A Haven for Humans

Give and take, yo

2008-08-07T13:40:26Z

One psychologist's interesting take on "the simple life".

As Hæven, we have an obligation to pay attention to what our values are, what work we find fulfilling, and what trade-offs we consider "worth it".

Should there be a formal method for Hæven people to figure out / discuss / record these things? How should we encourage others to do so, too?

The enemy is bullshit.

2008-08-05T12:23:07Z

From "Why We Hate Us", a book by Dick Meyer that I think I'll have to pick up eventually:

"When you write an Internet column about things like this, as I do, and your e-mail address is at the bottom of every column, as mine is, you hear about what people hate loud and clear, over and over. I can report definitively that people hate columnists who hate things. They loathe snails who drive slowly in the left lane. They don't like people who talk full volume about the heartbreak of their psoriasis on cell phone headsets in restaurants and quiet bookstores. They don't like that more and more stores are chains, the same everywhere, mostly with lousy service from blase employees, even if prices are lower and choice is more plentiful. They hate it when big multinational corporations have advertisements that say "We care about you," because corporations can't care, and besides, they don't really know you that well. They don't like it when they're talking with someone who starts thumbing their little digital personal device to answer an e-mail from someone five hundred miles away. They don't appreciate being bumped into at airports or on sidewalks by people with white earbuds crammed in their ears, oblivious to their human surroundings. They don't like oversold flights."

...You can read an article about this guy and some of his ideas over at NPR. The exerpt I quoted is pretty fluffy in comparison; the general idea is more that the American public, eager to "choose everything" in the 1960's, found too late that one of the things you forget to choose (when you're choosing where to live, where to work, when to marry -- all those things that were chosen for you in the old days) is to build a community of people you truly know. If that's even something you can choose.

You see where I'm going here: Hæven is our attempt to do exactly that, and if we can pull it off, to teach it to other people, too.

Taking "overdue for an update" to new heights

2008-08-04T13:50:16Z

Fellow humans! So sorry about the lack of updates here; things have been crazy. But it's been crazy good, too, and there's a lot of exciting stuff in the works with Haeven. F'rinstance:

Cate's moving to Michigan this month! I know this makes us the most hated people in all of Boston (and rightfully so; if Boston was taking her from me, I'd have tried to sue them over it...at least), but it's a great positive step for the project. The two of us can really brainstorm now, and make more shared contacts; and of course the cheap, arable land we need to get started is here. (That's right: blatantly taking advantage of Michigan's depressed economy. But also aiming to help it, so I refuse to feel bad.) Of course, a lot of really important people to this project are over in / near Boston, and we hope as hard as we can that they stay in touch, stay involved and come to see us as often as humanly possible. I figure if we make this place half as wonderful as we'd like, they'll have no choice but to spend huge amounts of time with us, regardless of distance. ;)

So yeah, once the moving is out of the way, expect stupid fast progress on a lot of things that have been languishing in theory-land.

...But I shouldn't say that, because a lot of progress has been made already. For instance:

Libraries! There are now several Haeven Libraries set up in core members' homes. We deliberately wanted to keep who-has-what loose, and the library fluid and big ... and of course we're all bookophiles ... you should see what's in my house alone! In fact, soon you will, because I want to have the members who have libraries take pictures of them so that we can all have a peek. That comes after we get the book-plates designed, and maybe even a sign made to designate Haeven Library shelves. Also,there'll be a database soon, to keep track of exactly what books Haeven "owns".
Websites! Well, theoretical websites. It's in the works; I think we're going for wiki-with-forum. Anybody who wants to help out with setting that up, it'd be handy, since Shaggy (our super-awesome tech person) is kind of swamped as it is! (You're going to love how he's doing the voting-system, though.)
Gardens! We've all been learning about the gardening aspect as fast as we can...Mary (my mother and our resident medical person/herbalist) just went to a Plant Savers convention this weekend and brought home tons of info, recipes, tips and contacts...I've been reading up on forest gardening...and Cate is taking this awesome class in permaculture in September, which I think will push her personal Awesome Factor beyond the point where conventional measurements can go. ;)
Nonprofits! There's been a lot of progress on the vision of Haeven as a working nonprofit, on how it interacts with and benefits the public, on how and where it gets funding, that kind of thing. We've found one large project in Southeast Michigan that looks like a truly exciting source for money, and recently got a very good personal contact with an amazingly-connected and awesome person who can probably help us find the rest, as well as find land. (The Plan, for those following The Plan, is to secure said land by this time next year.)

...And that's not nearly everything, but I don't want to go crazy with conjectures.

Suffice to say things are moving, and please expect more updates soon.

Following is a few Questions To Ponder for havenaughts; if you have thoughts on any of this stuff, please jump in!

1. Logo: augh! Something incorporating the "ash" character (the combined "ae") that the word Haeven contains, maybe? It's called an ash becuase it comes from the symbol for "ash tree" in Futhark/runic...I've been trying to use that to come up with something, but nothing so far. *sigh* If you have ANY artistic or design talent, now would be a great time to contribute!

2. New Members: We'll need a few more people to work and/or stay at Haeven as we build it up -- so what are everybody's thoughts on what those people should be like? We have a lot of areas of expertise covered so far, but of course extra hands in things like legal and gardening can never hurt...and some things we still need, like construction-types who can install energy-efficiency stuff, and preferably someone with a good head for farm animals. (Mary Beth, who also does child care and will be running our summer camp eventually, has got the goats covered, we think. But other than that? What I know about chickens I learned at KFC...!) I'm trying to come up with a full list, but what's more important to that list than "what these people know" is "who these people ARE", so we'd love to hear from everyone what types of people they think fit with Haeven's goals.

3. Member fees. This is still heavily in-the-works, but will be a priority for ironing-out in the coming months. Thus, if you have any comments or opinions on member fees, now is probably the best time to get them heard! All you have to do is tell one of us, and we'll pass the word around (for now, we're calling this our "sneaker forum", heh -- but we really need to get a real online forum up and working soon, don't we?). Do you want to suggest a minimum/maximum? Do you think some people should pay more than others, or be able to trade work for fees? Let's hear it!

...And I suppose I'll leave it at that; no more than three "exercises-for-the-reader" is a personal rule of mine. (Well, unless there's five...)

Be talking to you all more soon! (Some of you a lot more, very soon; did I mention that I'm taking a trip to Boston in two weeks? I am!)

-K

havenaughts @ 2008-05-22T20:38:00

2008-05-23T00:41:03Z

not that this is *remotely* as interesting as the site that Kallisti posted, but I've been rather obsessed with the institute for appropriate technology lately: http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/library.html

check it out if you get the chance!

--C

The Exceptional Diatribe: A talk on the future of urban and suburban design

2008-05-22T14:17:12Z

::x-posted from all my other journals::

You guys know about TED, right? Only the smartest people talking about the smartest, most relevant things ever, collected in free video online. I've never, ever seen a TED video that didn't pop my eyes and drop my jaw and change something about my thinking forever.

Today, I have to recommend this one, which literally made me stand up and cheer. James Howard Kunstler, who will impress the crap out of you, gives this amazing talk about urban design and suburban sprawl. I think it speaks in several places to what we're aiming for with Haeven and why it's necessary. Seriously, don't miss it.

Every Class is Unfit to Govern

2008-05-15T14:49:50Z

"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern." - Lord Acton

Lots of great Haven conversation is going on, just to keep you posted, but the real grunt work is taking a deep breath to begin this fall. In preparation, we're both doing a lot of studying, Cate into community dynamics and what's already out there, and me into nonprofits and how to structure the business.

In the midst of a good conversation yesterday, we were relieved to discover that our "committee" structure, as envisioned by the clot of Havenaughts who gathered a few months ago, does a really nice job of doubling as a direct representative democracy that in its structure prevents classicism.

Hear me out: There are two levels of governance that go on at Haeven*. One is Governance of the Community (ComGov, 'cause I ain't typing that twelve times), and the other is Governance of the Corporation (CorpGov). Obviously these two have to meet at some points, and they do, though we haven't completely smoothed over all the wrinkles where they join.

Part of ComGov is committees, which are based around activities, and whose members elect a committee leader who reports directly to the Board. The structure and function of the Board as a ComGov entity is really well envisioned I think; it was one of the crowning glories to come out of the "clot of Havenaughts meeting". (That, and the voting system. Whew!) Because of this structure, community issues regarding gardening are directly informed by the gardeners; technology by the techies; groundskeeping by the groundskeepers; and so forth.

On a CorpGov level, it looks as though we'll be able to fit the existing conception of a Board nicely into the position of being a Board of Directors, and still have room for all the usual corporate claptrap that goes with that. (I won't bore you, because trust me, it IS boring.) The usual practice in any business, then, is to appoint A Person who is reponsible in total for the day-to-day operations -- in our case, for the community, since that is our day-to-day operation. In a for-profit business, this Person is called the President; in a non-profit, usually the Executive Director. Yesterday we were talking about how to implement this, and in a flash of sheer brilliance, Cate decided that we just shouldn't.

Yup, no E.D. for us. Why? Several reasons.

First, the community is too diverse a project to ever be overseen by one person, in our opinions
Second, the committees represent important aspects of the community, and we believe that each should have a direct line of input to the Board
Third, an Executive Director sounds to me like a Single Point of Failure, and I/we don't like those

And fourth, and possibly coolest, is that letting the Committee Leaders report directly to the Board -- making them the zenith of day-to-day oversight -- basically "ports over" the representative democracy of ComGov into CorpGov too, and puts the divisions among the corporation and the community along the lines of activity or concern *rather than class*. Think about a normal corporation -- you have the down-lows, the middlings, the higher-ups and the suits; a total classist structure. The suits are largely one group, even if one is a Finance Suit and one is a Manufacturing Suit and so forth -- they stick together a lot more than they stick to their respective departments. This wouldn't be the case with Committee Leaders, who would be Committee Leaders specifically because they're very invested in the work that that committee is doing. They are elected by the members of the committee, pure and simple. (And the Board wouldn't be a "suits" organization either, but for reasons I don't have time to go into at the moment; they hark back to the structure of the Board itself, which can, I think, be largely unchanged from how we envisioned it as the "clot of Havenaughts".)

Anyway, I'm rather impressed with how that all worked out. Any comments, questions or haggles, throw them at Cate or myself. The work continues!

havenaughts @ 2008-04-19T12:22:00

2008-04-19T16:24:30Z

this is a ery, very good blog that provides a basic (but well articulated understanding)of a whole, whole lot we've been discussing for ages: http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com/

check it out.

--C

Things! Administrative things, plus fairly concrete nonprofit info! Woohoo!

2008-03-24T13:32:47Z

Administrative things: Pretty soon (i.e. in a matter of months, we think), Haven will be getting its own website. There will still be an RSS feed, so if you have us added to your LJ Friends page, you can keep us there. This is just a heads up -- repeat, this is just a heads-up. If this had been an actual announcement or notice of action, it would have included some concrete data and not been amusingly worded in parody of a Test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This concludes the heads-up.

;)

In other news, there's been good news on the non-profit front. Mind you, many rebels died to bring us this information...

The good news is, it takes $20 and 3-5 days to get state recognition as a non-profit. This lets us do most things, but not offer Federal tax deductions for donations; we'll need the Federal IRS exemption for that (that's the pain-in-the-patoot one, but it should be noticeably easier with State nonprofit status figured out). In order to apply, we just need our Articles of Incorporation figured out, same as we would in order to incorporate independently of non-profit status. They really don't require anything else. w00t!

There will be some getting-together of Haven people this week (MORE W00T!), so maybe some progress on the Articles can be made right then. I'm volunteering up front to pay the $20 to file. ;)

Oh, and in other Administrative news...we haven't forgotten about the donations structure as discussed at the last major Haven meeting. In fact, we've made quite a bit of progress on it...but our lawyer advised us not to start collecting money until Haven was incorporated, since otherwise we risk uncertainty about who's responsible for the money and where it can and can't go. Since incorporating (which is now the same step as becoming a state non-profit) looks pretty easy at this point, we've decided (at least I think we have), to take this step first, to be on the safe side. Do expect to hear more about monthly membership donations soon, though. (And no, I'm not just waiting until I'm less broke. Hmph.)

Happy Darn-Near-Spring, all! (Oh, and one more reminder -- if any of you, full-time-interested or not, want to come out and scope the area, just let me know. Within reason, I can put most visitors up for free and provide some sightseeing tips as needed.)

Something Useful & Domain Names

2008-02-28T17:05:29Z

Hey Havenaughts ~

Those of us who will be involved in marketing, even indirectly, would probably benefit from this blog:

http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/ ...I've found it pretty useful already. ;)

Also, it's Domain Registration Time! Cate & I seem happy with "havenaughts" as a general-use name, including for domain purposes. But we really like puns. If you don't -- if you, for instance, think that a "havenaught" sounds like "the Chosen Ones among the Gundam" whose "leader is a guy with sunglasses and a sword who can inexplicably walk around in outer space with no helmet" -- well, then, speak up. (Unless you're the person who already did, ahem.)

Peace!

Awesome Weekend Recap

2008-02-03T11:12:26Z

Hmm, it totally slipped my/our minds that this should go here, I think. But hey, we've been busy!

Last weekend, that of Jan. 25, some of the core Haven-people got to sit in the same room for half a night and talk shop. Looking back on it, a lot was accomplished; more than I think we gave ourselves credit for at the time. All of it's still working notes, so I won't post those here, but I will post a recap of the things we worked out, as a starting-point for more details, a yardstick of our progress and a reminder that a lot gets done when we're in the same room!

Before I say anything, though, there should be huge thanks to shrinking_cate, riotmod, Jame, Ken K. & Tina, without whose input this would not have gotten so far, or been so amazingly good. Or fun. ;)

The following subjects were fleshed out quite well, and there will be separate posts to discuss them in detail soon:

Voting: We now have weighted and "general population" voting, and what each should be used for, as well as polling, its uses and the rules for doing it. We've done an awesome job of giving the population as much say as possible while retaining order and fairness, I think.

The Board: Who will be on the board, how they will get there, for how long they'll stay, and what types of things the Board will do are all on paper now. Yay!

Committees: We now know how committees will generally work, how their leaders get and keep and lose those positions, and how they should work together.

Investment: Some good ideas were had for how people should invest initially in the Haven project, though we're not firm on what the "reward" for investing in the startup should be.

Financial sustainability was heavily discussed, and some good ideas thrown around for how to get the project to fund itself as time goes on. There's still a lot to talk about here, but we at least got a handle on some of the major avenues.

Community values, which will form the basis of all our decisions, really, were discussed quite a bit, and I think we've got most, if not all, of them written down now. This wasn't an easy conversation, but we handled it admirably -- no blood! ;)

Other things we touched on, but still need to develop much more, are membership requirements, process of becoming a member, fees for different tiers of membership, the justice system, self-sufficiency, and the corporation structure. But that's a good thing, because I, for one, would be upset as all get-out if I didn't have a reason to get all these people together for another chat. Chasing a dream like this, absolutely nothing gives you the warm-fuzzies like knowing that you're going to be doing it with the most awesome people you know!

Okay, gushing done. More details soon, and thanks again to everyone who participated and made the gathering possible!

-Kallisti

Membership...

2007-12-01T20:30:15Z

At this exact moment in time, the only adults who are fully committed to *living* at Haven (as opposed to, say, working on it remotely and visiting sometimes) are Me (Cate), Jamie/Calvin, Ken, Shaggy/Dan, Kallisti/Marie, Kayta and Ripley...so, eight people and 4 households. The other definitive members (at the moment) are Glenn and Julie. They seem to be likely to become non-resident members (mostly due to logistics beyond anyone's control) despite the fact that they're both integral parts of the planning process, and deeply invested in the community's formation. Is there anyone in this group that I'm missing and overlooking? If so, apologies! please correct me!

In addition to the core group, there are also about 30 other people who *might* come, depending on a variety of things...not the least of which is "how the community turns out to be". So yeah...whether this becomes a place they want to be seems to largely depend on the decisions of this core group.

As much as I strive to appreciate the seeming deference, the spirit of community begs something more. The "core group" is not set in stone...and I think that we'd ALL welcome the help if anyone else wants in. Personally, I would love it if anyone not already involved in the formation process--the member of this group of 30 or so--were to step up and *join* the core group in the vital work of finding funding, setting ideology and community standards, figuring out the legal framework and handling the scads and scads of grunt work and research this project requires. So...if you're reading this, and want in, by all means let us know. The community will be all the better for your input and your effort, and will be far more likely to become the place that you want--and need--it to be.

best,

--C

Michigan-Specific Power Generation Rules

2007-12-01T19:15:02Z

Hey all--

I finally found a decent summery of windmill relevant legislation in MI...Happy contemplation!

http://www.awea.org/smallwind/michigan.html

--C

some wind resources (a guide for the perplexed)

2007-11-29T14:03:20Z

Hey all--

Following last night's conversation with Glenn, it's pretty clear that some basic information on windmills are definitely, definitely needed. This site: http://www.awea.org/ is a decent primer. The information in this section: http://www.awea.org/smallwind/ particularly applies to what we're thinking of doing.

Happy Reading!

--C

The Scott Bader Commonwealth

2007-11-26T01:23:08Z

One of the threads of discussion that we've been having (and need to be having more!) is how to organize Haven, structurally, legally and practically. Although I am waayyy too sunburned and therefore exhausted to write a lengthly post tonight, I thought I should draw everyone's attention to the Scott Bader Commonwealth, and the principles it enacts. Some of them we may want to adopt outright, and some of them are more likely to simply provide a jumping off point for (even) further conversation. Regardless, this company seems to have found ways of continuously enacting many of the ideals we've discussed in the context of a profit-making venture for well over 50 years now.

Like I said, check them out when you get the chance.

--C

http://www.cooperatives-uk.coop/live/images/cme_resources/Users/G&P%20Files/Case%20Studies/Scott%20Bader.pdf

or for those seeking the succinct: http://www.scottbader.co.za/pub.nsf/attachmentsbytitle/UK_PR_SpiritBooklet/$FILE/Spirit.pdf

Bios

2007-11-14T15:40:24Z

How would everyone feel about writing up and posting a short (and I mean, *really* short) bio of themselves in the blog? Since some of us have never met and there are likely to be new members shortly, I think it might help everyone's comfort level a bit.

If this idea flies, I think the bios should probably include 1) a picture (if you have it), 2) a brief description of why you're interested in Haven and a project and lifestyle 3) something about your skills and interests and 4) something about what you hope to accomplish and do there.

Bios should be sent to either me (Cate) or Kallisti for posting...probably at our email addresses.

What do you say?

--C

Rules for Seminar.

2007-11-14T15:33:34Z

Does anyone happen to have the *actual* rules of communication for a St. John's seminar? If not, can anyone accurately recreate them? (My own attempts to do so seem to be inadequate so far.) My household and I (+ probably Glenn, and possibly Ripley and Kayta if they're game) have decided to give it a trial run here in Boston, so that everyone who can be is familiar with the form that these discussions take *before* the symposium...but I need to give everyone something to read beforehand.

--C

PS I didn't find it on the website, but to be fair, I didn't have time this morning to give it more than a cursory look.

PPS. Between Ripley and myself, I'm fairly sure that we can teach the St. John's seminar style of discussion experientially, but I know that Jame at least would be comforted by the presence of some rules.

Ideology, part 3...Health Care and Such

2007-11-13T05:37:28Z

Another aspect of enacting our community values that should probably be part of Haven's formal ideology is the provision of health insurance for all its residents, and, as soon as we can possibly afford it, to all its members period.

A good number of us (and virtually all of us who are likely to take an active part in a discussion taking place primarily *online*) are fairly young and enjoy relatively good health...but this is not the case for many of Haven's members and prospective members. As they age and need our more immediate presence and care, it seems likely that several member households will have at least one (and potentially both sets!) of parents/in-laws joining them at Haven...some member's parent want to come now, and some of the people who have heard about the project through their children's involvement are quite interested in being/becoming members in their own right. I guess what I'm saying is that Haven isn't going to be *just* a college kid's game, and even we aren't going to be young (...ish) forever.

Even for those of us who happen to meet that description for the moment though, the gaps in health care coverage that can occur when we're shifting jobs, unemployed or otherwise occupied can be frightening. Most of us have either taken a job, or stayed in a *bad* job longer than we should because we needed the coverage, either for ourselves or for our families. As stated (and as is obvious) these problems get gravely compounded for older would-be/could-be members who may not qualify for coverage if they applied as individuals, and for those of us who have, or plan to have children.

So far, none of us (at least, none of us that will readily discuss it...and if I'm wrong please jump in) have had the misfortune of having a major health problem while uninsured, but I've seen it plenty, and we all know with certainty that the consequences can be financially and personally disastrous, not just for the individual in question, but for everyone that cares about and counts on them.

At Haven, we will all be inter-reliant, all dependent on one another. Each member--no matter their age, and no matter their health--is bringing with them their own unique experiences, energy, information, and, as time goes on, an increasing degree of expertise in the aspects of the community that interest them most. We should have health care, and we *need* to have health care. Period. Assuring--in so far as we can--the well being of every member is (if nothing else...and yeah, there's PLENTY else) a great PRACTICAL benefit to us all.

If we can make sure that health care coverage is available to every community member--to each of US--it'll mean a greater degree of freedom, a greater ability to change our life courses (when need be) a a greater degree of security for all the people involved in our lives. From my perspective, it simply makes sense.

It should be possible to obtain health care coverage, as a collective, fairly easily...certainly more easily than we could as individuals and individual families. We may be helped by the fact that every resident and member of Haven will, in fact, being doing work *for* the collective; largely hands-on things for the residents, and (generally) more research oriented stuff for the seasonal/visiting member, but work nonetheless. At the time of this writing we're thinking that the "work load" will be about 10 hours a week (minimum) for residential members (when you factor in meeting attendance, mentoring, processing sessions (of various kinds) plus whatever building/farming/chore-type projects each individual has going at any given time) and probably about half that (though on a far less-than-weekly basis)for non-residential members of various stripes. If anyone reading this is willing and able to take on the research-project of determining what our options are, and how we can best accomplish this, please speak up. If I haven't heard from any takers in the next, say, ummmmmm...two weeks, I guess I'll figure it out myself, and post the findings here.

--C

Ideology, part 2...that joke isn't funny.

2007-11-12T16:40:30Z

Among Haven's discussed goals is the intention to approximate a equal society as nearly as we can. Unlike everything I've written about so far, however, the seriousness with which this goal will likely be addressed is largely a function of my own ideology at work. As a committed feminist, shrink, and sociologist--one with a Trauma specialization no less, one who's spent literally *years* studying and attempting to redress the harmful effects of prejudice in a wide range of manifestations and with a wide range of targets--I know first, second and third hand the intractable harm it causes. I think it a part of basic and necessary justice that the community of Haven actively seeks to avoid it. I view it as of a piece with Haven's overarching goal of being (and creating) an environment in which each individual member will be enabled and encouraged to realize their unique gifts and skills by the collective as a whole.

Now...there's probably no one out there arguing so far, everyone looooves high-minded rhetoric after all...but in practice, this is what I mean:

If we truly mean to pursue this goal, we have a responsibility to critique both our collective conduct and that of individual members when instances of sexism, racism, ethno-centricity, hetero-sexism, ageism, classism, sizeism, etc. is evident in our/their attitudes, assumptions, or behavior.

This explicitly means that the ways we've come accustomed to living must and should be altered. It will no longer be ok, (to choose an example likely to be viewed as "extremist"), to tell a racist (or sexist, or homophobic) joke and assume that it's OK because OF COURSE *you* are not a racist (or sexist...what have you) and the people you're telling it to know that. If you're not a racist, If you're not a sexist, If you're not a homophobe then DON'T ACT LIKE ONE. If you have trouble NOT acting like a racist (etc), than it's very likely that, on some level, you *are* racist (If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck...). At the very least, your actions an attitudes perpetuate racism (etc)...make it more acceptable in others and in society as a whole. This means that at some level you've decided that the fact that you're perpetuating a system of injustice is less important, to you, than your "right" to tell a joke, as are the opinions of those who would object and tell you otherwise. If you feel that refraining from prejudicial attitudes and statements is an undue burden, If you have a knee-jerk reaction of "NO!" to what I'm saying here, examine why.

If and when such attitudes and assumptions appear primarily the individual level, we should have a consensus in advance that they not acceptable or compatible with being a good community member, and must be redressed. It should be commonly recognized by all that such--particularly if they're evident in behavior and/or prove intractable--may not be compatible with being a community member period.

On the collective level, we should take care to compensate for the habits of thought, presumption, and behavior that our societ(y/ies) have instilled in us. For example: In the outside world, a daycare provider (traditionally and generally, a woman) tends to make less than a parking attendant (traditionally and generally, a man)...this despite the fact that the daycare worker is handling a good deal more responsibility and that work has a far more discernible impact on the future and the well being of others. Because care-taking itself is a traditionally feminine role, it may be less well compensated precisely *because* of those factors. (Anyone who wants information of the phenomenon of pink-collar job ghettos should ask me more...for the rest, I won't bore you with a(nother) dissertation ;) Suffice it to say (I hope), this sort of inequity is compounded--drastically--if the person in question happens to be older, non-white, non-strait, and/or noticeably deviant from the (idolized) strait white male bread-winner model.

Oddly enough, there's hardly anyone involved in this project (so far) that meets that description. Still, to varying degrees and in diverse venues we all have experienced power, privilege and oppression. It should be our responsibility to wrestle with our own experience of these phenomena, and remain cognizant of (and answerable to) the experience of others.

In other words, we must take care not to duplicate and perpetuate the systems of inequality we've grown accustom to. When it comes time to hire outsiders, for example, we shouldn't be paying "fair market value", we should enact our own pay-scale based on responsibility and work load...within the limits of the possible of course.

Within the community, however, pursuing the ideal of equality will have far greater and more pervasive implications.

For example, we must maintain awareness of the fact that exposure--which tends to fall within the lines of the gender-binary--dictates experience, which in turn dictates the comfort level that a given individual will have with a task, and the collective will have in assigning the task to them.

To give a concrete example from my own recent experience, Ken needed his loft bed built this weekend. Despite my interest in carpentry, AND despite having experience with it roughly on par with Jame's, the boys planned and executed the project together. In the meantime, the meals still had to be cooked, the dishes still had to be done, and the laundry still had to be washed and folded. Unsurprisingly, I took on the "women's work"...having it done is simply a part of being in a functioning household. To be fair, it's not work I minded: everyone *knows* I love to cook, and because of my experience doing so, I'm fairly good at it.

YET...yet I can't help but notice that the work I performed was thankless and the effects of having done it are transitory: within a hour of their creation, the meals were gone, by next week the laundry will have to be done again. Meanwhile, the bed that was built will be around and used for (at least) the next three years. Every once in a while, when Ken hops into bed, he'll remember having built it; Neither of the boys will remember french-toast and bacon, and frankly neither will I.

Further, having acquiesced to NOT being involved in the project carried an opportunity cost that will have ongoing implications: Because I did NOT take part in the project, the divide between my experience with carpentry and Jame's has grown the a factor of 1 bed. Even had our experience started out as roughly equal, even if that fact was innately recognized by all, it could now be legitimately said when the next project begins, that Jame is a better and more experienced carpenter. That makes him the more likely (and useful) pick for the next project, and, if things are allowed to continue in the manner unchecked, the divide between his expertize and mine will compound...and so the system of inequality, and the accrual of "appropriate" skills along the lines dictated by the gender binary, seemingly perpetuates itself. Jame is one bed better at carpentry, and I am three meals better at cooking.

It should be strongly noted here--basically because it's among the more important points that I'm trying to make--that these boys love me, and on every conscious level consider me to be an equal. There was no intention of excluding me, and when I confronted them with the fact I had been, they were initially somewhat surprised and eventually somewhat horrified. The culturally based, (and yes, sexist) assumption that I was disinterested in helping with the project was a stronger motivator of their behavior than all of my hints, implications and outright statements to the contrary...and besides, when they came out to the kitchen to ask me about something, I seemed busy. I WAS busy...busy doing their dishes.

I suppose that overall, what I'm saying is that we have be aware, both individually and collectively, of the pull of the gender-binary. This does not mean that we can't and won't actively support those who seek and thrive in gender-normative roles--personally, I'd be hard pressed to give up cooking--but rather that we have to make sure that it's more truly the individual's choice than society, habit, and (at times) our own comfort (which is dictated by the same) generally encourages and allows.

To this end, we should create and enact methods of community functioning that seek to redress such inequalities, that root out their origins, and change the behaviors (both individual and collective) that perpetuate them. It means that we deal with a few burnt meals while someone learns to cook, and a few imperfectly mudded seams while someone learns to handle drywall. It means that we ask--explicitly--at the outset of any project, who wants in. It means that we notice and respond if two (or 10, or 20) years down the line, the boys are building the buildings and the girls are doing the laundry.

Because of the way in which experience accrues along the lines of the gender-binary and compounds over time (which, yes, I've attempted to outline briefly and concretely above), it will be far easier on all of us if we are mindfully seeking to redress these dynamics from the get-go. If we wait until inequality in our community is a blatantly noticeable problem it will be far more difficult to address and we'll have far too many excuses, and yes, some actual reasons, not to. If the dynamics enacted this weekend in my own life (and Jame's, and Ken's) were to persist overtime, in 5 years Jame really *would* be a better carpenter than I am. At that point, handing off a project to a me--relative "amateur", who *hasn't* be steadily accruing experience--wouldn't serve the community: Anything I could build would be more poorly planned and executed than what Jame would do...and why in the world would we be willing to accept work, that would, by then, actually be "substandard" when we have our own home-grown expert hanging around who could complete the project more quickly and skillfully?

Thoughts? Questions? Proposed systems of enactment?

--C

PS. Just so you all know, nearly everyone in this community has a deal breaker, a thing that being asked and/or expected to sacrifice will break their commitment to the community. Ripley needs his farm, some bees, and the freedom to build a tree house if he wants. Glenn will walk if hunting and exposure to animal slaughter becomes a community norm. For Kallisti and Shaggy, it's NOT being in MI. Well...this is my deal breaker. I take it that seriously, and even if others find it flaky, overly and overtly liberal, and/or potentially inconvenient,it should be addressed as such.

some thoughts on ideology...part 1

2007-11-11T23:11:48Z

ok, so...I don't really know what to write here, and feel both arrogant and overwhelmingly silly for attempting to say anything on these topics so informally---near flippantly--and in such isolation. BUT...after weeks and weeks of feeling this way, and delaying this posting, I've come to realize that the alternative may well be not to put anything down at all...to never get the discussion started...you know, the discussion? The one that would come to redress the entry's weaknesses and my personal objections to writing it? yeah...that.

So...here I guess is the major, neon-glaring caveat to all I'm about to attempt to get down on paper: This section will clearly, clearly need several metric tons of revision and discussion before anything here is finalized...let alone ratified in any meaningful way. This is a rough, rough draft...I expect it to be somewhat controversial and discussion provoking, and yet, even knowing that, I lack the energy at this point to present my own points of view in clear and defensible form, let alone play the champion for anyone else's. I hope that you'll bare with me, and not dismiss the ideas I'm attempting to convey just because my presentation happens to be (at points, overwhelmingly) awkward.

Also, and this above all: Please know that nothing at this stage is set in stone. Please DON'T read this, decide that this is not the community for you, and withdraw from the discussion. Comment. Argue with me. Argue with the other people making comments and proposing alternatives. Civilly when possible yes, but do it. Tell me--tell us--WHY you object, and what you'd like to see instead. Under no circumstances feel that decisions regarding the ideology of Haven--the basis under which this community will flourish or die--should be left in my hands alone...or in those of the commonly vocal majority.

Hedged enough? ok then...

First up: Green living/Sustainability/Self-sufficiency: For the most part, we've been thinking about and discussing these things as though they're all of a piece. Fortunately (and unfortunately) they're not.

HOWEVER...many community members (including yours truly) I've talked to dearly want to minimize their personal environmental impact and this community is somewhat more attractive to them than it would be otherwise because that's our among our stated goals. These three, fairly-endemically -clustered goals would go along way towards making those dreams a reality.

"Green living"--to the extent it's economically feasible at any given time--has been a central tenant throughout most of our discussions, and should probably be formalized as such. This segment of our evolving community believes--and knows--that it will be easier to "live green" as a collective than it is to do so an individuals, or individual households. If we need compost for the gardens, everyone has some added motivation to compost. If there's 30 adults around, it's suddenly very likely that someone can make the hour-or-so run out to the plant which recycles otherwise un-recyclable things once a month etc. Again, if there's 30 adults around, some of us will get adept (eventually) in, say, installing solar panels...which will make it easier for everyone else to have them. Realistically, living green as possible supports community creation and bonding, and is a good goal to have in it's own right.

The big debate on this one, comes in when we discuss if, and to what extent, we should make "green living" mandatory. How about this: is it ok if a particular household regularly chooses NOT to recycle? Is it an unwarranted intrusion on personal freedom if we require them to? or this: Should we dictate that each house built consumes only so much non-self-generated energy per resident...which in turn dictates cubic footage etc? Even if you're ok with the recycling thing, is it too much to ask you to build your personal homes up to such potentially exacting community standards? Can you handle the potentially increased costs associated with building green? Do you want to be in a community where your would-be neighbors never arrive if and when they can't? or won't? And how about the public sphere? Will all the fruit from our orchards be organic, even if that means a lighter harvest and more difficult upkeep? Will we have chickens roaming freely through our back yards? Will we pledge to buy only locally grown and/or organic produce for our community meals? How about for our personal consumption? Will we plant new trees elsewhere to compensate the world for those we cut down clearing the land for our homes and buildings? How...how EXACTLY, do we enshrine "green living" as a community goal without being unduly dictatorial and encroaching too much on personal freedom in our approach? Do we attempt to do this at all?

"Sustainability"--at least in the sense that we've been discussing it--is fairly compatible with (but not the same as) "green living". To draw a (very) rough distinction, "green living" is centered on our obligations to the environment writ large, and sustainability is centered on our obligations to ourselves and the next few generations. Ideally, sustainability means that we're never taking anything from "our" land that we don't put back; in terms of our land's fertility, the potability of our water, and the usefulness (to us and our purposes) of the land more generally. Again, there's a fairly sizable contingent bent on achieving sustainability as nearly as possible...one which overlaps not-quite-perfectly with the members who argue strongly for green living. Basically, it's strictures would dictate that we instantly set about re-mediating any land we harm, and--to the greatest extent of our abilities--try to create self-supporting systems of consumption. So, for example, we'd have gardens to feed our bees, bees to pollinate our orchards and gardens, produce and scraps from those gardens to feed the chickens and goats, a manure from the livestock to fertilize the gardens and orchards in the first place.

Again, much as with "green living" I've heard no major objections to sustainability in theory...at least so far. My personal view is that Haven is *meant* to be an intergenerational project, and taking care of the land in as though it belonged to someone else is just sensible: It *does* belong to someone else...it belong to everyone that follows us. That said, I *have* heard some concerns about what all this ideology is going to mean in practice, and whether or not we're up to the "added" responsibility and expense it might entail. Even with the relatively strait forward example above potential problems are evident: We've got people who want to raise goat, and people who want to raise bees, and just-about-everyone interested in gardens and orchards...but I've yet to hear anyone volunteer for manure collection detail.

"Self-Sufficiency" is another much discussed goal...though with this, the usual "hippy" contingent (yes, this includes me, so don't get offended) of people arguing strongly for it are joined by those who are more survival oriented generally (Jame for example)...and those that have had to odd fortune to take up future studies (me again, and to a lesser extent, Ripley and Ken) ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futures_studies ). Basically, we want to be producing/have the capacity to produce a sizable proportion of what we need, ourselves, with our own facilities and hands. We want the ability to build our own houses, we want agriculture and aquaculture and (useful) livestock (as opposed to say, beef cattle). We want a medicinal herb garden and the knowledge to use it well. We want to expand skills of community members so that we can increasing provide for ourselves, collectively, as time goes on.

Before anyone freaks out about the shades of cult and undue alteration of life-style this notion contains however, here's an important distinction: we want the ABILITY to do these things, so it will be there for us should the need or sustained desire ever arise. The best way to obtain that ability is by actually *doing* some of this stuff...gaining practice and knowledge and skill sets...that sort of thing. No one is proposing that we simply "go self-sufficient" ... everyone will be perfectly entitled to buy sugar and pepto-bismol, and clothes from stores and whatnot.

A further distinction that bears mentioning is that we want the ability to produce what we NEED...which is quite different from saying we want to produce what we would normally USE. Under normal, non-apocalyptic conditions (yes, a potential apocalypse/societal collapse is a consideration for some of us, and no, we're still not a cult), we'll be regularly producing maybe, say, 15% of what we consume. This shouldn't be an undue burden on anyone...and yet...

Yet if we're going to preserve the possibility of producing most (and potentially all) that we need, it's got to be an agreed-upon goal from the outset. It'll mean purchasing more land than we will seemingly use for one thing. It'll mean limiting community size in ways that aren't purely practical or strictly necessary for the workings of a more-or-less direct democracy. It'll mean that we keep a farm--complete with breeding stock--running even when no one's particularly interested. It will mean running things on wind-power, because we can build and maintain the towers ourselves, rather than going solar and counting on the ability to perpetually import panels from Germany.

Obviously, the implications of taking on the challenge of self-sufficiency--or, more accurately, preserving the potential for self-sufficiency--are vast and complicated. Yet realistically speaking, I think it might be necessary and should be done...if not for ourselves, then for our children's generation. What do you all think?

--C

The Reading List

2007-11-11T22:28:42Z

Hey all...in preparation for the symposium, we have to figure out which texts (and sections of texts) we want everyone else to have read by the time they arrive so that we can have a common base of discussion.

I'm hoping that 1) there won't be more reading on this list than we can reasonably expect everyone to have done before arriving 2) that we can discuss a full third of what ends up listed here directly...and that everything else "assigned" can be brought into the discussions of the primary texts discussed, at least tangentially.

Unfortunately, between kids and jobs and evolving relationships and whatnot, this probably means 2000 pages, tops, if we are able to get this list finalized two months ahead of the symposium. Realistically, this probably *should* mean, no more than 1500 pages...particularly because some of the material is apt to be pretty dense.

I'm also hoping that we can get the person or people who proposed the each reading to agree to moderate the (1/2 hour-2 hour) St. John's seminar style discussion on the text at the symposium itself, AND to initiate and moderate a more free-for-all-styled discussion in this forum of the ideas contained within the text ahead of time.

So...what do you say? Are my estimates off? Do people think they can commit to doing more reading than that? Also, what do you want to read? What do you want everyone *else* to have read? Please, come up with some answers and post in the comments.

Text proposals should include the name of both the text and author, either it's length in total, the length of the sections/chapters you find most essential, and a description of *why* the text should be read. When and if you can find it, you should include information on where to find the text (or the exerts) for free (legally!) online. Kallisti and I will take this information into account, and--unless there's any strenuous objections (or someone else volunteers for the job)--we will be the ones to narrow the reading list from there.

Frankly, I could double that reading load myself in about 36 seconds if left to my own devices, so I really what to hear what *you all* want to read and discuss together before I add my piece.

Questions? Comments?

--C

PS. The reason for going with a St. John's seminar style of discussion is simply that a sizable minority of the (likely) symposium attendees--and of the growing Haven Community itself--are former Johnnies. We are already familiar and over-familiar with this method of discussion. We all can can reproduce it readily and know that it works (albeit imperfectly at points). Because of this, it should be at least marginally possible to acquaint everyone with the basic method and rules ahead of time...maybe even hold a few trial runs in our respective cities. This simply seems easier and more effective than trying out an unfamiliar method of discussion during our first meeting.

the symposium

2007-11-11T19:57:37Z

Okay, so...

I'm turning 30 this new year's eve, and m'lovely boy come domestic partner (Jame) and m'lovely friend Julie are planning me the least secret surprise party ever. I've known about it from day one (practically), and have been asked to provide a guest list, phone numbers, info on potentially troubling personal dynamics and what to do to moderate them, what have you. Still, this is all fairly exciting since--having the strange fortune of having been born on New Year's--I've never actually *had* a birthday party before.

Before this came about though, what I'd been planning for myself was the Haven Symposium: a weekend gathering of the most interested (and available) parties, at our apartment in Boston (technically Somerville) MA. It--and the real progress and definitives that I expect will arise out of it--are what I wanted most for my birthday anyhow...and so I'd asked most of my friends and family to help fund everyone who needs its plane tickets etc rather than giving me gifts.

The symposium...and the party I expect will take place on the last day of the gathering...will all be happening sometime in January. (It gets us far enough away from the holidays without undue delay, and allows me to celebrate *being* 30, rather than *turning* 30.) Since Kallisti and Shaggy are such essential parts of both this meeting and any celebrating we're going to undertake, they're probably going to have final say as to when. So, ummm.... bug them for details...it's entirely possible I won't *know* when this is going to be for the next couple weeks.

The basic plan is that sometime during that month--a time convenient/possible for most--EVERYONE who can make it will head to Boston (with whatever financial help we can put together) to talk over what we've read from the reading list (forthcoming) in St. John's style seminar forums, while being fed by me, and (probably) camping on the floor (and couch, and guest-bed) of the apartment that I share with Ken and Jame, and generally getting to know each other.

It's the hope that at this initial gathering of the full body of Haven (as it exists so far) we can define roles and responsibilities in a more formal way, layout and formally discuss our visions for the place and the ideas which guide them, and work through some of the conflicts that are inevitable going to arise. We also hope to discuss (and a least draft roughly) our basic founding documents (most importantly, the mission statement/constitution),and further define the rights and responsibilities of community membership...along with establishing a range of acceptable membership costs, and the process for withdrawal from financial and ideological obligation if and when the need to do so should arise. Obviously, we'll have to lay out a more formal agenda in the next few weeks, but I mention this now so that a) everyone reading this forum knows to leave space, time and money in case they want to join us in Boston, and b) so that we can start getting everyone's ideas on the reading list and what the agenda should be.

Let me know if you have any ideas and suggestions,

--C

voting...taken from a larger peice (in progress)

2007-11-11T19:22:15Z

There's also this: Although we believe that Haven *may* eventually come to provide some of its members will full time employment at reasonable wages, that day is going to be long in coming. We simply won't have enough cash on hand to pay anyone a living wage--let alone one comparable with the market rate for the often specialized work we'll all be doing--for the foreseeable future, unless we borrow it. For the first 5 years or so, we can expect this place to be a time-effort-and-attention sink, demanding far more of us than we can expect back, and consuming all or nearly all our free time, while paying us nothing. If the dream itself is not sustaining, then it stands to reason that this work won't be either.

Most of us will *always* have to be employed in the surrounding community, and drawing an income from the outside. This is not in itself a bad thing: Personally, I love being a shrink and sociologist...I studied for years to be able to do this work, and know it to honor and suit what's best in me. My chief-hobby-come-second-career, sculpting, is fairly compatible with the demands of my work, and I hope that both will be possible while being Haven's whatever-title-we-come-up-with and, (just to get too ambitious) at least somewhat compatible with motherhood eventually. It stands to reason that once Kallisti is done with Law School, she may well choose to be a lawyer, rather than pursue and enact her not-quite-alternate identity as a writer on a full time basis, and so on and so on, for all of us. Both Kallisti and I have discussed the fact that as the two of the likely-leads at Haven, we'll have a responsibility to choose work that's compatible with our roles there, so long as it's ours to choose. I've had similar conversations with Ken and Jame, and, to a lesser extent with Glenn (who's already done it) and Julie (who's somewhat on the fence).

That said, the work has got to be done...and although we can expect the membership to swell once most of it *has* been done, and its demands are fewer, for the first five years post-ground breaking will be fairly difficult and demanding for all of us. Because of the disproportionate risk and investment of time, effort, attention and money that those of us present and working in the first 5 years will be exposing ourselves to, we (not the royal we...all seven regular discussion participants thus far) feel that a weighted voting system is in order.

Though I hope to write a more extensive post about it later, the basic outline is this: Everyone involved in these discussions now automatically gets five votes, anyone who shows up to the symposium (in early January) will get a(nother) three, and...if it's ok'ed more formally at the January meeting, Kallisti and I will both get an additional two to three votes for all the crazed sociological/philosophical thinking and crazy research we're doing now. Once we start taking members, EVERYONE, each adult and child over the age of 15 will get one vote for automatically with their membership, and EVERYONE, including the initial members, will acquire one vote for each year of full-time residence.

Our hope is that such a system will give our initial steering committee disproportionate power in the choosing of projects and membership for the first few years, when its guidance is most needed...and that power-base will erode automatically and predictably as time goes on and membership grows. This voting system (or one much like it...we're not really sure of the numbers yet) will reward involvement, and give the most power to the people who are most invested in the community's outcome. For example, in the first year, it would take 5 "new" members to match the voting-power of one of the old-guard, but after 5 years of residence, it would only take two. Again...we probably need to tweak these numbers--in all probability, we need newbies to catch up sooner--but hopefully that's enough for the general idea.

thoughts?

--C

money (and wind)

2007-11-11T19:17:29Z

General Hedging Statement: I've had ridiculously little sleep this weekend, so forgive me all my informalities...hopefully the style of presenting these ideas won't detract too much from their content and clarity...that'll probably hold for nearly everything I ever write in this forum.

Throughout the years, we've come up with (a thousand bad and several good) ideas on how Haven come to make enough money that it can be just-about-self-sustaining: Everything from (Glenn's) mini-golf course and ice-cream stand, to a farm that sells raspberries and heirloom organics to local markets in a local city, to a bed-and-breakfast/conference center, to educational seminars on green-living and community development.

While all (or at least some) of these things may come to be realized eventually, none of them seems capable of mitigating the *insane* financial burden that Haven will be in its initial stages: Most of what we've come up with only pays off in the long run, and only then if we manage to "market" ourselves, and/or created a stark disparity between our public face (uniforms while serving French Fries anyone?) and our private face...which no one seems particularly keen on doing. Most of these ideas are so energy and attention intensive that they'll seriously detract from the central goal of Haven: to create a sustainable and sustaining community for all it's members...preferable that allows us all more free time (not less), correspondingly more personal freedom (despite the sacrifices of time, attention, that Haven itself will require from all of us, and the concessions to community mores that ANY community requires), more security (through the provision of, say, health insurance to all its members (among other things)) and an environment that encourages what's best and most pressing in each individual to be enacted on a daily basis (art for the artists, workspace for the craftsmen, a place where our children are surrounded by adults who adore them and are willing to teach, etc.)

Still...the bills have to be paid, and paid from day one. If we are paying off the mortgage on 200 acres of land, and have borrowed enough to build the three initial community structures (Haven house, the command center, at least one windmill, plus the road and infrastructure that sustains them), We'll have to have borrowed approximately 2-3 MILLION dollars, and our bills for the debt alone are going to be between (roughly, depending on terms) 7-9k per month...this at a time when most people within the individual households will be attempting to *also* build (and pay for) the homes that they're constructing, and experiencing job transition following what, for most of us, will be a move across country.

OK...so this is bad...and for quite awhile, I've been stuck thinking about how to reduce the overhead: what can be scrimped on without undue harm to our intentions while taking the sheer and weighty impossibility of paying the debt off into account. It's gotten in the way of my thinking to a fairly remarkable extent. I haven't wanted to write posts on what the dream looks like on realization, because there seems to be so many things in the way of getting there. If we tried to cover this debt on membership fees and usage fees alone, the cost of residing at Haven--which would be IN ADDITION to the cost of, you know, living--would be upwards of 100k for each household. Since we'd need that money fast--hand-to-mouth style--Haven would be, and likely remain, a Haven only for the wealthy...an outcome that is in no way consistent with the ideals of (most...probably all) who wish to reside there, and incompatible with the very definition of community in the long run...not to mention impossible, since none of us has that kind of money.

Here, maybe, is a good alternative...an old idea revisited, finally, by me, Jame, and Ken last night. IF we put up a bank of 30 or so, 20kw windmills--which we can do (ourselves, so long as we have the command center to work out of) for about 10-15k a piece--at the very outset, they'll each generate and income of 3-6 hundred dollars a month (depending on wind-strength). They will pay for themselves within 5 years, and operate for (realistically) and additional 20-25 years or so for simply the cost of upkeep (which again, we can largely do ourselves). This should be enough to cover just-about full monthly payment on the debt we'll be acquiring...with *actual* income to boot if, say, we manage to put up another ten towers. At very least, it'll greatly reduce the expenses of community membership...and if we break even (or *gasp* even achieve something resembling profit) we can use that money (and/or the membership fees that would otherwise go to paying off the debt) to build our other projects...including (we hope) Quiet Within, the intergenerational daycare center, the studios, the farm...what have you.

Obviously, this will require a larger initial loan, and before we can obtain it, we'll have to do a year's worth of wind-testing, careful data collection, and possibly a practice mill in order to sell the notion to a bank. We'll have to be very, very careful to check zoning laws, and probably have to organize the wind company as a wholly owned (possibly for-profit) subsidiary of Haven itself. We'll also have to both hire a licensed engineer to sign off on the project/actually *do* some of the wind-testing and/or design, AND (and this is, possibly, a breaking point on enacting this plan)find a way of paying two or three community members (probably including Ken and Jame, since they've got the required skill set) something roughly on par with what they're making now so that they can take a year off and actually build and install the things.

This plan, though, has several advantages over any other we've explored...advantages we may not be able to afford to be without: First, if we tie the towers directly back into the grid, we have a guaranteed buyer (the state of MI), and have saved the time and effort we'd otherwise spend "marketing" our selves and our services (which are still somewhat undefined in any case). Second, if we build a bank of 30-40 windmills at the outset, we won't run into the (seemly inevitable) change to local zoning laws that we may face if we build just one (the town deciding they don't like it and putting a stop to future expansion...which has happened to the majority of would-be small wind collectives I've talked to.) Third, Haven will have a self-sustaining economic base that's in line with our goals of sustainable consumption, and green/ethical living in general...something we'll have a great deal more difficulty finding otherwise.

Forth...if everybody's willing, there's a good chance that we can start this company well ahead of starting the community of Haven itself. We could probably do it now in fact. AND (and this is important) the Windfields, especially the initial/experimental ones, won't ALL necessarily have to be at Haven itself. Peter has told us about two, 25 acre lots that we could readily acquire for the price of paying the taxes...approximately 13$ per acre, per year. That's something that Ken, Jame and I (and whoever else would like to join our proposed company and share in the expense of owning the land)could do fairly readily. If we *did* acquire the land, we'd need to buy some wind-testing and monitoring equipment--about 2k worth of stuff all told--and take a week off to head to MI and set it up. We'd have to let our info gather over the course of a year...during which time Kallisti and Shaggy would most likely bear the majority pf the responsibility for monitoring the data we're collecting, and trouble shooting on site when need be.

In year two, we'd have to build an actual windmill...probably several if we can pull it off, and construct them on the land we've tested. Again, since we can expect no funds from the community at this stage, this would require an outlay of money from those involved in the subsidiary...Me, Jame, Ken, and whoever else is willing. In order to build the first, say, three experimental windmills, we'll have to have about 30k: to rent the space and equipment to build, to get supplies, etc. To finalize build and test our design(s) we'll probably need a full month's worth of time...or (since I have no idea how any one of us could get that off work, never mind two or more of us) more realistically, about 50k so that we could hire a crew of three to do the building for us. At this point, it might be realistic to say we'd need a loan for this part of the project.

Still...if we were to do this, we'd have three working windmills, each drawing a monthly income that can pay off most of the debt we've acquired in getting the land and paying for their construction. We've got numbers to take to the bank, and we've got three (slightly) different, fully realized designs to choose from when it comes time to build effectively on a larger scale. We've also gained valuable experience: the mills we construct in the future will be more easily build, and with fewer design flaws and minimized upkeep costs.

So, ummmm...yeah. What do you all think?

--C

The Pond, The Hives, etc

2007-10-30T01:40:54Z

The Pond, The hives, etc.: Collectively Discussed:
a) Consists of: all the other forms of misc. food production we’ve discussed and think would be readily implemented: Bee hives (maintained by either Ripley or Tina…possibly both), a stocked pond (probably bass and/or catfish), vegetable gardens…what have you.
b) Function: again, further autonomy, a connection to the things we need for sustenance and survival.
c) Provides: Fish, honey, veggies (respectively)
d) Needed for: upholding the ethos of autonomy and green-living
e) Priority : various…this will probably all be gradually implemented on a fairly casual basis: the initial budget for the bees won’t be straining, and we’ve already got two community member eager to see to their care. The pond pretty much just has to be dug (if it’s not already there)...it can easily be stocked by Cate (me) with very causal help from Jame, Ken, and any other community member who happens to enjoy fishing. As for the gardens, well…pretty much everyone has mentioned that they want one, and we figure that they’ll usually surround the private residences depending (or course) on the inclinations of the household’s members. The only veggie-type garden that should probably be collectively and formally cared for is the herb garden we’ve planned for Kitchen of Haven House.
f) Estimated cost: not great in money, high but causal in time.
g) Will also need/should include: all these projects are fairly free-standing and low intensity.
h) Time to build: again, this’ll all keep a fairly casual schedule…granted, the sooner we have a pond, the sooner we can start stocking, but even that’s no rush.
i) Proposed locations: Well…the hives should be near the orchard…but as far away from the residences and work areas as we can realistically make them. The pond should probably be IN the orchard…just in case we ever need it to double as an irrigation-water source. The gardens will be scattered throughout the acreage: The only one (so far) with a specified location is the Kitchen Garden at Haven house.
j) Special Limitations: not really…the pond may require some regular PH testing and maintenance if we expect to eat from it on a semi-regular basis, and the bees will need keepers. The public gardens will need the care and attention of community members throughout the growing season.
k) Professional Consultation/Designers needed: Not so much for the pond and gardens, possibly for the bees…in the first few years at least.
l) Builders/Help needed for construction: probably not, though if we want to get super-elaborate with the gardens, we might want a stone-mason eventually.

The Orchard

2007-10-30T01:39:17Z

8) The Orchard: Collectively discussed
a) Consists of: a host of fruit tree--probably ready-care varieties at first--broken up with rows and rows of raspberries and blueberries and blackberries. This should begin more on the “gardening” scale than the “farming” scale…with the option to expand and/or raise heirlooms/more finicky things later if anyone’s truly interested…I *think* we’re planning to set aside two or three acres initially: We don’t want this to be more than we can care for and harvest ourselves, on a fairly casual basis.
b) Function: gives us berries to start, and once the orchard matures, a regular crop of fruit.
c) Provides: the opportunity to have (yet again) and hand in the production of what we consume.
d) Needed for: self-sufficiency, green living, the personal fulfillment of several of the community’s member (including yours truly), and adherence to the community’s ethos of autonomy.
e) Priority: Fairly high for the sake of eventual convenience, but not terribly pressing: Most fruit trees and berry plants take a few years to fruit, and an orchard will take at least a decade to mature… so on the one hand, the sooner we get them in, the longer they’ll be around to enjoy…and on the other, there’s really no immediate pay off and therefore, no rush. Still…so long as we start small, this shouldn’t be a terribly expensive or involved project, and it’ll be fairly beautiful and fun from the beginning, so why not.
f) Estimated cost: well rooted fruit trees can cost anywhere from 30$ on up, depending what you’re getting. Fairly mature berry bushes go for around 10-30$...they’ll need lime and conditioning and tending, so there’s a fairly substantial investment of time and effort that goes along with the initial planting, and they’ll have to be pruned every year. I’m thinking that the best way to do this would be to invest say, 1k per year on the project…which should cover purchases, equipment and non-time and effort maintenance costs, while allowing us to slowly expand the orchards. That way, its growth should keep pace with the time we have to invest and our growing knowledge.
g) Will also need/should include: storage for supplies, planting equipment and a major rotor-tiller and, yes, bees! (Which should be fine, and both Ripley and Tina are eager to keep hives)
h) Time to Build: We’ll be working on this forever…that’s just the nature of things. That said, putting in the first year’s worth of trees, bushes and whatnot, should only take about a week of concerted effort…especially if the land is at least partially pre-cleared. After that, we’ll need a few people to work a week’s worth of afternoons pruning yearly, and probably need everyone for a few days (eventually more) to help bring in the harvest.
i) Proposed Location: this should be very, very beautiful, even while in development, so someplace close to Haven house and the residences is probably preferred.
j) Special Limitations: none foreseen.
k) Professional Consultation/Designers needed: We’ll probably need some advice about non-chemical/eco-friendly fertilizers etc, but several of us grew up working conventional farms, so basic planting and pruning methods are fairly well known within the group.
l) Builders/help needed for construction: no