Because it Takes a Whole Village
Village in a Village
The Vegan Village will be the equivalent of about 18 homesteads or 90 acres up in the NorthEast Corner of Eden Valley. How it will actually turn out we can not be absolutely sure about but this is just the rough beginnings of what the vision of the Vegan Village is all about at this point.The Vegan Village really is a Village inside a Village and it's a part of the overall plan for this community. Eden is a place that will allow a lot of things to happen. And some things like the Vegan Village we will create the space for in advance out of an anticipation that it will be wanted and needed and a useful addition to the whole EcoVillage community.
Egalitarian
The Vegan Village could be seen as being more along the lines of a smaller Egalitarian Community within the larger EcoVillage community where people will have a tighter sense of group integration.This will be taking things a little farther out there than many of us may want to go. That's why we have made a place for the Vegan Village long before its time has come because we expect great things from great people and we thought there would be those who would want something more like this. There are going to be those who think this kind of an all Vegan community is the only way to go and so we will support them in their quest in this way as long as they are tolerant of the rest of us.
Not just about being Vegans
Being Vegan is something that anybody may choose to be anywhere they may happen to live in Eden Valley or anyplace else in the world.Nobody is saying that the people in the Vegan Village are the designated Vegans of the world or that they are the only Vegans in Eden. Not in the least. It is not meant to be a label to make an unnecessary division like we were just trying to classify things. But some people are going to want a more clearly defined focus and this will help us reach some more of the people who respond to this vision.
Diversity equals stability. It's just a way of combining many different things and this is something that we think should become a valued asset to our community.
There are not enough vegans to pull together an entire EcoVillage Community of this scale all on their own.
In the Vegan Village
It's all about what different people might want to do here that is in keeping with our general principles which are Eco-Logical above all else and we feel that Veganism is Ecological and so we do need to support that and we feel that it will in fact support this whole community concept as a whole if we include this as just one more creative solution to some of the many problems of integration that are going to be facing us the near future both here in the Americas and throughout the world.As in Permaculture we must find a working balance among many very different elements with smaller ones in there among the larger elements. They all work together and with a greater degree of diversity we have a move resilient micro-economy. And this supports the optimal health of the ecosystem that we are creating here that alone can ever survive long enough for this vision to be able to emerge healthy and whole so that we can become a center for life and sustainability.
It's just another fine part of this grand vision that is designed for the very real needs of many people who do want to be part of this community and that will complement the many other things we will also create here.
This is about being just one part of a larger community of communities as each homestead can be seen as being a small community in itself and in fact many communities have been formed on as little as 5 acres. Here of course we think on an entirely different scale. One that actually is sustainable.
The number of folks in the Vegan Village will be exactly the equivalent of 18 Homesteads with 18 Farmsites or 90 acres with a maximum population of 162 adults and 162 children.
This will make it easier for those who may just want to keep it very simple for themselves and to be able to do that some need a little more independence and others are a little more inclined to join in with a larger cooperative like the vegan village.
One Family Centric
Some people who are single may not need the family autonomy that will be possible on the homesteads and would rather not have to take the financial responsibility that goes along with a homestead.It may even seem easier for some people to join the Vegan Village where they will be able to be more of a part of the general flow that goes on and that affords some degree of security in that way.
It may also be seen as being socially a better place for some people who don't want to be left out of where things are going on with a lot of people sharing meals and working together as a larger group. That kind of experience we will all have in various degrees but the Vegan Village may have a lot more of it.
Why?
We need the Vegan Village because of the tremendous size of Eden Valley alone which some of these smaller Egalitarian Communities might not be able to pull off all by themselves. This makes it possible for them to integrate into Eden. Not everybody wants to be that tightly entwined.The Homestead is also a big thing to pull off for some people. They just do not have the people or the resources to be able to do it without some very real help. And that is the real truth. Ask anybody.
Differing Needs
Some of us already do own a home or have a source of income or some economic resources in the form of equity or savings or various fixed incomes. We do have to have the personal resources to set ourselves up with a Homestead and build a house. And we know we can do so for much less money than we would have to pay for a similar place in some other high quality place to live in the North Coastal Eco-region of Northern California.Community within a Community
People do want to have some control of their children to be able to structure their lives for optimal growth and that's what the homesteads are there for. Some people do need a certain amount of peace and sleep and quiet time to be able to do their best. That too is what the homesteads are there for. On our homesteads alone we know we can have that which most people would expect to expect.The same things are true on the Vegan Village in their own way and many vegans would rather have the experience and the quality of life that can only be found in the Vegan Village who want the community within a community that will exist there that will give some folks a more deeply rewarding experience and a deeper sense of belongingness within their own smaller Vegan Village community.
The Village Experience
The Vegan Village will be located in the North East Corner of Eden Valley. Diversity and Free Energy and the Spirit of Grace and generosity works within the natural order of priorities that we all live within.The Heart of the Village is shown below. The Proposed Size of the Vegan
Village is to be:
1556.6 feet by 2518.6 feet.
The Total Contribution would be $648,000. or:
just 120 payments of $8,208. a month.
which would total up to being $928,800.
That is less than 25 cents a square foot. - T
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