I've seen quite a few threads about the ideal place to FIRE and lately, we've spent a lot of time thinking about it ourselves. The dream has always been to build something zero-energy and live more congruently with the land so to speak. "Earthships" are a great example of this ideal.
I've noticed that many of these values are shared my others on the site. It makes me wonder if there would be interest in starting a cohousing intentional community for those who value respect, the environment, outdoor recreation and frugality.
Cohousing isn’t a novel concept but I was pretty unfamiliar with it until recently. This article sums it up pretty nicely:
http://www.harmonyvillage.org/About/RicksTravels/RicksCohousing.htmThere’s also been some discussion on these boards that I could dig up:
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/unusual-housing-questions/http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/intentional-community/There is a spectrum of togetherness that ranges from a standard neighborhood to a full blown hippie-commune. I like the sound of the eco-village personally but I think it’s all about finding a balance between collectivism and rugged individuality that works for all participants. I think the practical aspects of sharing some resources outweigh the trade-off of increased accountability and having to trust other humans.
If the community was for FIRees with flexible geographic requirements, an appropriate location could be selected to maximize proximity to first class outdoor amenities but where housing prices haven't already gone through the roof and property taxes are low. Combining resources in a smart way to leverage economies of scale opens many options:
Potential Ideas:
• Common indoor space for hanging out and socializing
• Guest rooms. This reduces the requirement to keep extra space for the occasional house guest.
• Lending library for books and tools
• Occasional shared meals: Those who are interested in partaking and rotate prep and cleaning so we’re all cooking less often. The units could have basic kitchen while the common kitchen would be restaurant quality.
• Community solar to provide 100% electric needs. A community well or water catchment system to hedge against increasing energy and water prices.
• Community open space. Land conservation / preservation could be a founding principle. i.e. purchase a ranch in Colorado and put the majority to land into conservation easement.
• Community garden, orchards, bees, chickens.
• Some shared gear: bikes, kayaks, camping and climbing gear etc.
• A few community vehicles: Since most of our cars stay parked all the time anyways.
• No mean people allowed. Seriously, people should like and respect each other (or at least pretend to).
Obviously these are just off-the-cuff ideas and I know that these types of arrangements aren’t for everyone (they probably don't work for most people). Again, I think it’s all about striking a good balance. I’d love to hear thoughts from our Mustachian Community, especially those who would be interested in establishing something in the Western US. If this is already underway and just let me know how to get in on it. Maybe we should start a directory of potential cohousing projects in various states. Building a community from scratch could be a lot of work but could turn out to be really cool as well.