Intentional Community: Creating a Life Together with Diana Leafe Christian

Product Description

We live in an era where we are more isolated from one another than ever before. And yet, as Diana Leafe Christian tells us, “All of us have a gene for community, and we’re yearning for that sense of connection and harmony and good will with others, living with shared resources and more cooperation than we do in mainstream culture.” A resurgence of interest in joining with like-minded individuals and families to live in support of one another, sharing a common vision in work, play, lifestyle and spirituality, has led to a rise in the number of intentional communities around the globe. Ms. Christian has been studying the trend for more than ten years. She shares insights that will inspire many to consider embracing this lifestyle, and to improve the success rate for new intentional communities. A member of Earthhaven Ecovillage, a successful community in North Carolina, she speaks with enthusiasm about the many benefits and difficulties members face.

Diana Leafe Christian is the editor of Communities magazine and author of Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities (New Society 2003).

Topics Explored in this Dialogue:

• What does an intentional community offer you that is different from the nuclear family lifestyle
• What are the different forms of community
• Why a common vision is important in establishing a community
• Why some communities fail and others thrive
• Why is value important to both the heart skills and the head skills of community members
• What’s the decision making process at Earthaven Ecovillage

Host: Michael Toms Interview Date: 8/23/2003