves and follow thru with our dreams. Then we can take this magic with us everywhere, to everyone stuck in “it,” and be a bigger part of the change.
I’ve talked endlessly about this idea with all of you, and other folks with knowledge or interest, and have been working really, really hard to sort thru the logistics, gather my thoughts, and learn more to come up with some sort of plan.
There are some things that seem to be very universal about this idea and I will state them below. If they are way off or need changing, that is what this is all about. I’m not striving to be right, I’m striving to make a forever-working prototype, so correct me if I’m wrong…
We need a community that has or is based around:
• A shared vision created by all involved that’s always up for review
• Home food production via a garden or a series of individual gardens/goats/chickens etc
• Simplicity
• Affordability
• Is out of town but has easy transit to an urban center
• No Dropping out meaning greater social connection regularly
• Woofer/couch surfer welcome
• An educational space
• Is a work in progress that doesn’t stagnate
• Individual housing, eco village, co-housing style so that it may function with all X members present or with just 1 member present
• A piece of land that suits the needs and has room for growth
• Not to grow too fast too quickly
• A working model of sustainability and low impact living (grey water, rain water collection, organic, off the grid, etc)
• The space (once finished, no flaking out) can and should be used as a base so one may come and go, and upon their return it will still be in order (for travel, exploration, working on side projects that take time, moving on to other things etc)
• Built by us, for us, not by contractors
• Large scale use of recycled materials
• The principle that free time becomes part of the daily routine so that creativity, not just practicality can flourish. Time for Art, music, parties, yoga etc just as important as cleaning the bathroom.
• Pacific northwest location (likely outside Ashland, Eugene, Corvallis, Portland or Bellingham)
As all of you know the person at my side through most of this ranting and fully supporting my dreams and wild intricacies, has been Rebecca. Her inspiration and support are priceless to me and so all of the ideas below are not just mine but ours (she is with me while I’m writing this) and represent the first step in trying to sort out what is best for the group.
Plan for the Fall/Getting Everyone Together
Our plan to get this ball rolling is this, note this is the date part and the calendar thing so many of you hate:
I return to Oregon on Aug 12, 2010 (Rebecca will already be back). This strangely enough also happens to be when a really amazing festival is going to be happening in Oregon again. This one is called Beloved (google it). I would love to see a crew rallied, but I’m not organizing any wild trip from Colorado this time. If some of you are keen on the festy, it could be a really good starting point for our adventures in creating community.
After the festival is over, Rebecca and I plan to search for a place to rent for at least 6 months. This place is going to be on the outskirts of an urban center. Most likely outside of Eugene or Portland (for the sake of simplicity), it will be a house we rent with some land. I’ll explain more of what I’d like to see from this house a bit later.
First, more plans. After we have sorted out the spot, I’m going make a quick trip to Colorado. I’ve got a small amount of goods for the project I sorted thru last summer I’d like to collect and I’ll be picking up Amac and moving him across the country to Oregon. At some point when I’m there I will be buying a pick up truck to move Amac and pick up my trailer in Idaho. Yes, I am the proud owner of an airstream! Back in Oregon, I then plan on selling the truck. Think of it like a really high deductable car rental.
The other option, which I have no idea if I can afford, would be to buy a nicer diesel pickup truck or utility van and then, once back in Oregon, convert it to veggie oil. I’ve always wanted to do this, but would need some keen helpers. Having a utility vehicle would be mighty handy, bordering on necessary, for this project. I’m looking for advice on this one and maybe some one to go in on it with me, or maybe a group effort could be made.
I’m currently thinking I will be in boulder from Aug 24-31 at the longest (want it to be shorter). I know that this is during Burning Man. I will not be attending the man, this is not the year for it for me. I’d like to put in some effort into it and possibly make a camp with all of you fine people for the next year, 2011.
The alternative plan is for me to come back to CO straight after Beloved. That way we could get everyone involved out to Oregon and then crash about till we find a good spot to settle.
I’ve not made exact plans for this period. First reason being that should there be multiple people wanting to move out to Oregon from boulder, we can all car pool. One option for those who are carless and needing a way out would be for me to drive my van out to Colorado and then car pool with the van and the truck (and others with their own cars?). My other option is to fly one way and then buy the truck. This is mostly for those of you with out cars/transport.
There are a few other things that I’m fairly certain on based on my last communication with these folks.
• Dr. Z (Mike Zeligs) is on to this for sure. He has told me he will be living in Oregon this fall. He may be bringing some from the Bay area with him. I’m not sure what his plan for summer is exactly, or if he will be back in Colorado, but if you are going back to Colorado, we should all depart CO together
• Max Bitman has said this is his end of the summer goal. There is also talk from him about buying a bus, I think he was looking for partners on this front? This bus could also move people?
• I will still be pursuing professional cyclocross racing in the fall from the end of September to the middle of Dec. This is how I will be making a living and trying to save money as well. This means I’ll be adrift during the fall, flying out for weekends or missing for a few weeks at a time. But this lifestyle does allow for a large amount of free-time as well. For all you Oregon kids, you’re pretty used to this.
Ideas and Goals for the house
At this point your all probably thinking I’m a little daft and an organizational freak, but please stay with me. Now onto the house I’ve talked about renting above.
I see this house as the starting point. I would like to see this place as an open workshop for experimentation to gather and learn for building our own community. Here are some of the points I wish to strive for. Please feel free to add more.
• This house will be outside an urban center so we can have this experience for when we buy our own land to discover our community’s particular needs, such as proximity to town.
• This house will have space for a garden to learn more skills for our own garden in the future
• This house will serve as a grounds for collecting much of what we will need to build our own space. Things like rain water collection practice, materials gathering, etc etc. I assume the list of these things will come to form more clearly once everyone is in the house
• This house will be the starting grounds for creating a shared vision where everyone has a vested personal interest
• This house will have lots of people living in it and probable room sharing to keep costs down
• This house will have bulk food buying to keep costs down
• This house will help us figure out if this is where our intentions lie.
As mike put it we should start a temporary co-op, if you will.
Financing
This one has probably been running through all of your minds. At such a young age, where none of us has had a high paying job for very long, or for that matter a job at all, how on earth can we spring to make this happen. Well there is a lot to that, and I’ll get to it but first some more ranting.
In a society that values money so highly, what do so many people spend their money on? Oh that’s right, time. They get so caught up in the battle for material wealth that they give up the thing that really makes us wealthy. Think about it. People often go seeking materials for happiness to such an extent that they pay other people to either take care of their materials or someone to do the things they should be doing with their time. For example you get a huge house, put a bunch of crap in it, now you pay someone to clean it and look after your stuff so you don’t have to. What the fuck is that about.
Then there is this whole notion that stuff is the goal and that we should focus our whole lives on a system that’s about collecting material wealth. The trap is so deep, and the system so entrenched, we go well beyond ourselves to get these things. Credit card debt, mortgages, loans, no money down, have it now and pay for it later. Without so much stuff, life becomes more free. But guess what! If we get out of this systematic social rut earlier in life, we are wealthier in what all those yuppy wankers want any way … and that’s time! I’m not kidding about this stuff. I know plenty of well-intentioned folks who were not happy about the system when they were our age, but then they got sucked in, they bought a house, have a huge mortgage and work jobs they don’t really like in order to pay off the debt. These are people I love and cherish, they really want to make the world a better place, but they don’t have the time or energy to complete all their projects.
This is a huge thing I’m trying to avoid by making this community lifestyle my life of choice. These first few years are not going to be easy but if I lower my standard of living and up my quality of life, what does it matter? If I can provide myself what I need to survive and create a base of operations to explore life, explore the world, make beautiful art, help my friends, and help the helpless, then what more can I ask for? I’m not trying to get sucked into monthly payments by renting a house for the next 10 years while I’m working jobs that pay shit in order to enjoy these things that make life worth living. The further removed from this horrible American economic model that values the dollar more than the human life and pissing dollars down the drain, the better.
The starting point is, however, the rental house. This house will be set up to be as cheap as possible. We will have more people living in it than the lease allows, room sharing is a real possibility, and dumperstering will be a regular practive.. We will grow as much food for ourselves as possible and anything else we need we will try to buy in bulk. This should help lower food cost. Then we will work towards setting up sustainable models, such as grey water, rain water, etc to lower our cost on utilities and gain experience with these systems. This is how I think we can keep our overhead costs low to begin with.
Beyond that it gets a bit tougher. I believe we will need to be in this house and on a lease for 6 months to 1 year. This period of time would largely be used as a time for the group to not only gain skills, live together, create a shared vision, but to work. I know work can suck (a whole notion of fulfilling work being a different paper), but if you have something to work for then it’s not so bad.
I think this period of time should be used to come up with a shared vision, a collective goal, if you will. Part of that will be how much money we should try to save. If we are living cheaply, much of what we each make can be put into a collective fund for buying property in the future.
I know that the large majority of you have nothing, or next to nothing. Some of you might have something to contribute. I have a little to contribute 15k or so in about a year from now. Either way, this is not a lot of money but its pretty much all I’m worth. Rebecca has money saved as well, and we are still living day to day as bums, just like all of you. We will continue bumming while in NZ, work trading our way around the country, but not really making money. I understand and have a need to just get by as well as any of the rest of you.
So, this is the major goal of the first house. Until we come together and are serious about this, we will not know what our mutually respected goals are. Once we can all sit down together, I think all of this will take much greater shape and we’ll have a more clear Idea of what we want, including a financial plan for procuring our own land.
The Future and Community Housing Ideas
Oh the future, man is it ever easy to live there, hope there, and just crave to be there. What a trap this can be. I’m certainly no advocate of living in the future. I’ve even been known to rant about living in the moment and really enjoying what’s going on right now. I’ve also been one to rant about the plan and what great value it holds. Sometimes if you have a plan, when those fleeting moments do come along then you’re bloody well prepared to be the whole you when they are going down.
I guess the reason I’m putting this out there is not to make a plan, my plan is already pretty developed bordering on overly developed, maybe living too much in the future. So I guess what I’m trying to accomplish here is not so much to plan, but to inform and inspire with this idea I have in my head. I want to show you that this idea is real and tangible and not just Adam’s crazy pipe dream.
First I’ll cover a random probability of affording property, which sometimes seems pretty far-fetched, even to me. Say we set up a goal, for arguments sake, its 150,000. We end up with 150,000 and we find a piece of property for 175,000. Math says we are 25, 000 short, hurray math. This is all theoretical here so we know its going to likely take us at least 2 years to have a functional co-housing complex while we are still working regularly. So that means we could mortgage 25,000 dollars over 2 years. That’s only $1,042 per month, split that 4 ways and that’s cheap. Split it more and it’s even cheaper. So now, for arguments sake, say that the piece of property we really want (15 acres with a stream, good water table etc) is 200,000. We finance 50,000 over 2 years and your still looking at just over a 2,000 dollar payment monthly, which is what most folks are splitting in rent now. The key is that “rent” is going towards owning your own land. For most of you that means you could have a place of residence and no rent after only 3 years and that’s pretty clever.
I understand that this does not account for interest, but I’m just pointing out the affordability of this option. I also know I might sound like a hypocrite, especially since I went off about debt. If we can do it debt free, we should, but if it’s managed properly then it’s more like rent than a long term 30 year mortgage that locks you in.
Logically now, everyone is asking, well what the hell good is a piece of land. We cant live in nothing. So housing must be discussed. I’ve not got any real solutions or plans. I’ve got some ideas on what my ideal system would look like, but I’ll save that. I’ll just go on and explain some laws here and how they make me see the options. Its illegal to build any house smaller than 900sq feet. Its illegal for lots of folks to live together on a piece of land that are not related unless its zoned certainly. It is illegal to live in a house that is not approved and this has to be done thru building permits blue prints and plans etc, thus making multiple housing units illegal. Here is the good news you can have as many structures on your property as long as they are under 120 sq (10x12) feet. Also you can have as many non-permanent structures as you want (no foundations). Lastly if you don’t hook into the grid in any way you can build what ever the hell you want as far as I can tell, That’s what I understand of the laws, I’ll be looking into it more too.
So to me this points the solution towards being simple modular dwellings. Things like yurts seem to be the best option for cheap fast shelter. Cheaper and maybe even cooler are earth structures like earthships (google it). But they are way more labor intensive. Old busses would work. My airstream trailer is definitely going to be a starting point. We can build all out building out of recycled materials, like palate houses, used tire walls, etc etc. All of these options are really reasonably affordable, around 4-8k for your own personal house/shelter.
The other major option to all this is finding plots of land that suit the need that have a house with little to no declared value. Usually these houses are pretty fucked. In today’s day and age its like a level it and start from fresh for the land kind of thing. The benefit for us is that we wouldn’t need to level it. It could be the thing that is legal surrounded by a bunch of temporary structures. This would open options for temporary living in it while we establish more of the grounds. Later it could be turned into a community center/guest abode.
All of this might seem like a bit much, but they are real options. This is what is happening in my moments right now. I’m not living there, just learning more about what’s out there and that’s why I’m sharing it. I’ve got an idea of what I want to see, but that’s irrelevant right now, this is a group project, I’ll voice my opinion and it will have its place accordingly when the time comes. Please look at this as inspiration and see that with some conviction in ourselves this is a REAL possibility.
These things will become clear in time, just like this letter has become clear for me in time.
Transparency and Communication
Well if you’ve made it this far, good on ya, I’m almost done I swear.
Like all things involving people, communication is key. This task will be a bit harder since we are all still all over the map. I’m not an internet wizard so having someone step in on this would be a great help.
I’m going to post this on a blog called: acalltofarms.blogspot.com
I’m going to allow comments on the blog. For now lets use that as a primary way to communicate. Please use your real name and leave comments constructive of the document, to let everyone know your plans, or to say if your in or not. Also if anyone knows of better things let me know. Like google groups or something I’m clueless.
Beyond those comments is where we really need help and very clear communication from those who want to be involved up front. I’m down to help with the organization of this thing and sorting out a house for us to share, but transparency amongst the starting group will be crucial. This is a real commitment, and if you need time to not commit, please don’t. That said though, I’m by no means trying to lock any one down and throw away the key. I know that life has many twists and turns, opportunities fall in our laps and sometimes doors open just a crack and you have to run and push them open. I get this and if you must bow out once your committed, then bow knowing your choice will be supported.
I’ve already said and will say it again. I love all of you and support what your up too and what your choices may be. That means if you think I’m daft that’s cool. If your still sure you want to put your stuff in a sack and hitch hike to chile, do it!
But if this is something your interested in, in any form present or future please let me know. If its more of a long term goal please communicate this. If you want to come and spend next summer with us, please do. All of you have so much to offer and at some point I’d love to have your contribution in any for and we shall do our best to accommodate you. As well this will help us understand the potential for growth as this takes shape.
I know maybe this has taken a serious tone and maybe a bit dry. But sometimes I work like that and have to just put out some logic based thought. The point of this is just the opposite though, it’s a message from my soul asking you to join me in creating something , something so beautiful, so different, so creative, that our hearts, our minds, our lives can have the chance to reach our full potential.
As Mike has said so brilliantly, I’m not afraid to fail, this idea, this community is worth at least trying. If it works brilliant, if it doesn’t brilliant, but who cares it’s the journey that matters anyway.
I would love to journey with you
Thank you for being US,
Adam and Rebecca
P.S. 2 requests. Please find the books, Gaviotas and Everything I want to do is Illegal. They are 2 must reads for your summer. Gaviotas is about a community in Colombia, that is similar to what I talk about and sounds grand, a must visit on the life list. Second is Joe Sallatin’s book about farming and the battles of an everyday farmer against the USDA and our fucked up government. Its provided me more fuel to do this and has motivated me to make my life as an activist dedicated towards food and land stewardship.
What I find most interesting about all of this is that we are all reaching similar conclusions, the most profound being that we all believe in some form of coexistence together. Be it simple small group dynamics or large scale gatherings, some of the most powerful, inspirational, and happiest moments I have experienced have been shared by my friends who are all living out the fleeting moments of life collectively. This sense is so strong in all of you, a huge part of your experiment with no social responsibility has been to seek the collective, to live in co-ops, build something for burningman, take others into your homes, go couchsurfing etc. What each person and their experience has taught them is amazing, even bordering on profound. I’ve sat down one on one with all of you and heard these ideas, seen your passion, seen what you want. These ideals are beautiful, but unfortunately for you and for me they are not fully reality. Every one of you is not content with what is in front of you, each one of you feels the weight of the injustice in the world and all of you want to make something more of the world around you, to make something more of yourself, and to make something better. Unfortunately all of our idle chat does not amount to us living fulfilling lives. I’m no moral authority in this world and I have no place to say what is right and what is wrong, nor do I want this position. But what I do know is that if we can agree on what is right together than we are making a bold step in a direction, rather than just drifting through life.
We are all growing up and for most of you that step of entering the “real world” is at your doorstep or at least a possibility in the foreseeable future. I suppose its possible that one can delay this social circumstance for a few more years, and it seems a good option. I might suggest it and even encourage it, if that is your inclination. A lot of you are now finally in control of you own lives, no more college, no more homework, no more predetermined plans, no more hoops to jump through. It’s a wonderful time, a time I’ve thoroughly explored not being a college student and what I have experienced in it is priceless and an education unto itself. Some of you I’m sure have a need to travel, a need to explore, a need to still solidify their voice, or a need to have no responsibly or plan at all. Go do these things and I’ll support you 100%, I understand these needs, I’ve gained lots of experience this way. But before you roam, please consider one thing: for me there is an alternative and I need your help. That is why I’m writing this letter
As all of you know by now I’ve been going on and on about building a working prototype of some form of a collective and if you don’t well there it is. As a lover of life and keen observer I’ve gathered many ideas and theories about philosophy, sociology, life and love. I’m not about to write my personal manifesto here or anything, but rather share with you what I’m going to do about all the various things I’ve ranted on about now for years. I know that each of you has been touched very strongly by the things I’ve already stated and each of you already believes in the power of US. I’m in no way belittling all of the small things that we have done to improve our social surroundings or to make ourselves happy, but there is a point where we have to follow through with our ideas and actually live out our ideals and personal morals outright, not half assed. I’m not sure that I have any solution to the world’s problems, but I think I’ve started to sort out a way to live out these convictions, create a life worth living, and to be the change we all seem to so desperately crave. So I’m asking all who crave this to collect, unite, buck the system and make the leap in to the “real world” by building our own real world. It’s time, it’s a Call to Farm!
Our world, and most specifically our American social world, is pulling us apart. Literally. Everyone is now finished or finishing college, and what looms ahead we all don’t want. So I ask why are we running away from one and other. You’ve all heard from adults “college is like that”, or “those were the days being young” This infuriates me. Yes it holds some validity, as I already explained how we are products of so much socioeconomic success and we have been given this glorious chunk of time, but it neglects the most powerful element, the human one. That magic, those moments, they aren’t dreams, they are real and oh so real. All they were was US being US. Each one of you being who you were as fully as possible at those moments, we don’t need college for that to be real. I never went to the institution; I had a job while you were there. Do any of you doubt how much I love you, do any of you doubt the sincerity of good laughs together, do any of you doubt what I’ve done with you as being insincere. I would assume not, I certainly don’t think this the case at all. Humans interact one on one in very special ways, but the rules that guide these individual relationships are very unique, they only exist between the two parties. What the out side person sees is just a perception, these perceptions are what rule so much of our social order. For example we can all call each other friends, but you don’t know the exact rules of Rebecca and my relationship. Or we can all understand what brothers are, or mom and daughter etc. I’m not saying this is bad, social order is brilliant, we all stop at stop signs, we have the internet, the list is endless. What is important to gather from this though is that most of social rule is based on something completely abstract, something we can’t pinpoint at all. This is why it pisses me off when we hear adults say: “those were the days.” Its not necessarily the way we must progress, it’s the people and the rules they were operating under at that time. The beauty of this is that time is irrelevant if you live that way everyday, even if it’s an uphill battle. I certainly don’t do it even a fraction of the time, but that’s because I’m constantly battling with complacency in the social world. Mostly because social normalization is not asking the basic and most challenging thing: Be you, all of you who you are to the core of your being and share that with everyone. More often than not it is asking you to fit in and only be you when the time is right, when that’s possible. We each experience these moments of freedom from this trap when we are dancing and squiggling like mad men (and women), camping with your best mates by the fire, or just getting a brilliant hug that changes your whole day. I know this is the way of the larger social world and I can’t complain too much, I’ve managed my whole life through it, I’m sure I could keep going. But I don’t want to, I see no reason to. I want all of you by my side creating our own rules in our own space, free of the convictions of our modern social world. No I don’t wish to run from it, WE WILL NOT DROP OUT! I wish to see the brilliant side of all of you, that glimmer, that smile, the idea that’s even too crazy for you to fully comprehend, come to life. I want to be a part of building that space, that place that’s as free as a festival, as joyous as a dance party, as fun as a huge feast, as hard as making someone sad happy, and as challenging as loving some, our everyday reality. I want your help to address the things that hold us back, get rid of them, and build something special where we can live, learn, be ourselves and follow thru with our dreams. Then we can take this magic with us everywhere, to everyone stuck in “it,” and be a bigger part of the change.
I’ve talked endlessly about this idea with all of you, and other folks with knowledge or interest, and have been working really, really hard to sort thru the logistics, gather my thoughts, and learn more to come up with some sort of plan.
There are some things that seem to be very universal about this idea and I will state them below. If they are way off or need changing, that is what this is all about. I’m not striving to be right, I’m striving to make a forever-working prototype, so correct me if I’m wrong…
We need a community that has or is based around:
• A shared vision created by all involved that’s always up for review
• Home food production via a garden or a series of individual gardens/goats/chickens etc
• Simplicity
• Affordability
• Is out of town but has easy transit to an urban center
• No Dropping out meaning greater social connection regularly
• Woofer/couch surfer welcome
• An educational space
• Is a work in progress that doesn’t stagnate
• Individual housing, eco village, co-housing style so that it may function with all X members present or with just 1 member present
• A piece of land that suits the needs and has room for growth
• Not to grow too fast too quickly
• A working model of sustainability and low impact living (grey water, rain water collection, organic, off the grid, etc)
• The space (once finished, no flaking out) can and should be used as a base so one may come and go, and upon their return it will still be in order (for travel, exploration, working on side projects that take time, moving on to other things etc)
• Built by us, for us, not by contractors
• Large scale use of recycled materials
• The principle that free time becomes part of the daily routine so that creativity, not just practicality can flourish. Time for Art, music, parties, yoga etc just as important as cleaning the bathroom.
• Pacific northwest location (likely outside Ashland, Eugene, Corvallis, Portland or Bellingham)
As all of you know the person at my side through most of this ranting and fully supporting my dreams and wild intricacies, has been Rebecca. Her inspiration and support are priceless to me and so all of the ideas below are not just mine but ours (she is with me while I’m writing this) and represent the first step in trying to sort out what is best for the group.
Plan for the Fall/Getting Everyone Together
Our plan to get this ball rolling is this, note this is the date part and the calendar thing so many of you hate:
I return to Oregon on Aug 12, 2010 (Rebecca will already be back). This strangely enough also happens to be when a really amazing festival is going to be happening in Oregon again. This one is called Beloved (google it). I would love to see a crew rallied, but I’m not organizing any wild trip from Colorado this time. If some of you are keen on the festy, it could be a really good starting point for our adventures in creating community.
After the festival is over, Rebecca and I plan to search for a place to rent for at least 6 months. This place is going to be on the outskirts of an urban center. Most likely outside of Eugene or Portland (for the sake of simplicity), it will be a house we rent with some land. I’ll explain more of what I’d like to see from this house a bit later.
First, more plans. After we have sorted out the spot, I’m going make a quick trip to Colorado. I’ve got a small amount of goods for the project I sorted thru last summer I’d like to collect and I’ll be picking up Amac and moving him across the country to Oregon. At some point when I’m there I will be buying a pick up truck to move Amac and pick up my trailer in Idaho. Yes, I am the proud owner of an airstream! Back in Oregon, I then plan on selling the truck. Think of it like a really high deductable car rental.
The other option, which I have no idea if I can afford, would be to buy a nicer diesel pickup truck or utility van and then, once back in Oregon, convert it to veggie oil. I’ve always wanted to do this, but would need some keen helpers. Having a utility vehicle would be mighty handy, bordering on necessary, for this project. I’m looking for advice on this one and maybe some one to go in on it with me, or maybe a group effort could be made.
I’m currently thinking I will be in boulder from Aug 24-31 at the longest (want it to be shorter). I know that this is during Burning Man. I will not be attending the man, this is not the year for it for me. I’d like to put in some effort into it and possibly make a camp with all of you fine people for the next year, 2011.
The alternative plan is for me to come back to CO straight after Beloved. That way we could get everyone involved out to Oregon and then crash about till we find a good spot to settle.
I’ve not made exact plans for this period. First reason being that should there be multiple people wanting to move out to Oregon from boulder, we can all car pool. One option for those who are carless and needing a way out would be for me to drive my van out to Colorado and then car pool with the van and the truck (and others with their own cars?). My other option is to fly one way and then buy the truck. This is mostly for those of you with out cars/transport.
There are a few other things that I’m fairly certain on based on my last communication with these folks.
• Dr. Z (Mike Zeligs) is on to this for sure. He has told me he will be living in Oregon this fall. He may be bringing some from the Bay area with him. I’m not sure what his plan for summer is exactly, or if he will be back in Colorado, but if you are going back to Colorado, we should all depart CO together
• Max Bitman has said this is his end of the summer goal. There is also talk from him about buying a bus, I think he was looking for partners on this front? This bus could also move people?
• I will still be pursuing professional cyclocross racing in the fall from the end of September to the middle of Dec. This is how I will be making a living and trying to save money as well. This means I’ll be adrift during the fall, flying out for weekends or missing for a few weeks at a time. But this lifestyle does allow for a large amount of free-time as well. For all you Oregon kids, you’re pretty used to this.
Ideas and Goals for the house
At this point your all probably thinking I’m a little daft and an organizational freak, but please stay with me. Now onto the house I’ve talked about renting above.
I see this house as the starting point. I would like to see this place as an open workshop for experimentation to gather and learn for building our own community. Here are some of the points I wish to strive for. Please feel free to add more.
• This house will be outside an urban center so we can have this experience for when we buy our own land to discover our community’s particular needs, such as proximity to town.
• This house will have space for a garden to learn more skills for our own garden in the future
• This house will serve as a grounds for collecting much of what we will need to build our own space. Things like rain water collection practice, materials gathering, etc etc. I assume the list of these things will come to form more clearly once everyone is in the house
• This house will be the starting grounds for creating a shared vision where everyone has a vested personal interest
• This house will have lots of people living in it and probable room sharing to keep costs down
• This house will have bulk food buying to keep costs down
• This house will help us figure out if this is where our intentions lie.
As mike put it we should start a temporary co-op, if you will.
Financing
This one has probably been running through all of your minds. At such a young age, where none of us has had a high paying job for very long, or for that matter a job at all, how on earth can we spring to make this happen. Well there is a lot to that, and I’ll get to it but first some more ranting.
In a society that values money so highly, what do so many people spend their money on? Oh that’s right, time. They get so caught up in the battle for material wealth that they give up the thing that really makes us wealthy. Think about it. People often go seeking materials for happiness to such an extent that they pay other people to either take care of their materials or someone to do the things they should be doing with their time. For example you get a huge house, put a bunch of crap in it, now you pay someone to clean it and look after your stuff so you don’t have to. What the fuck is that about.
Then there is this whole notion that stuff is the goal and that we should focus our whole lives on a system that’s about collecting material wealth. The trap is so deep, and the system so entrenched, we go well beyond ourselves to get these things. Credit card debt, mortgages, loans, no money down, have it now and pay for it later. Without so much stuff, life becomes more free. But guess what! If we get out of this systematic social rut earlier in life, we are wealthier in what all those yuppy wankers want any way … and that’s time! I’m not kidding about this stuff. I know plenty of well-intentioned folks who were not happy about the system when they were our age, but then they got sucked in, they bought a house, have a huge mortgage and work jobs they don’t really like in order to pay off the debt. These are people I love and cherish, they really want to make the world a better place, but they don’t have the time or energy to complete all their projects.
This is a huge thing I’m trying to avoid by making this community lifestyle my life of choice. These first few years are not going to be easy but if I lower my standard of living and up my quality of life, what does it matter? If I can provide myself what I need to survive and create a base of operations to explore life, explore the world, make beautiful art, help my friends, and help the helpless, then what more can I ask for? I’m not trying to get sucked into monthly payments by renting a house for the next 10 years while I’m working jobs that pay shit in order to enjoy these things that make life worth living. The further removed from this horrible American economic model that values the dollar more than the human life and pissing dollars down the drain, the better.
The starting point is, however, the rental house. This house will be set up to be as cheap as possible. We will have more people living in it than the lease allows, room sharing is a real possibility, and dumperstering will be a regular practive.. We will grow as much food for ourselves as possible and anything else we need we will try to buy in bulk. This should help lower food cost. Then we will work towards setting up sustainable models, such as grey water, rain water, etc to lower our cost on utilities and gain experience with these systems. This is how I think we can keep our overhead costs low to begin with.
Beyond that it gets a bit tougher. I believe we will need to be in this house and on a lease for 6 months to 1 year. This period of time would largely be used as a time for the group to not only gain skills, live together, create a shared vision, but to work. I know work can suck (a whole notion of fulfilling work being a different paper), but if you have something to work for then it’s not so bad.
I think this period of time should be used to come up with a shared vision, a collective goal, if you will. Part of that will be how much money we should try to save. If we are living cheaply, much of what we each make can be put into a collective fund for buying property in the future.
I know that the large majority of you have nothing, or next to nothing. Some of you might have something to contribute. I have a little to contribute 15k or so in about a year from now. Either way, this is not a lot of money but its pretty much all I’m worth. Rebecca has money saved as well, and we are still living day to day as bums, just like all of you. We will continue bumming while in NZ, work trading our way around the country, but not really making money. I understand and have a need to just get by as well as any of the rest of you.
So, this is the major goal of the first house. Until we come together and are serious about this, we will not know what our mutually respected goals are. Once we can all sit down together, I think all of this will take much greater shape and we’ll have a more clear Idea of what we want, including a financial plan for procuring our own land.
The Future and Community Housing Ideas
Oh the future, man is it ever easy to live there, hope there, and just crave to be there. What a trap this can be. I’m certainly no advocate of living in the future. I’ve even been known to rant about living in the moment and really enjoying what’s going on right now. I’ve also been one to rant about the plan and what great value it holds. Sometimes if you have a plan, when those fleeting moments do come along then you’re bloody well prepared to be the whole you when they are going down.
I guess the reason I’m putting this out there is not to make a plan, my plan is already pretty developed bordering on overly developed, maybe living too much in the future. So I guess what I’m trying to accomplish here is not so much to plan, but to inform and inspire with this idea I have in my head. I want to show you that this idea is real and tangible and not just Adam’s crazy pipe dream.
First I’ll cover a random probability of affording property, which sometimes seems pretty far-fetched, even to me. Say we set up a goal, for arguments sake, its 150,000. We end up with 150,000 and we find a piece of property for 175,000. Math says we are 25, 000 short, hurray math. This is all theoretical here so we know its going to likely take us at least 2 years to have a functional co-housing complex while we are still working regularly. So that means we could mortgage 25,000 dollars over 2 years. That’s only $1,042 per month, split that 4 ways and that’s cheap. Split it more and it’s even cheaper. So now, for arguments sake, say that the piece of property we really want (15 acres with a stream, good water table etc) is 200,000. We finance 50,000 over 2 years and your still looking at just over a 2,000 dollar payment monthly, which is what most folks are splitting in rent now. The key is that “rent” is going towards owning your own land. For most of you that means you could have a place of residence and no rent after only 3 years and that’s pretty clever.
I understand that this does not account for interest, but I’m just pointing out the affordability of this option. I also know I might sound like a hypocrite, especially since I went off about debt. If we can do it debt free, we should, but if it’s managed properly then it’s more like rent than a long term 30 year mortgage that locks you in.
Logically now, everyone is asking, well what the hell good is a piece of land. We cant live in nothing. So housing must be discussed. I’ve not got any real solutions or plans. I’ve got some ideas on what my ideal system would look like, but I’ll save that. I’ll just go on and explain some laws here and how they make me see the options. Its illegal to build any house smaller than 900sq feet. Its illegal for lots of folks to live together on a piece of land that are not related unless its zoned certainly. It is illegal to live in a house that is not approved and this has to be done thru building permits blue prints and plans etc, thus making multiple housing units illegal. Here is the good news you can have as many structures on your property as long as they are under 120 sq (10x12) feet. Also you can have as many non-permanent structures as you want (no foundations). Lastly if you don’t hook into the grid in any way you can build what ever the hell you want as far as I can tell, That’s what I understand of the laws, I’ll be looking into it more too.
So to me this points the solution towards being simple modular dwellings. Things like yurts seem to be the best option for cheap fast shelter. Cheaper and maybe even cooler are earth structures like earthships (google it). But they are way more labor intensive. Old busses would work. My airstream trailer is definitely going to be a starting point. We can build all out building out of recycled materials, like palate houses, used tire walls, etc etc. All of these options are really reasonably affordable, around 4-8k for your own personal house/shelter.
The other major option to all this is finding plots of land that suit the need that have a house with little to no declared value. Usually these houses are pretty fucked. In today’s day and age its like a level it and start from fresh for the land kind of thing. The benefit for us is that we wouldn’t need to level it. It could be the thing that is legal surrounded by a bunch of temporary structures. This would open options for temporary living in it while we establish more of the grounds. Later it could be turned into a community center/guest abode.
All of this might seem like a bit much, but they are real options. This is what is happening in my moments right now. I’m not living there, just learning more about what’s out there and that’s why I’m sharing it. I’ve got an idea of what I want to see, but that’s irrelevant right now, this is a group project, I’ll voice my opinion and it will have its place accordingly when the time comes. Please look at this as inspiration and see that with some conviction in ourselves this is a REAL possibility.
These things will become clear in time, just like this letter has become clear for me in time.
Transparency and Communication
Well if you’ve made it this far, good on ya, I’m almost done I swear.
Like all things involving people, communication is key. This task will be a bit harder since we are all still all over the map. I’m not an internet wizard so having someone step in on this would be a great help.
I’m going to post this on a blog called: acalltofarms.blogspot.com
I’m going to allow comments on the blog. For now lets use that as a primary way to communicate. Please use your real name and leave comments constructive of the document, to let everyone know your plans, or to say if your in or not. Also if anyone knows of better things let me know. Like google groups or something I’m clueless.
Beyond those comments is where we really need help and very clear communication from those who want to be involved up front. I’m down to help with the organization of this thing and sorting out a house for us to share, but transparency amongst the starting group will be crucial. This is a real commitment, and if you need time to not commit, please don’t. That said though, I’m by no means trying to lock any one down and throw away the key. I know that life has many twists and turns, opportunities fall in our laps and sometimes doors open just a crack and you have to run and push them open. I get this and if you must bow out once your committed, then bow knowing your choice will be supported.
I’ve already said and will say it again. I love all of you and support what your up too and what your choices may be. That means if you think I’m daft that’s cool. If your still sure you want to put your stuff in a sack and hitch hike to chile, do it!
But if this is something your interested in, in any form present or future please let me know. If its more of a long term goal please communicate this. If you want to come and spend next summer with us, please do. All of you have so much to offer and at some point I’d love to have your contribution in any for and we shall do our best to accommodate you. As well this will help us understand the potential for growth as this takes shape.
I know maybe this has taken a serious tone and maybe a bit dry. But sometimes I work like that and have to just put out some logic based thought. The point of this is just the opposite though, it’s a message from my soul asking you to join me in creating something , something so beautiful, so different, so creative, that our hearts, our minds, our lives can have the chance to reach our full potential.
As Mike has said so brilliantly, I’m not afraid to fail, this idea, this community is worth at least trying. If it works brilliant, if it doesn’t brilliant, but who cares it’s the journey that matters anyway.
I would love to journey with you
Thank you for being US,
Adam and Rebecca
P.S. 2 requests. Please find the books, Gaviotas and Everything I want to do is Illegal. They are 2 must reads for your summer. Gaviotas is about a community in Colombia, that is similar to what I talk about and sounds grand, a must visit on the life list. Second is Joe Sallatin’s book about farming and the battles of an everyday farmer against the USDA and our fucked up government. Its provided me more fuel to do this and has motivated me to make my life as an activist dedicated towards food and land stewardship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)