An intentional community is a group of people who have chosen to live or work together in pursuit of a common ideal or vision. An ecovillage is a village-scale intentional community that intends to create, ecological, social, economic, and spiritual sustainability over several generations. The 90s saw a revitalized surge of interest in intentional communities and ecovillages in North America: the number of intentional communities listed in the Communities Directory increased 60 percent between 1990 and 1995. But only 10 percent of the actual number of forming-community groups actually succeeded. Ninety percent failed, often in conflict and heartbreak. After visiting and interviewing founders of dozens of successful and failed communities, along with her own forming-community experiences, the author concluded that "the successful 10 percent" had all done the same five or six things right, and "the unsuccessful 90 percent" had made the same handful of mistakes. Recognizing that a wealth of wisdom were contained in these experiences, she set out to distill and capture them in one place. Creating a Life Together is the only resource available that provides step-by-step, practical "how-to" information on how to launch and sustain a successful ecovillage or intentional community. Through anecdotes, stories, and cautionary tales about real communities, and by profiling seven successful communities in depth, the book examines "the successful 10 percent" and why 90 percent fail; the role of community founders; getting a group off to a good start; vision and vision documents; decision-making and governance; agreements; legal options; finding, financing, and developing land; structuring a community economy; selecting new members; and communication, process, and dealing well with conflict. Sample vision documents, community agreements, and visioning exercises are included, along with abundant resources for learning more.

How to research, visit, evaluate, and join the ecovillage or sustainable community of your dreams. Finding community is as critical as obtaining food and shelter, since the need to belong is what makes us human. The isolation and loneliness of modern life have led many people to search for deeper connection, which has resulted in a renewed interest in intentional communities. These intentional communities or ecovillages are an appealing choice for like-minded people who seek to create a family-oriented and ecologically sustainable lifestyle—a lifestyle they are unlikely to find anywhere else. However, the notion of an intentional community can still be a tremendous leap for some—deterred perhaps by a misguided vision of eking out a hardscrabble existence with little reward. In fact, successful ecovillages thrive because of the combined skills and resources of their members. Finding Community presents a thorough overview of ecovillages and intentional communities and offers solid advice on how to research thoroughly, visit thoughtfully, evaluate intelligently, and join gracefully. Useful considerations include: Important questions to ask (of members and of yourself) Signs of a healthy (and not-so-healthy) community Cost of joining (and staying) Common blunders to avoid Finding Community provides intriguing possibilities to readers who are seeking a more cooperative, sustainable, and meaningful life. Diana Leafe Christian is the author of Creating a Life Together and editor of Communities magazine. She lives at Earthhaven Ecovillage in North Carolina.

Achieve your goals—no matter how big or small—with these 50 simple challenges that actually fit into your life, using this accessible and self-paced approach to self-improvement. Looking to improve your relationships? Be more confident at work? Eat less sugar? However you want to be better, Get Your Life Together (Ish) is here to help with fifty simple, actionable challenges to self-improvement. With reward-based challenges ranging from easy to hard, this book will be with you every step of the way in your journey to the person you want to be. Try an easy level challenge that can be completed in a single day—like waking up fifteen minutes early to give yourself a little morning “me-time.” Or work up to a harder challenge that you’ll tackle over the course of a month—like signing up for a weekly yoga class and making a commitment to attend every single one. Learn from easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and track your goals and successes with interactive worksheets. And with manageable, realistic timelines for each challenge, you’ll find it easy to make changes in your daily life—without any added pressure! With this book in hand, you’ll discover everything from how to start saving money to how to develop a cleaning routine, to creating an emergency fund and avoiding burnout at work. Whatever changes you’re looking to make in your life and in yourself, there’s a plan for you here. Start to change your life…one challenge at a time!

An epic tale of freedom and slavery, love and war, and the potential futures of humankind tells of a twenty-first century California clan caught between two clashing worlds, one based on tolerance, the other on repression. Declaration of the Four Sacred Things The earth is a living, conscious being. In company with cultures of many different times and places, we name these things as sacred: air, fire, water, and earth. Whether we see them as the breath, energy, blood, and body of the Mother, or as the blessed gifts of a Creator, or as symbols of the interconnected systems that sustain life, we know that nothing can live without them. To call these things sacred is to say that they have a value beyond their usefulness for human ends, that they themselves became the standards by which our acts, our economics, our laws, and our purposes must be judged. no one has the right to appropriate them or profit from them at the expense of others. Any government that fails to protect them forfeits its legitimacy. All people, all living things, are part of the earth life, and so are sacred. No one of us stands higher or lower than any other. Only justice can assure balance: only ecological balance can sustain freedom. Only in freedom can that fifth sacred thing we call spirit flourish in its full diversity. To honor the sacred is to create conditions in which nourishment, sustenance, habitat, knowledge, freedom, and beauty can thrive. To honor the sacred is to make love possible. To this we dedicate our curiosity, our will, our courage, our silences, and our voices. To this we dedicate our lives. Praise for The Fifth Sacred Thing “This is wisdom wrapped in drama.”—Tom Hayden, California state senator “Starhawk makes the jump to fiction quite smoothly with this memorable first novel.”—Locus “Totally captivating . . . a vision of the paradigm shift that is essential for our very survival as a species on this planet.”—Elinor Gadon, author of The Once and Future Goddess “This strong debut fits well against feminist futuristic, utopic, and dystopic works by the likes of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ursula LeGuin, and Margaret Atwood.”—Library Journal

Ecovillage Living is a guide to everything you've always wanted to know about ecovillages, from the tools to make them happen to the people behind them. If you have ever dreamed of natural housing, water treatment systems, solar panels, composting toilets . . . If you have wanted to work close to home, have neighbours whom you know, live in a safe place for your children, or have a more harmonious lifestyle . . . If you're building a community, and want to learn from others' experiences . . . then this is the book for you. It is an unprecedented how-to, and why account of ecovillage living, and a vibrant story of people spearheading a lifestyle which is rapidly growing into a new global culture.

The cohousing ?bible” by the US originators of the concept.

Community shapes our identity, quenches our thirst for belonging, and bolsters our physical, mental, emotional, and economic health. But in the chaos of modern life, community ties have become unraveled, leaving many feeling afraid or alone in the crowd, grasping at shallow substitutes for true community. In this thoughtful and moving book, Paul Born describes the four pillars of deep community: sharing our stories, taking the time to enjoy one another, taking care of one another, and working together for a better world. To show the role each of these plays, he shares his own stories—as a child of refugees and as a longtime community activist. It’s up to us to create community. Born shows that the opportunity is right in front of us if we have the courage and conviction to pursue it.

What makes a marriage work and stand the test of time? in Creating a Marriage You ll Love, 13 prominent authors and relationship experts write about this subject, and provide advice and wisdom for a happy marriage. Essays from bestselling authors Harriet Lerner, Barbara De Angelis, Gay Hendricks, and John Gray are included. This is a fun, lively, practical collection of essays that will be the perfect gift for wedding showers and anniversaries, as well as for all those who are looking for ways to make their marriages stronger. All royalties from the book will be donated to nonprofit organizations that help victims of domestic violence, with the goal of making every home a safe home.

Five keys to building a small group culture that fosters meaningful, lasting connections within your church community. Small groups are the key to impacting lives in your church. But a healthy small-group environment doesn’t just happen. So pull up a chair. Let’s talk about how to make it happen. Bill Willits and bestselling author Andy Stanley share their successful approach, which has resulted in nearly eight thousand adults becoming involved in small groups at North Point Community Church in Atlanta. Simply put, the five principles have passed the test. This is not just another book about community; this is a book about strategy—strategy that builds a small group culture. Creating Community shares clear and simple principles to help people connect into meaningful relationships. The kind that God desires for each of us and that He uses to change our lives. Put this proven method to work in your ministry and enjoy the tangible results—God’s people doing life TOGETHER. “The small-group program at North Point Community Church is not an appendage; it is not a program we tacked on to an existing structure. It is part of our lifestyle. We think groups. We organize groups. We are driven by groups. Creating Community contains our blueprint for success. And I believe it has the potential power to revolutionize your own small-group ministry!” — Andy Stanley

A stunning photo essay paired with 100 stories of members gives a rare glimpse into an intentional community that has stood the test of time. Yes, it is possible to create a society where there are no rich or poor, where children and elderly are welcome, where everyone has work and no one lives alone. Meet 100 individuals from diverse backgrounds who have ventured everything to build a life together where everyone belongs and everyone can contribute. A cross-section of the Bruderhof community's international and intergenerational membership, they have pooled their income, possessions, talents, and energy to take care of one another and to reach out to others. Defying five generations of naysayers, this is a community that works. As they reflect on 100 years of community, Bruderhof members reveal why they personally have chosen this radical was of life and share insights they have gleaned along the way. With photography by acclaimed British photojournalist Danny Burrows, this book is a celebration of what is possible when people take a leap of faith and dare a change. It's a window into a lived example that will inspire and encourage anyone working to build a more just, peaceful, and sustainable future.