hi knightsIntent,

I thought the moderators post in renewable energy was a good response to your post re:

>>I try to maintain a policy of listings going in the listings area, and topics staying to discussion and away from announcements. As such, I intend to delete this thread in 24 hours, but I would encourage you to repost it in the listings section of the tribe.<<

but as you have posted this as a discussion subject I thought I would add some hopefully constructive criticism.. I will try to keep it succinct

1) you use the name "Eden Project"... bad choice if you become successful in your aims, because then the Eden project in Cornwall, UK may have copyright issues with you... it's never good for an intentional community (or anyone for that matter) to set itself up for potential future litigation.

2) in your purpose you mention
a) We read everything we could about "communities". There are communities the world over, each different, and each having a "glue" of underlying connection, that held it together; that made it work. There was a "common thread". <<
often that common thread is disillusion with the existing status quo..just because you dislike the same thing doesnt mean you dislike it for the same reasons..so its often a temporary glue, not capable of weathering the subsequent environmental and social conditions that it is subject too.

b) Most every Intentional Community is "self-governing". It is by "consensus". This meaning that, we govern ourselves. There is no positions of power and control. Things are discussed by everyone and decided on. If even one is negatively affected by something, it's going to be modified or shelved. If one suffers, all suffer. If one triumphs, we all do.

Consensus is wonderful tool but it's similarly limited: sometimes a consensus is impossible to reach if one or several persons repeatedly refuses to agree... they may have genuine reason but similarly personality and prestige issues lie in the background. Such issue are a natural evolution, part of our nature and to prevent them becoming dominant a mechanism structure, pre-determined rules, MUST be in place. If you think every problem can be best dealt with when it arises then you will spend most of your time dealing with unnecessary and easily foreseable problems.

Further to this no community, regardless of how remote or self sufficient can exist in a vacuum. None of your rules can supplant national laws.. no murders, rapes, child molestation, serious assaults can be dealt with by the community... and you do not have a choice. You can aver that such events won't take place in your 'Eden' but if you have researched communities properly then you will know that the history of communities is littered with infamous examples.

Whilst I heve not read through your entire site I do get the general impression that you are more of a group planning on offering a retreat/yoga/massage/aromatherapy farm rather than an intentional community. Whilst I realize that others have a far wider definition of I.C.'s, the essence of this idea is co-operative living within the existing society and whilst some members make the majority of their contribution in house (gardening, cleaning, cooking, child care) others, in fact the majority do outside work (i.e plumbers, office work, shop work) I would even go as far as saying that what distinguishes an I.C from a commune is that the majority of the members are engaged in employment outside the IC and within the wider community.. they are not 'dropping out' but addressing social, environmental and economical issues by living and sharing resources. In many ways I'C's are rediscovering the benefits of living in ' extended family systems' , only what unites them as a family is not blood but socialism... not the political concept (although there are similarities) but the concept of sharing and living with others: being social, the natural state of the Human being.

3) so your going to produce some propaganda are you ? >>Part of our interface with the local outer community will be in creating & publishing a weekly free classifieds & guide booklet, to be placed in various stores at the counter at $1.00 each. <<

not sure that charging a $ for the book constitutes free.... perhaps you mean the placing of adds is free but free adds is already an oversubscribed and difficult to break into market, and similarly make it work before you start shouting the benefits, then once you have got it to work call the local paper and radio... invite them to come and scrutinize you.. don't blow your own trumpet, or you will risk just being perceived as a new age hippy commune seeking recruits... independent reviewers already have a degree of credibility and if they like you then doors may open.

4) your mission statement... >>This vision statement will continue to develop during the process of finding land and building the community -- it is slightly more fluid than the Purpose and Principles [Mission].<<
I'm afraid that you don't have one.. you cannot make it up as you go along. the whole point of a mission statement is to keep you focused, stop you straying

5) its easy to create web pages but it's far more helpful to have something in them. many of your page links are variations of one another but this one Our Goals

* To locate the right property
* To get all the legal structures set up
* To organize Committees to do the work
* To attract more potential members
* To attract more interested parties, investors, help
* To raise needed funds for all stages
* To move to property & set up
* To begin operations with 180 days

tells me you are a very very very long way from calling yourselves an intentional community... you are just day dreaming you have no money (point six), no property or a potential property(point one) and need help (point 5)...

seriously how can you possibly expect anyone to want to get involved in something so woolley.. apart from wanting to be involved what are you personally offering any potential new member? all I see is a mouth to feed and a bed for you to lie in?

sorry if that sounds harsh but reality is just that...

regards

gm23