24 Comments

Cool read, especially after meeting with the Neos.Life guy and as I launch Neoterra, a solarpunk universe written to inspire radical imagination. You should check it out on my profile, I think you’ll appreciate it!

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You know, I had stopped reading fiction for years until just last week (a weird pact I'd made with myself that had to do with self-growth and irrational ambition). But reading we can immerse in that paints a picture of a utopian world is something we are all starved for! Subscribed xoxo

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Thank you! I am not a huge fiction reader either, no pact, just haven't been into it since I was a kid. Working on Neoterra has been a blast though!

Thank you for subscribing and your support!

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Thanks for your insights. Really valuable. What I am missing is a note not to destroy existing patches of nature. I had to think of this when I looked at the ‚la tierra‘ picture, which doesn’t look ecological but rather like a high class resort.

Being active in permaculture design as an ecologist I often saw that permaculturalists partly or completely removed existing plant structures only to replace them with food systems or cozy spots that have less than half the biodiversity.

So my point is: any Ecovillage should aspire to regenerate land and leave their hands off of the few valuable wild-nature spots. Those belong to other lifeforms and need to be preserved.

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You're spot on.

This is something I touch on, though not in here. The idea is not to acquire virgin land, clear it, and make a "regenerative" village. The most regenerative, or even sustainable way to build a village is to acquire existing infrastructure or degraded land, and add native plant species, replant trees, and renovate the existing structures.

The sad part is that most kinds of human activity near wild nature spots has ripple disturbance effects on wildlife. However, there is also anthropological history about beneficial relationships between humans and flora/fauna, and how right relations can be achieved.

I know la tierra looks like a resort, but have you read the deck or looked through the Village OS? The website renderings don't really do it justice for the amount of thought and design work that has gone into it.

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Yeah, those approaches are a good way.

Personally I am looking, and every now and then, sharing ways of embodying regenerative cultures. Which includes highlighting beneficial relationships of humans with other lifeforms. Ill look more into that :)

I haven't read more about la tierra. Only the picture you used evoked the above thought. Happy to hear they put thought into their project! And thanks for opening the space to share knowledge and have discussions here!

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Anything you encounter or think about, I'm an open door and would love to discuss. Especially things like interspecies relationships and communication.

Yeah, I can see how la tierra comes off. I am currently being disillusioned as I write the next article about my favorite regenerative villages because when I look closely at some of my favorites, I have to ask, "Wait, what are they doing that is regenerative? They haven't even implemented basic sustainability technology yet."

Relying on social regeneration is okay, I suppose, but the project needs to have tangible ecological and economic improvements.

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At The Sludge Hub we take this concept to the extreme. We exclusively occupy abandoned coal mines and the primary purpose (yes, before habitation or community building) is the regeneration of the site's ecosystem health.

www.sludgehub.org

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Ours is built on an old dairy farm. Some of us are trying to restore the woods around the areas in which we live, but sometimes I think we've bit off more than we can chew. It takes hours of physical labor, but our youngest, heartiest adults are busy with jobs and childrearing. And restoration work is completely voluntary, so hosting a community dance counts as much as planting oaks. I'm not seeing the long term success of this place at the moment. Inspiring post though, just the same. We need to keep trying to work out the knots.

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Awesome post :) What are the 10 villages you deeply admire and why?

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Ooh great idea for a separate post! I'll write that this week and tag you in the comments

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Me too pls 🙏

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Saw your note on this today, awesome write-up! I’m going to check your other posts, but do you have any more resources regarding #6? Eco-village 3.0 + regional regenerative farming systems is where my attention is right now, and it seems aligned. Thank you!

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Love this read. Got me curious… Do you think it’s possible for a small town to do this? How would the process differ for a municipality to transform itself into a regenerative city (as opposed to starting an ecovillage from scratch)?

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How about a movement to rescue old dilapidated communes? I'm a second generation communitarian in a 50+ yr old semi-intentional community (irony intended) with a HUGE land base and a truckload of old phogies with mad skills and radical histories ready to kack. Yes, 10 years minimum for basic groundwork of relationships. Every decade gets more real.

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Curious as to the nature of consumption in eco villages? Are people truly living locally and with minimal power use or generally eating shipped produce and taking long showers etc

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A great read that shares a lot of wisdom. Thanks for publishing this :)

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That's not to say that the lack of communication, connection & presence of 'loved ones' & the slow claw by myself hasn't been absolutely PAINFUL. But. When one is past 35y/o and nothing (or, very little) to their name (it's all a matter of stable egoic reflections)... One really has to take stock on what is actually concretely 'worthwhile'... 🤷 Money isn't as fickle & ephemeral a concept as 'dreamers' (who are often fickle & ephemeral themselves) make it out to be.

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I like the style of 'lifestyle real estate development'.

I think it's a 'superior' way to get things done without conflating infrastructure requirements with emotions & 'design by committee' nonsense from people who don't actually have tried-&-tested practical skills.

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Also... Challenging status quos are endless with people who derive their sense of self & personal value from simultaneously shit-stirring & 'healing wounds' with culturally-appropriated traditions. Which, I would say is an unconscicous trait of 'mmtm c'.

I actually find it laughable. In general, 'spiritually artsy' westerners would find them inspiring, if not merely palatable. Cohere takes on the same flavors. RT in general is going the same way. That's actually a 'target market' that they didn't realize the professional boundaries of. It's how anything starts & evolves.

Buggering off substack too - adieu 💡

Cheers to the writing & when/wherever u DO find the sweet spot(s) where you're earning good money (ie. Obtaining value for your output that you CAN control the outflow of) from whatever you enjoy doing... Whether it is that you had to learn to enjoy whatever you're doing... Or manage to find willing financial buyers of whatever you enjoy giving... 💰💰💰👍

It's strange, over the last 37+ years & especially post-covid i've evolved from wanting/needing creativity, community & 'family' to finally feeling freedom with trading instruments on a screen, which is what I've been desiring for most of my life. It's absolute serenity. 😂

First is finances, then a retirement playhouse, then maybe a village if anyone wants to join & if I can be bothered to get it going. The mind-dump (also re: my own 'village design') over the last 2 months has made it quite clear to me that I actually find socials & people really bothersome... Skilled as I was with my coping mechanisms & learned charisma. I'm like... Borderline sociopath. Geez!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Yup, yay to focusing on me forever ♾️☯️💍🐉🐉🙄😆🙂🥱🤣🤣

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Nice read (for me) as usual 🙂👍

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For what it's worth. Lol.

And at first all I saw was 'ok good facial bone structure & photography/modelling skills' 😂.

Too much 'art', imo. Eg. LaTierra. I don't like the complexities of it, the way their bylaws are worded and the way it uses up SO MUCH resources just to render images & communicate.

Not that perceived beauty isn't nurturing nor important. But as far as 'improving circumstances' go... a lot of things are just a clusterfk of ideas, cultures etc.

As someone who's been living rather neurodivergently WAY under the poverty line but who can communicate with 5*hoteliers if I want to... before they figure out I've got no money (it doesn't mean I have no value, just no money LOL) to give them, I've run out of steam w most groups of people out to 'change the world' instead of just admitting they want to feel better about themselves & are inclined to live/express a certain way..

... and i am just ready to focus on money and retire... Not interested in all the community 'unpolitical' games etc. 😂😂😂

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Do you have more villages to suggest? Also, you should create a profile for Climate Safe Villages on https://www.Tribes.regentribe.org

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