Principle 1. Sustainable communities must have a large body of water in the community.  It should be sufficient for all needs according to climate. A large body of water forms a vital part of a community, and is important for recreational and aesthetic purposes. If such a body of water does not exist, the appropriate amount of land should be excavated and should be allowed to fill with rainwater over time. In our communities we will use rainwater harvesting for all personal use, groundwater for irrigation, and the lake water will be a reserve source to be used only in emergency or in time of drought. A good flowing river can substitute for a lake, but great care must be taken in selecting such sites as rivers are quite prone to occassional heavy flooding which would be disastrous for communities living off the land.

Principle 2. Sustainable communities must be agrarian-based.  We cannot eat nuts and bolts. Everyone must be engaged in growing some crops personally, and everyone must be vegetarian. Aside from everything else personally detrimental about meat-eating and the meat industry’s destruction of the environment, it takes 20 times the amount of land to feed a meat eater than a vegan.

It is a known fact that being a meat-eater is extremely harmful to the environment in many ways. It is worse than driving a gasoline car. Therefore sustainable communities will not have any meat, fish, or poultry; but milk products are acceptable although certainly not required. Communities should have animals for those who desire milk products in later stages of development. All animals should be treated as fellow residents on the land and not be killed or abused (see section on Animal Husbandry.) Those who desire can purchase milk products from stores in the earlier stages of community development. Of course some people may not take milk products at all, being vegan.

On the basis of sustainability we therefore cannot have non-vegetarians in our communities. We apologize for this if you are not vegetarian, and we encourage you to understand the facts and look into a few of the benefits. There are many famous people who are vegetarian and you’ll see a number of quotes on our site.

Principle 3. Population density cannot exceed the carrying capacity of the land.  This means that density is limited, which appears to be the opposite of modern thinking. A sustainable community cannot possibly consist of a large amorphous group of people crammed together in a small space. Community planning must always carefully consider the needs of the residents and the land required to provide those needs.

Principle 4. Sustainable communities cannot be too large or too small.  If a community is too large, local government and transportation become problematic. People cannot even become acquainted with 500 other families, and in the absence of such relationships various social problems follow. Conversely, if a community is too small there is no possibility of providing necessities, because some amount of specialization and the resultant barter is required. There must be at least 50 families or homes and not more than a few hundred, with perhaps 400 being the maximum. If more than this number of people are interested, a second community should be formed with a separate water source and a separate governing structure.

Principle 5. Sustainable communities consist of essential building blocks of smaller groups of people.  A sustainable community consists of a number of such groups, neighborhoods, or villages. Human beings are gregarious and various personal relationships are vital. This could be compared to having an inner and outer circle of friends. The inner circle is one’s own neighborhood or village, and the outer circle is the whole community.

Principle 6. Sustainable communities require a consciousness of the connectedness, relationships, and inter-dependency inherent in all existence.  For some, this understanding means that we are fully dependant upon the earth, and on so many other living entities, and must be conscious of our impact on them as well. For others, this is a deeply spiritual subject that deals with consciousness and the effect that conscious living beings have on each other and on their surroundings whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. And for some, this understanding is an integral part of spiritual life, with everything connected to and in relationship with the Supreme Being.

Sustainable Villages/Neighborhoods

All six of the above principles also apply to each village/neighborhood.

1) Water.  As long as the lake is not too far from each home a separate lake for each neighborhood is not required, but there will be a well for agricultural use in each village. If there are no aquifers in a particular location (which is not recommended) this principle can be satisfied by having one large deep lake as long as a community is not too big. The lake water in such a community would be used for agriculture, whereas if aquifers are present the lake would only be for emergency use and for recreation. If one village well goes dry or has problems the residents can get water from a neighboring village until the problem is solved.

2) Agrarian.  Each village must be agrarian and provide the majority of the food needed by the village residents. There is no sustainability if food is not produced on a local level. In addition, without following this principle a segregation into neighborhoods according to occupation will develop and the developing social structure will become too influenced by various prejudices, egotism, or sectarian social ideas.

3) Density.  Population density cannot exceed the carrying capacity of the land, not only in total, but for each neighborhood or village, otherwise one village will end up supporting another. The outcome would eventually be what we have now - completely unsustainable cities.

4) Size.  A neighborhood or village cannot be too large or too small without respectively jeopardizing sustainability or self-sufficiency. Most people have a fairly small number of really close friends, because maintaining good relationships requires time and cultivation. If a village is too large then some persons in the group must travel much farther to get to their gardens. Eight houses is the ideal size for a village.

5) Building blocks.  A neighborhood or village consists of people living in homes. The unit is the home with it’s inhabitants, whether they are technically a family or not. People living together under one roof naturally form such units.

6) Relationships.  Even while following the above principles, a neighborhood must be aware of it’s impact on other neighborhoods, people, creatures, and all surroundings, otherwise sustainability is lost. Good relationships means to consider others and support and nurture one another in various ways.

Next - (Community) Sustainable Families / Homes