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"With no thunderous
declarations on spiritual self-improvement and the necessity of a careful
approach to Nature, the dachniks (Russian gardners) have proved their spiritual
growth, not by words but by their way of life." (RC
Series Book 5, pg22)
Vision of our Kin Domain Settlement
(Ark Conservation Ranch) -
updated as expansion occurs
The originating vision (blue copy) formed
in Joyce's mind while driving home from the mountains in Sept 2008. The red copy
is the portion that has been expanded and filled in to date by many others who
have joined us. The blue copy (founding vision) will be maintained and supported
intact at all times by all task circles. The red portion is
continually expanding as new details emerge and will be created and implemented
only as it supports and is aligned with the founding vision.
There is in Colorado an off grid
sustainable kin domain village or settlement where I live and love to be. I see
mountains very close that I can walk to, and a climate that supports thriving
gardens and people. It is close enough to Denver that I am still very closely
connected to my children, grandchildren, and friends. The village is far enough
away from the Metro area that I am free of light pollution and traffic noise. It
is populated with a group of diverse people who have read the Ringing Cedars
Series and want to live consciously connected (and connecting) with God-self,
nature and God-other.
The planning of this village is done in
the consciously created experience of expanding our ability to recognize
God-Self and God-Other. We are creating heaven-on-earth collectively and
consciously. The village is created in a public way so that others can use the
information to shorten and ease their own process
The village is a place where each person
is supported in being free to develop their own space of love as they wish
within the laws of nature, our village, our state, and our country. The village
experience is a demonstration to the surrounding communities near and far, of a
sustainable and comfortable lifestyle that is generated from knowing that every
life is a part of self and created as a blessing to self. The residents of this
village create and demonstrate a way of living together that supports the new
creation of life in Paradise on earth.
Primary Plans
The settlement is created as a public
demonstration of infinitely
sustainable lifestyles. Each resident will agree to participate in exploring
and establishing an infinitely sustainable lifestyle (living within single
planet resources and improving land/earth for all future residents). The
settlement is funded by grant funds and therefore each resident will agree to
support and participate with any necessary activities that are required to
fulfill the agreements with the granting foundations.
The village includes common land that all
residents enjoy freely. The infinitely sustainable lifestyle is contributed to,
in part, by village/common support of reduce, re-use, re-cycle.
The physical characteristics of the land include
 | Running water (year round creek or river flow) |
| Some mature trees |
| able to accommodate at least 100 kin domains (600
acres or more). |
| in or near mountains |
The common area of the community includes
| land for gatherings that will include space for
temporary housing (tent festivals of several kin domain communities.) |
| hay meadows for animals |
| community center and/or common house |
The beginning structure of the settlement will include
| a common house or temporary village shared by residents
building their kin domains. The common house or temporary village will be converted to
guest housing useable by all residents for guests and, if on grid, will be converted to off
grid as soon as is responsible. The guest house will be used as well
as for guests who would like to study and view our village. |
| We will schedule and publish open house days
for visitors. |
| Settlement Design based on natural lines in harmony
with the land itself. |
| Areas of transition where more modern life amenities
will be available and areas where more natural lifestyle will be required. |
| Settlement Equipment as needed but reducing to as
little as possible. |
The settlement will ensure
| phones and internet at the common house or
gathering center. |
| bath house/steam room associated with the
gathering center and preferably near the river. |
| a tree/plant Nursery and a
collective greenhouse. |
| a village laundry facility attached to or near the
gathering center/guest house. |
| unpaved paths/roads between domains. |
| non-visible wiring for phone or electricity on kin
domain areas (families have the option of no wiring on their domain). |
Individual water supply per domain will include
| water supply for each domain (a cedar/pine water
tower if desired, pipes, or carried water - as desired.) |
| water tower near gathering center for common use |
| a section where a single well per 35 acres provides
for each hectare in that area. Water will be collected and carried by
each domain in that area. |
| sections where water is piped to storage tower and
piped to homes for running water. |
| Wells powered with solar pumps and manual pumps |
| Ponds on each domain |
Settlement Sewer system will include
| common septic tank at gathering center and industrial area
(or constructed wetlands) |
| individual sewage system per domain (meeting county
requirements) |
Trash and refuse
| residents agree to bring onto the
settlement only items and products for which they are willing to accept full
responsibility for recycling or returning to the earth on their personal
domain. |
| It is our commitment to avoid the need
for trash removal |
| In the beginning all un-composted trash
will be combined in a central (hopefully small) pile and the entire
residency will gather weekly to go through the trash pile and determine how
to recycle or re-integrate to the earth. We expect to learn much including
how to make purchasing decisions that support our collective goals. |
Electricity will be provided at gathering center, guest houses,
and industrial center.
| individual domains supply personal off grid source |
Village Industrial area will provide
| a hangar, barn or building in which to keep
industrial equipment and supplies out of view. |
| a basic start for wood shop, metal shop, road/path
repair, car repair, tool bank |
| a collective agreement to move quickly to living free from
needing much
of the machinery (quickly moving toward one planet sustainability). |
The village manages vehicles in the following manner
| covered parking lots for private and shared cars. |
| areas where domains will have automobile access |
| areas where domains will only have walking access
except for emergencies and deliveries. |
| commonly created and supported plan for learning to live free of vehicles. |
Education
| Schools - free choice including the available local
public schools, home school, possible community formed school |
| adult education for settlement intake
process, and special
interests. |
Disbursement of kin domains
| residents will receive free kin domain in exchange for signed
agreement as long as they live there or their heirs live there. Signed
agreement for research studies may also be required. |
| building supplies will be provided for construction
of gathering center designs. |
| space to add new domains for future expansion. |
Agreement in exchange for kin's domain
| The kin's domain recipients make their land a place
of beauty with gardens, flower-beds, ponds and pathways |
Temporary residence on your kin domain while
constructing
| It is our current plan to allow campers if camouflaged or painted in some
way to make them beautiful and incorporated into the natural surroundings.
However, some counties in Colorado will not allow campers as temporary
housing while constructing a home. The final decision on this will
therefore be made after the land is purchased. |
| All
areas of the settlement will be kept attractive during all phases of
construction. |
Secondary Plans (not must-haves but would like)
| Nearby hot springs |
| Near Ski resorts and other Nature recreational areas |
Housing:
| We plan to offer at least free building materials and
some trees, plants and seeds. |
| Each house will have an engineered composting
toilet or constructed wetlands system. |
| Some guidelines for housing choices are that it be easily
dismantled in the future. |
| In the agreement that will be exchanged for a
kin's domain, it will be stipulated that any additions to your home will stay
with the land if you leave and will be gifted to the next resident. |
| the design of the houses in the village must be consistent with
our infinitely sustainable demonstration plan that is being presented to both the county
offices and the grant foundations. |
| Each person can design their own home
and off grid infrastructure system within one planet sustainable parameters. (cob, straw bale,
adobe, wood, berm, earth bags, yurt/tipis, stone [local],
passive solar, etc.) |
| Sustainable home designs will be made
available for those families that do not want to design their own. |
To help future residents transition to live on their domains we will provide,
| home building materials and land |
| plants-trees-seeds |
| money to live on temporarily - either through business participation or some form of
stipend in exchange for work on/in the village |
| each family will be paid for
construction of their home |
| assistance and support through the
county building plan approval system. |
| education for assisting in transition
to infinitely sustainable lifestyles. |
Our village will be developed in three stages
| will start with 5-10+ families that create the
temporary village and first prototype/demonstration. They will 1)
create the initial education for
transition, 2) set up the basic collective use areas, and 3) begin the start of
business activities. |
| Will be expanded to 25+ families that 1)
work out the bugs from the initial
prototype system, 2) beautify the settlement, 3) expand the educational activities and the business
activities, 4) expand the involvement with local communities. |
| Will grow to 100 - 200 families.
These families will 1)
complete our collective goal of demonstrating an infinitely sustainable
lifestyle, 2) beautify the settlement, 3) Grow the business
economic health of the settlement and 4) expand the common areas and
outreach activities |
The business ideas that will be reviewed and possibly incorporated, begin
with:
| grow and sell fruit trees |
| produce and sell crafts (wood, etc) |
| food produce (fruits, veg's, mushrooms, honey, herbs) |
| grow and sell plants/trees from greenhouse and nursery |
| create and sell efficient heat stoves/designs |
| outdoor ed for local schools |
| research areas for university programs |
| ecological vehicles or adaptations |
| bakery |
| value added products produced or crafted from plants grown in
the village. |
| manufacture of cedar water tanks |
Depending on our location, during the initial stage of residency (5-10 families), we
may install a volunteer fire
department with truck for carrying and pumping water. This vehicle and
volunteers will be made available for other regional fires (building or
timber). This and other parts of our plan are intended to give back value
to the county in exchange for variances we will be requesting.
As our village enters the second stage of growth we will
| periodically offer free
trees to the local communities, |
| free planting in areas that need restoration, |
| an
annual or bi-annual public fair to demonstrate sustainability and restoration
techniques that would be useful anywhere. |
| conduct and publish extensive research related to
our exploration of single planet sustainable lifestyles. |
Our plan for water and sewage includes
| composting toilets, grey water system, constructed
wetlands (already in official use in several Colorado locations) |
| a pond or swimming pool on each domain up to 33'X33'. the pond can be part of
the water supply and the grey water system. It may also be justifiable (to
county officials) as
reserve water supply for fire fighting needs the counties will require. |
| well, creek and spring water (private wells and collective wells) |
Land will be divided into 2-1/2 to 5 acre lots with paths between each.
Paths will be unpaved but will meet county requirements for emergency vehicle
access.
Our initial budget will include:
| land, subdivision costs and infrastructure |
| houses to each domain (at least building
materials and utilities base) |
| common transportation and vehicles (such as a small bus, atv's with trailers,
tractor with backhoe and plow, bobcat, firetruck, pickups with trailers) |
| workshop/storage hangar |
| gathering center with commercial
kitchen & laundry facilities |
| plants/trees |
| small business startup micro investment
fund |
| greenhouse & nursery (and supplies) |
| Salaries for initial families at approximately $22.00 per hour. |
| Water delivery (well, cedar tanks) |
| Sewage treatment engineering and
materials |
| Wood shop and supplies |
| machinery shop equipment (welders and cutting equipment) |
| temporary housing (converted eventually
to guest housing) |
Funding of our project will be secured through private
donations and grant funding (Both are in progress).
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