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EdgewoodEcovillage

Gen X (45-60)

Female + male

Pubnico, Nova Scotia, NS Canada

Speed of commitment:

In between: Open to a commitment after a defined time for a trial run

IC types I would live in or am forming:

Ecovillage or agrihood

Food production:

Working toward a mix of producing our own food and buying groceries

IC seeker or founder/resident:

IC founder: I am seeking members to join a core group in founding a new IC. We already have a clear vision and established norms.

ICmatch group or IC I'm part of:

https://forestmeadow.ca/edgewood-ecovillage/

Service-based IC (population served):

Low income LGBTQ+, Low income elderly, Low income racial or ethnic minority, Physical disability

Service-based IC (services offered):

Permanent residence

Vulnerable population as a proportion of residents:

All

Residential proximity:

Separate units (separate apartments but some shared common areas with shared resources), Shared land (separate houses possibly with some shared buildings)

Ownership types:

Join an established IC to learn and possibly stay, Rented with shared housing or shared land

Reasons for shared housing:

Ecological sustainability to reduce carbon footprint, Friendship and sharing activities, Having a “chosen family” to share good times and support each other thru hard times, Having social interaction while limiting the amount of influence or interaction with society, Lower cost of living, Sharing meals and chores, Sharing resources (spaces, equipment, tools, vehicles, gardens), Traveling frequently and wanting a home base that’s maintained

Décor of shared areas:

A consistent aesthetic theme is important, Decisions based on practical utility and durability, Other

Clutter level of shared living areas or work space:

Average level of "lived in" look, Creativity in progress (translate: not tidy in designated work space), Tidy in shared spaces, with a designated place for things

Cleanliness level (germs & crumbs):

All food counters & tables wiped down daily to not attract pests, Dishes washed (or loaded into dishwasher) daily to not attract pests, Disinfectants must be ecologically safe products (chemical sensitivity), Dusting is not so important

Yard or landscaping:

Gardens and edible landscaping, Paved walkways and driveways, Tidy and clutter-free outdoors with storage out of sight, Yard aesthetics are not a priority

Neighborhood or scenery:

Nature scenery is a priority worth paying extra for, Scenery is not high on the list of property characteristics that's worth paying extra for

Current city, town, or county:

Pubnico, Nova Scotia

Nation(s) of current residence:

Canada

Preferred regions:

Canada BC, Canada ON, Canada QC, Canada northern provinces , Canada prairie provinces

Population density:

Rural

Ideal location(s):

2500 population in West Pubnico (Acadian)

Commitment to my current location:

Committed to location because of owning a unique property, Happy with current location but open to considering other options, Want to experience a variety of communities and locations

Relocation capacity:

Committed to my current residence for the foreseeable future, Committed to the current general location for the foreseeable future

State, province, or region:

Nova Scotia (NS)

Resource sharing:

Car share, Emergency preparedness efforts, Farm or food forest (share work and produce), Garden (share work and produce), Joint business (share work and profits), Meal preparation, Pet care swap, Time bank, Tool share (maintenance and use of expensive equipment)

My socioeconomic status:

Not applicable or prefer not to say

Leisure and lifestyle:

Somewhat frugal about leisure and entertainment expenditures

Leadership availability:

I'm currently in IC leadership

Roles and responsibilities:

Clear responsibilities are important to minimize conflict, Flexible responsibilities are often best, which aren't assigned or micromanaged, In a reciprocal relationship you give about as much as you get, but it happens without keeping track, In a small family-like group, the saying applies, “to each according to their need, from each according to their abilities", Transactional relationships are more fair; to a reasonable extent there should be accountability through written agreements

Common practical skills:

Cooking for groups, Farm animal care, Gardening or crop cultivation, Grant-writing, Group facilitation, Organizing & labeling, Permaculture

Experience or schooling:

Anthropology, Consensus facilitation, Diversity, equity, and inclusion trainer, Event planning & management, Long term rentals and maintenance, Natural building, Public speaking, Short term rentals and hospitality, Sociocracy or holocracy, Sociology, Travel, Visual art, Website design, Writing

Languages:

English

Occupation(s) and expertise:

Writing, project management, landlord, administration, facilitation, organizing, social media

Years lived in an IC:

Lived with roommate(s) or housemate(s), Lived with sibling(s) or other non-parent relatives, No experience, but determined to make it work

Experience in community:

Plenty of experience in nonprofits, board of directors, officer positions, editor

Professional certifications or degrees:

BA in Anthropology/Social Science, Certificate in Applied Anthropology. My husband has a Masters in Rural Development. Together we are creating an IC/ecovillage in Nova Scotia, south shore.

Generation:

Gen X (45-60)

Generations intended in IC:

Gen X (born 1965 – 1980), Older boomer (born 1946 – 1954), Pre-boomer (born before 1946), Younger boomer (born 1955 – 1964)

Number of working adults:

Alcohol (tolerable rules):

Should be allowed after work hours

Tobacco smoking (tolerable rules):

Should be allowed in designated indoor areas, Should only be allowed outdoors

Cannabis (tolerable rules):

Should be allowed after work hours, Should be allowed in designated areas only, Should be allowed with medical prescription, Should be regulated by group decision only if it becomes problematic

Psychedelics (tolerable rules):

Should be allowed by those authorized to use them for ceremonial purposes, Should be allowed only in a legal supervised therapeutic setting

Illegal recreational drugs (tolerable rules):

Should be dealt with by group decision in a manner to support non-use, Should not be policed by the community, as long as no minors are involved and others are not negatively impacted

Overnite guests (tolerable rules):

Should be allowed in designated guest areas, Should be permitted in limited circumstances as decided by the governance process, Should be subject to group decision only if it becomes problematic

Daytime visitor access (tolerable rules):

Should be discussed and limited by the IC agreements, Should not be restricted, Should not be restricted after certain individuals or visitor types are approved, Should require that community is informed of planned visits

Nudity (tolerable rules):

Should be limited to private rooms or private residences (as is the norm outside the IC), Should be permitted within designated areas of the IC (e.g., a gated hot tub), Should be welcome and discussed through the governance process, to consider each individual’s preferences

Required disclosures:

Background check for landlord/tenant disputes, Credit check

Prohibitions:

People's past issues are their own. Their current issues are their own--to be shared only if they trust. Nobody should be prohibited from living in an IC/ecovillage based on legal issues alone... their behaviour and attitude TODAY are what matters, especially in an ecovillage that is for seniors 50+ like ours.

Religious or spiritual practice-based IC:

No mandate of adherence to shared religious beliefs and practices

My religious beliefs or practices:

Agnostic, Astrology, Native American / First Nations, Near-death experience or out-of-body, New Age (mix), New Thought (law of attraction), Pagan, Pantheist, Shamanic or indigenous animist, Spiritual but not religious, Spiritualist, Tarot, Wiccan

Practices welcome in IC:

Agnostic, Astrology, Atheist, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jainist, Jewish, Kabbalah, Mediumship, Muslim/Islam, Native American / First Nations, Near-death experience or out-of-body, New Age (mix), New Thought (law of attraction), Pagan, Pantheist, Shamanic or indigenous animist, Sikh, Spiritual but not religious, Spiritualist, Taoist, Tarot, Theosophical Society, Wiccan, Zoroastrian

Ecological preservation ethics:

Commitment to reduce, re-use, recycle, Composting toilet, Eating vegan, vegetarian, or certified humane animal products, Gray water recycling where permitted, Local food commitment for low carbon footprint, Use of alternative power such as solar or wind

Belief-related practices:

For me, Druidism and shamanism, Wicca, or pagan in general. For the community, whatever people believe is their business.

Wisdom sharing:

Building community takes all of us participating in ways that we can, and together, we have a village.

Size of community:

11 to 20, 21 to 50, 51 to 150

Sense of togetherness:

An IC should foster close interpersonal relationships, An IC should have regular mandated “group work” to resolve conflicts as they arise, An IC should have regular opportunities to encourage all to share their feelings, I do not want obligatory group work where we are expected to help resolve disputes, I do not want to be required or pressured to share feelings in a group setting, Relationships should develop naturally, not thru team building exercises or mandated group circles

Gender + number:

Female + male

Genders welcome in IC:

Female, Male, Non-binary

My current couple situation:

I'm in committed partnership

Couple situations welcome in IC:

Available somewhat (e.g., in open relationship), Committed closed partnership(s) (e.g., married monogamous couples), Not available (e.g., you're okay if you're not going to be a threat to my primary relationship), Single (not in a committed closed partnership)

My sexual orientation:

Bisexual, Monogamous, Other

Sexual identities welcome in IC:

Cisgender (gender aligns with natal sex), Heterosexual (straight), LGBTQ+ (non-normative gender identity and/or same-sex attraction), Monogamous (committed to a single sexual partner), Non-monogamous, Polyamorous (in more than one physically intimate relationship with consent of all involved), Polygamous (married to more than one spouse)

Sex & intimacy norms in IC:

A topic discussed with curiosity and respect, allowing for experimentation around what works for the community, Other, Primarily left to the individual to determine, with the understanding that personal choices can impact community culture

Physical affection:

I enjoy hugs and lean toward the easily affectionate side, It depends

Other ICmatch members in my household or IC:

Forest Meadow

My availability for physical intimacy:

Prefer not to share at this time

Mobility accommodations:

Our community will have fully accessible units.

Learning difference accommodations:

We respect the learning styles of different people.

Socioeconomic status:

Our ecovillage will hopefully have shared financial opportunities in the future.

Gender and sexuality:

As a co-founder, I feel that gender and sexuality are private matters. Diversity and inclusion are musts.

Queer or LGBTQ:

I have considered myself both female and nonbinary throughout my life, depending on circumstances.

Racial or ethnic identities:

Open to all ethnic backgrounds and languages.

Diversity beliefs or intentions:

Diversity and inclusion will be part of our community, but everyone is welcome as long as the primary applicant for living at Edgewood Ecovillage is 50+ (partner, roommate, family member, friend, or caregiver can be 18+). All units will be fully accessible for those living here, guests, or for visiting each other.

Children in IC:

Children are not a good fit (e.g., college dorm or retirement community)

Children present in household:

No dependent children

Dogs:

Indoor dog(s) okay, Indoor dog(s) okay if non-shedding, Indoor dog(s) okay if small, Indoor dog(s) okay if some rooms are off limits, Outdoor dog(s) okay if not frequent barkers

Cats:

Indoor cat(s) okay, Outdoor cat(s) okay

Farm animals or pets I have or want:

In time, we would like our ecovillage residents to raise small livestock for land use (sheep keeping grass down, goats cleaning brush, pigs rooting, etc.), ethical food and their products (fur/hair, pelts, meat, milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir, jerky, smoked food, etc.).

Special food needs:

Severe food allergies, Strongly prefer a high quality of food preparation, Strongly prefer home-processed foods

Plant-based or not:

Everyone makes their own food choices even when eating together

Organic:

All food choices are accepted, Commitment to local-grown as much as possible, Commitment to non-GMO, Organic non-certified is okay

Shared meals (acceptable norms):

Shared meals are necessary community glue, Shared meals are necessary for efficiency and low cost, Shared meals should be optional

Medical risk bubbles:

I can commit to taking extra precautions for others in a high-risk category, I can live with or work physically close to people who do not take precautions against infection, allergy, or injury

Pandemic norms:

Keep good health practices for good immune function, Maintain strict social distancing and masks outside the IC, Masks only when in public and mandated, Sanitize hands frequently in public, Sanitize hands frequently in the IC, Vaccinated, Whatever results from group decision-making process

Severe allergies:

Cow milk (proteins), sulfate-sulfite group, few egg whites for me personally. Respect others' allergies in the community.

Health conditions:

Work half time due to physical health limitations. Others may have other issues that affect them too, which should be accounted for in working and leisure situations.

Noise level:

A lively social environment should be the norm, A quiet serene living space should be the norm, Different noise tolerance can be managed by having designated times for noise and quiet, Just keep it down enuf that neighbors don't complain, One quiet space should be reserved for those who need to focus on work, One space should be available for those who like to have videos or games on frequently

Sleep:

Not applicable (e.g., not planning to share living space that's close to sleeping space)

Tech savvy:

I'm about average with tech use

Internet connection & phone signal:

I need to be consistently connected to wifi during work hours

Off-grid:

Is not the plan if it doesn't work for others I want to be in community with, Is okay but not so important, Is workable for a part time location

Leisure time:

Art, writing, crafting, designing, researching, social media

Films, books, music, podcasts, shows:

Anthropology, Netflix, paganism, but am open to discussions on most topics (less so on political or legal). To each his/her/their own.

Political orientation:

Progressive left

Culture influencers:

University education opened my eyes to environmental issues, as did the co-founders and supporters of permaculture. If it were up to me, nobody would have to pay to live on this planet, but it's not up to me. The ideals of its members should try to be met within the IC, however.

Civic, political, or activist groups or movements:

None presently. In the past I have volunteered for VAWA (violence against women act), social justice committee chair at UUCEP, board and first female President for El Paso Solar Energy Association, board member with Solar Nova Scotia, Straw Bale Association of Nebraska library committee, Border Interfaith, Interfaith efforts.

Extroversion (under 50% means more introverted than average):

25%

Emotional even keel (under 50% means more ups & downs than average):

48%

Agreeableness (under 50% means less compliant or more contrary than average):

76%

Conscientiousness (under 50% means more easygoing than average):

76%

Open to new experiences / imagination (under 50% means more traditional than average, sticks with "tried and true"):

84%

Tendency for dealing with others' expectations:

Obliger

Myers-Briggs (& Keirsey-Bates) temperament type:

INFJ

Astrological sign(s):

Four

Weaknesses and superpowers:

I read people, especially in one-on-one situations because of my analytical mind and training, but am very open-minded and welcoming.