Ecovillage Social Enterprises/Cottage Industries — Why We Need Them! Sat., March 17, 2018: veggie potluck at 6:30; slideshow/talk at 7:30pm with Diana Leafe Christian at L.A. Eco-Village

In Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Los Angeles Eco-Village

Diana Leafe Christian through a lively presentation and slide show, will show how large, well-established communities have established healthy community economies through supporting individual members’ cottage industries — “social enterprises” — and by encouraging their members to earn, spend, invest, and, when possible, even save money onsite, and how smaller and newer communities can do the same. Inspiring success stories as well as cautionary tales from ecovillages worldwide, including Crystal Waters in Australia, the Farm in Tennessee, Dancing Rabbit in Missouri, EcoVillage at Ithaca in New York, Findhorn in Scotland, Earthaven in North Carolina, and of course our own Los Angeles Eco-Village.

EVENT DETAILS:

DATE & TIME:
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Veggie Potluck at 6:30pm*
Talk begins at 7:30pm
* please bring your own non throw-away eating ware to make this a zero waste event

LOCATION
Los Angeles Eco-Village
117 Bimini Place – Lobby or Community Room
Los Angeles 90004

FEE:
$5 to $15 sliding scale

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED:
mailto:crsp@igc.org
or 213-738-1254

About Diana

Author, former editor of Communities magazine, and nationwide speaker and workshop presenter on starting new ecovillages, on building communities, and on sustainability, Diana lives in an off-grid homestead at Earthaven Ecovillage in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, She has said that living in an intentional community “is the longest, most expensive, personal growth workshop you will ever have.

She’s authored two books designed to help people who want to join or start their own ecovillages or other intentional communities,

In her book Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools for Growing Ecovillages and Intentional Communities, she uses success stories, cautionary tales, and step-by-step advice to cover typical time-frames and costs; the role of founders; getting started as a group; vision documents; power, governance, and decision-making; legal structures; finding and financing land; zoning issues; sustainable site plans; selecting new members; and good process and communication skills for dealing well with conflict.

In Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community, she covers researching, visiting, evaluating, and joining communities.

More about Diana and her wide reaching influence on the intentional communities movement here

California Co-op Conference – San Diego – April 29-30, 2018

Click here for the Conference Brochure PDF

The conference will be held at theMarina Village Conference Center,
1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, which offers a beautiful view of the bay, and the convenience of a location near San Diego airport.

Conference workshops reveal how cooperatives revitalize and fortify local economies by creating jobs, housing, and locally owned businesses!

Pre-Conference: Saturday, April 28th: A full day intensive training on Sociocracy.

Keynote, Monday, 4/30: Building a Better World: The Case for a Cooperative Economy, Vernon Oakes

Start Your Registration Here!

Conference sponsor: California Center for Cooperative Development: www.cccd.coop
in association with co-sponsors:
U.S. Dept of Agriculture Rural Development
Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union
Pachamama Coffee Cooperative
North Island Credit Union
Tuttle Law Group
Alvarado St. Bakery
North Coast Co-op
Briar Patch Food Co-op
Shared Capital Cooperative
Food Co-op Initiative
Davis Food Co-op
Sun Anza
National Cooperative Bank
Capital Impact Partners
Sacramento Natural Food Co-op
University Cooperative Housing Association
Sustainable Economies Law Center

If you would like to become a conference sponsor please follow this link for more information.

California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) is a non-profit and depends on people like you for support. CCCD members receive a discount on conference fees. CCCD is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Please click here to become a member of CCCD. Your membership contribution is considered a tax deductible donation.

Global Ecovillage Conference (GEN) Europe Conference – July 10 – 14, 2018 – Lilleoru, Estonia

Conference theme: The Wisdom of Conscious Communities”

Including July 10, 2018: Co-Creation Day: How can we make Estonia the first organic country in the world.

The conference will bring together 500 sustainable experts, practitioners and visionaries from all over the world.

Go here for conference details:
http://gen2018.ee/?lang=en&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=genestonia100

For more information on the Global Ecovillage Network, go here

If you live in the Los Angeles area and are planning to go to this conference, please let me know:
Lois – 213/738-1254

The Nuts & Bolts of a Worker Co-op Start-up – Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017 in Culver City at 7pm

Long time L.A. Eco-Village resident, and founder of Pacific Electric Worker Co-op, Somerset Waters, will share his experiences as the founder of a start-up worker co-op.

Sponsored by:

LAWORCS: LA Worker Ownership Resources & Cooperative Services

More info:

The Nuts and Bolts of a Worker Cooperative Start-Up with Somerset Waters

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 7:00 PM
at

Father’s Office
3229 Helms Ave
Culver City, CA 90034
Directions

About Somerset:

Somerset Waters (“Somer”) wears multiple hats at Pacific Electric Co-op, including client relations, project manager, and lead electrician. He has over two decades of experience as an electrician, one decade in the solar industry, and enjoys manipulating energy. He is a licensed C-10, California Certified Electrician. The trade runs in his blood: his maternal grandfather was an electrician at a factory in Poland. His great-grandfather was a mason, a brilliant carpenter, and a master of quality in his projects. Prior to cofounding Pacific Electric Co-op, Somer was a Journeyman Electrician out of IBEW Local 11 and worked for several large solar companies. Somer and his family live in Los Angeles Eco-Village. He plays the cello and performs with his wife, Aursiha. Watching his daughter grow up makes his heart sing.

Pacific Electric is a full service electrical and solar contracting firm based in Los Angeles committed to serving our clients, supporting our workers, creating jobs, and practicing environmental sustainability. Contact: somerset@pacificelectric.coop
pacificelectric.coop

Film: One Big Home – Saturday August 26, 2017 at 6pm – West Los Angeles

Gentrification comes in many forms. On the tiny island of Martha’s Vineyard, trophy homes threaten to destroy the island’s unique character.

Twelve years in the making, One Big Home follows one carpenter’s journey to understand the trend toward giant houses. When he feels complicit in wrecking the place he calls home, he takes off his tool belt and picks up a camera. Bumping up against angry homeowners and builders who look the other way, he works with his community and attempts to pass a new bylaw to limit house size.

Join us for an outdoor screening of One Big Home on one BIG digital bus! The 31 foot screen will really make an impression on you!

This event is a fundraiser, with all proceeds going to opening a tiny house building resource center in Los Angeles.

$10 online, $14 at the door, discounts for students and LATCH Collective members.

Find your online tickets here – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/screening-of-one-big-home-tickets-35704790991

Third Annual West Coast Communities Conference – September 29 – October 1, 2017 in Escondido CA

Conference Theme: Thriving, Not Just Surviving – Fiscal Health in Community

Featuring Keynote Speaker: Diana Leafe Christian, author of Creating a Life Together

Taking off from last year’s theme of economic justice, we are organizing this year’s topics around the subject of equitable and sustainable income and affordability. We have workshops…

Workshop topics and speakers include:
– Financially feasible ways to start Community and ongoing affordability
– Organizing for affordability in less able neighborhoods
– Intentional Business (IB): Kinds of businesses that may be suitable with Intentional Community
– A look at Worker Cooperatives (Collectives)
– Fairness of equitable effort: Everyone pulling their own weight while respecting those less able
– Balancing Intra (local) Economy and Extra (global) Economy
– Alternative Trade Systems: LETS, TimeBank, HourWorld, etc.
– Sources of Funding

The event will be held near Escondido, CA, off Highway 15 between Los Angeles and San Diego.

Click here for Reservations

Community founders and other experts in cohousing and other kinds of intentional communities in California will share what works well, especially in community financial and economic health.

Diana Leafe Christian’s keynote address will be on “Recipe for a Thriving Community: Establishing an Internal Economy with Social Enterprises, Community Labor Systems, and More.”

Workshop presenters include Lois Arkin, founder of Los Angeles Eco-Village and longtime ecovillage activist; FIC Executive Director and longtime Twin Oaks Community member Sky Blue; cohousing activists Raines Cohen and Betsy Morris; and Jonah Mesritz, superstar expert on finding and financing community property and cofounder of Emerald Village Ecovillage.

Panel discussions of experts on healthy communities, and on community financing, and Diana Leafe Christian’s breakout workshop on Sociocracy for cohousing and other kinds of intentional communities.

Call for Volunteers: Help make this year’s event even better. There are several roles we can use help with. People are needed for registration, volunteer coordination, website administration, among others. Those who would like to get involved or for more information, please contact:

Contact Us: Conference Email; Conference FaceBook Page; South-West Intentional Community Alliance (SWICA) website; SWICA Email

More information: http://wccc.kondoria.x10.mx/wp/about/
To register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/west-coast-communities-conference-2017-tickets-34258474018

Organized by SWICA – South West IC Alliance,
Co-sponsors:
Fellowship for Intentional Community
Cohousing California
Terra Madre Gardens
Sustainable Living Institute

Event organizers:
Werner Kontara (949) 551-2800
Steve Fuji, SWICA Committee Head – (505) 715-1418

12th Annual Permaculture Convergence – Oct.. 5 – 8, 2017 in Hopland CA

more info: http://www.permacultureconvergence.com

Sustainable Living Tour – California – October 1 – 12, 2017

Immerse yourself in leading sustainable living education centers showcasing real examples of soil, watershed and human relationship restoration.

Lots More info: http://earthjourneys.org/

Embark on this journey to..

- Gain a deep understanding of how to thrive in community.
- Be inspired by real examples of soil, water and habitat restoration.
- Reconnect with your intrinsic gifts to use them for good.
- Uplevel your hard skills through hands on workshops.
- Tend meaningful relationships for personal growth, collaboration and fulfillment.
- Create life-long friendships with fellow passionate changemakers.
- Find clarity to what role you play in the world.
- Embody your interconnection with all living beings.
- Leave with an action plan for your calling or project.
- Participate in on-going support for 1-year after the tour.

Hands-On Experiences and Learning at:

CalEarth http://www.calearth.org/
Quail Spring: http://www.calearth.org/
Emerald Ecovillage http://www.calearth.org/
LA Eco-Village http://laecovillage.org/
Wild Willow Farm & Educational Center http://www.sandiegoroots.org/farm/index.php
East End Eden http://www.sandiegoroots.org/farm/index.php
The Ecology Center https://www.theecologycenter.org/

Let’s Do This!

Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust Member Meeting – Sat., May 13, 2017 at 10am – 11:30am at L.A. Eco-Village

May 5, 2017May 27, 2017
by Lois

BVCLT Members Meeting

*LA Eco-Village Bimini Apartments Limited Equity Housing Cooperative: land owned by BVCLT*

Saturday, May 13^th10 am to 11:30 am
at
Los Angeles Eco-Village
117 Bimini Place #201
Los Angeles 90004

The Beverly-Vermont Community Land trust is located three miles west of downtown Los Angeles, our name comes from the Beverly Boulevard and Vermont Avenue intersection and metro station.

The Mission of the Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust is to exercise land stewardship as the basis for creating pedestrian-centered neighborhoods emphasizing affordable housing, work and recreational spaces that are economically and socially sustainable, and that integrate urban living with nature.

*Lets put a crack in real estate speculation. Organize for land trusts in your neighborhood!*

The Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust (BVCLT) is among the leading organizations in Los Angeles specializing in permanently affordable sustainable housing for those who are dedicated to a lower impact life style and have limited access to market rate housing (including those with lower wage jobs, on fixed incomes, or with disabilities).

Everyone is welcome!

Refreshments: yes

More info: crsp@igc.org or laraeco@hotmail.com