 Laura reporting:
On Monday September 29, TTJ hosted a lively panel discussion on Intentional Communities (ICs) in Jericho and Underhill. The meeting attracted about 25 people and was held at a unique ilocation for TTJ, the Mt. Mansfield Unitarian Fellowship, a cozy ambient space, centrally located for both towns. TTJ’s Adam Wechsler organized and hosted the meeting, starting with a definition of ICs as a group of people who have chosen to be together and share resources on the basis of common values. Adam explained that in the 1970s, communes were the main manifestations of ICs. In the 1990s and beyond, ecovillages and cohousing became more typical models. Panelists were John Hunt of Retribe, Maeve McBride of Skunk Hollow Commons and Jake Kornfield of The Farm Upstream. Stories and slides of the ICs were shared the audience. All three panelists described events taking place on their lands, inviting people to share in the bounty of food, camaraderie, and community. Maeve spoke of hosting monthly women’s gatherings, workdays on the goat farm and community dinners. John described workdays followed by a meal, bonfire and singing. Jake said The Farm Upstream’s recent gathering of 50 people helped them not only harvest their squash crop, but also develop a growing community of friends and neighbors. The first question Adam posed to the panel was around how ICs enhance the resiliency of our towns. Jake envisions the possibility of accessing large parcels of lands, breaking them up, and making them more affordable to build resiliency. Maeve said IC models may help us provide for an unknown future, offering the potential of feeding more people. John mentioned positive mental health aspects of a shared community, how children and elders come together as one example. He added that stewarding the land, bringing back food, medicine and resources of the past, increases our resiliency as well. The second question was around towns and individuals better supporting our ICs; everyone agreed that current zoning laws are not visionary enough, and people looking to form ICs often seek out neighboring counties where laws aren’t as strict. John described how his town of Underhill saw the advantage of supporting the formation of Retribe at Maple Leaf; the latter was in dire financial straits, and Retribe needed a place to locate. The third question had the panelists describe what they’re most excited about, now and going into the future. John reminded us that for most of human evolution, we lived in close communities; that we’re currently in a blip away from that norm. As for the future of Retribe, he expressed hope for a better balance of personal space versus community space. They’re currently increasing soil fertility & growing nut trees to better prepare for the future. Maeve says she sees their project as a hopeful way to get through the trials of our times, with this particular year providing a big push toward their goals. Jake wants to build on the excitement of recently bringing so many people to their farm; helping to build trusting relationships among people in the process of laboring together. Future dreams for him include The Farm Upstream having the capacity to house farm laborers. Questions from audience members were largely around starting ICs. The advice shared centered around having a plan, a structure and building trust with fellow members. Maeve recommended attending workshops provided by the Foundation for ICs and starting an IC before having children. Jake recommended “starting small” and having an anchor to build upon. When the question came up of how towns can better support alternative models, audience member Bill Butler spoke about his ongoing co-housing project, Wisdom House. When he presented the idea to the Planning Commission, they said they’d be open to changing zoning laws to incorporate his plan. Wow! Though it may seem a long road ahead, we know it can happen! To view the entire meeting, check out the video generously provided by MMCTV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXOTzZCXEq0 Comments are closed.
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