Super Eco

Photo credit: icd.org

An intentional community is a residential community where its residents are members who share the same social, political, religious or spiritual vision. This lifestyle encompasses a great deal more teamwork than other communities; residents share responsibilities and resources for the good of the community. Intentional communities include co-housing communities, communes, ecovillages, survivalist retreats, kibbutzim and housing cooperatives. Its members attempt to live in a different and better sort of society, attempting their own idea of utopia.

Intentional communities typically create family-oriented sustainable neighborhoods and lifestyles. Some communities are secular while others are spiritually based. Commonly, the members eat communal meals and the focus is on egalitarian values. Other values include voluntary simplicity, interpersonal growth and self-reliance. Some communities provide services to disadvantaged populations such as war refugees, the homeless, or people with developmental disabilities and some operate learning or health centers.

Typically, intentional communities have a selection process which begins with a personal and often extended visit to the community by the interested party. Often prospective community members are interviewed by a selection committee of the community or in some cases by everyone in the community. Many communities have a provisional membership period before making memberships permanent.