How to Create and Join an intentional Community with Diana Leafe Christian

Program Description

What is the right kind of information to guide us in successfully finding a community of our own? How do we go about researching and checking out various communities? Diana Leafe Christian points out,“If you are expecting to see the benefits of community, it is not a free lunch so to speak. You have to give to that effort in order to co-create with your fellow community people.” However, the rewards can be great. She lists some of the benefits of joining an intentional community as: “Having a lighter environmental footprint on the earth . . . You are healthier . . . You tend to learn a lot about yourself . . . You get the feeling that you are safer . . . You are able to have a lot of good times with like-minded people, companionship, and satisfaction.” Christian is a wealth of experience and has done extensive research in the field of intentional communities, eco-villages, and co-housing – thus saving anyone looking to start, or join such a place many headaches and heartbreaks. She points out how to spot a healthy community, one that is compatible with your values and lifestyle.

Diana Leafe Christian was the editor of Communities Magazine for fourteen years. She gives workshops and consultations nationwide on the practical steps to start successful eco-villages and intentional communities. She lives in an off-grid homesite at Earthaven Ecovillage in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina and is the author of Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools To Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities (New Society Publishers 2003) and Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community (New Society Publishers 2007). To learn more about the work of Diana Leafe Christian go to www.dianaleafechristian.org or www.ecovillagenews.org

Topics Explored in this Dialogue:

• What are the five important questions to ask regarding personal compatibility with a community
• What are the benefits of living in community
• What are the different forms of intentional communities and eco-villages
• Why is a common vision important in establishing a community
• What are the realistic expectations for joining an intentional community
• What are the various decision making modes of community
• How to spot a healthy community
• What are the stages for joining a community

Program Number: 3273               Host: Justine Willis Toms              Interview Date: 8/16/2008