How we created our Vision

Three years ago, in one of my earlier blogs, I wrote this post, Practical Solutions. In it, I describe how I think that the capitalist world isn't living up to my values and what is important to me. Or, stated another way, the everyone-for-themselves way that we currently live, does not resonate with me or inspire me to produce value. I proposed a solution of a self-governing ecovillage.

 Luckily, I found that I was far from alone in my thoughts. In September 2013, I studied a course in Permaculture, as one of my practical steps forward in life. I found that many of us desire a close connection with the land, and a desire to provide value in a healthful environment.

After the Permaculture Course, there was another event in November 2013 that taught me a lot: The Permaculture Festival. At the Festival, a member began gathering people's e-mail addresses in order to put together an Ecovillage in the Western Cape.

I joined the mailing list, and over time we got together for several meetings in Cape Town. Slowly we  formed a Core Team, those who decided to write our Vision Document.

We enlisted the help of a facilitator to bring together the opinions of our wider group, and took a trip to Blue Hippo farm outside of Greyton in July 2014 to workshop our final document, in which we decided which of the many words in the English language would best suit the goal of explaining what we want from an Ecovillage, and explaing what our values are.

 

Justin facilitates our Ecovillage Vision process

I type up the Vision Document, with Des and Dan in attendance

 Since then, we have continued to look for opportunities, and I feel that we are continually getting closer.  For me, what it would take to 'move on to the land' and begin would be a plan - something of a business plan that details which land,which ownership structure, how many people, which businesses will we run.

People first? Land first? I can't say I know exactly how to proceed  -but we're in this together.

And I'm pretty excited for possibilities.

We have a Facebook group for questions, answers, photos and documents.