To understand community we must first recognize the physical needs of the residents. When we come together we have the opportunity to communicate and work cooperatively to meet our collective needs.

The primary physical needs of society are:

· Clean air

· Potable water

· Nourishing food

· Suitable clothing

· Stable shelter (including some form of heating/cooling where needed)

The secondary needs are:

· Protection (from other people or wild animals)

· Health and medical care

· Education and occupation (ability to provide value to society)

· A system of barter or exchange

· Transportation

· Waste management

· Recreation

Many of these needs require some type of government, regulations, agreements or guidelines that provide a framework.  By working cooperatively within such frameworks we are able to meet our needs and help others meet their needs at the same time.

The Master Plan and Community Constitution provide such framework and guidelines.  No two Intentional Communities will be alike, so each of these have more detailed information than what we have provided on our website. This website provides an overview of a few of the principles to consider when forming an Ecovillage.

Forming a community requires exhaustive discussion about every imaginable detail.  This is the most critical part of all. Everyone has particular requirements and needs, and this must come out in discussion prior to the purchase of land. A considerable amount of education is also usually needed, and the members should be committed to education in all the subjects listed above.

New members will be required to accept the specific plan and principles of the community.  Someone who is opposed to those principles will not choose to be a member of a community. While some details of the Community Constitution can be changed by a consensus of all the members of the community, certain core principles cannot be changed if the community desires continued success.

All local and federal government regulations must be followed, such as building codes, water quality standards and so forth, for these regulations generally exist to protect individuals. Some services provided by a community must also comply with government regulations, such as sources of energy and waste disposal. Our community standards will generally be much higher than many governmental standards, so following government standards is usually not a problem. Where such problems exist, we should work with government representatives to educate them and to be educated by them, and try to reach solutions that work for both parties.  

In planned rural developments some other rules or restrictions should also be considered. There are requirements for the aesthetics and upkeep of a community, which take the form of neighborhood associations in a city. For example, suppose someone wants to keep cows, but they graze right next to the neighbor’s property and cause problems. An entire community should not have to regularly deal with such issues. The solution is to plan from inception the use of a community cow barn, and anyone who individually owns cows must keep them there.

Establishing such restrictions in the beginning will make life much easier in the end. An example for “Shelter” would be restricting the size of housing and type of construction, and an example for “Transportation” would be not allowing polluting or noisy vehicles.

The community should provide these necessities within the community as much as possible.  There is no point in creating a separate system that requires paying additional taxes. We will still have to pay taxes to the county, state, and federal governments, and there is no need to create another entity, and another tax. We prefer to provide our necessities among ourselves by becoming experts in different areas and by working cooperatively, thus becoming less dependent on governance. 

The next sections will explain how cooperation within our community can provide the necessities listed above.  Some of these topics may include details specific to the state of Texas, as examples for communities in other states.

Next - (Providing Necessities) Water