EcoShireJim
Gen X (45-60)
Male
Sage, CA
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:
Activist commune supporting shared work, Artist collective & live work space, Cohousing: private residences around shared space, Cottage industry in community (e.g. biz partners or recreation venture team), Disaster prep or timeshare cabin, Ecovillage or agrihood, Farm or ranch, Retreat or event hosting as community, Senior cohousing or shared house, Tiny homes community
Food production:
Working toward a mix of producing our own food and buying groceries
IC seeker or founder/resident:
IC resident: I am already in an established IC and looking for members to join. This may or may not include housing, a business partnership, or work trade.
ICmatch group or IC I'm part of:
www.ecoshiresage.com
Service-based IC (population served):
Animal rescue, Learning disability, Low income families with children, Physical disability, Refugee resettlement
Vulnerable population as a proportion of residents:
Less than half, No can do
Residential proximity:
Shared land (separate houses possibly with some shared buildings)
Ownership types:
Co-operative (collectively owned separate houses or apartments), Join an established IC to learn and possibly stay, Joint land purchase to subdivide, hold shares, or hold "tenancy in common", Rent a room as a trial run, Rent-to-own with shared housing or shared land, 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, Helping each other with childcare, 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, Working together in a business (e.g., remote location)
Décor of shared areas:
Decisions based on practical utility and durability
Clutter level of shared living areas or work space:
Tidy in shared spaces, with a designated place for things
Cleanliness level (germs & crumbs):
All food counters & tables wiped down after each use, All food counters & tables wiped down daily to not attract pests, Dishes washed (or loaded into dishwasher) daily to not attract pests
Yard or landscaping:
Covered space for storage, Gardens and edible landscaping, Space for kids and/or dogs to run, Tidy and clutter-free outdoors with storage out of sight
Neighborhood or scenery:
Nature scenery is a priority worth paying extra for
Current city, town, or county:
Sage, CA
Preferred regions:
Oregon, U.S. California, U.S. Washington state, U.S. southwest region
Population density:
Nomadic, Remote, Rural, Small town
Resource sharing:
Car share, Care of elderly, disabled, or incapacitated relatives, Child care swap, 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, Transactional relationships are more fair; to a reasonable extent there should be accountability through written agreements
Common practical skills:
Carpentry & repair, Childcare, Cleaning, Cooking for groups, Farm animal care, First responder (first aid) or EMT, Gardening or crop cultivation, Grant-writing, Group facilitation, Organizing & labeling, Permaculture
Experience or schooling:
Activism & organizing, Architecture, Business management, Carpentry & construction, Certification for teaching children, City planning, zoning, & compliance, Consensus facilitation, Diversity, equity, and inclusion trainer, Ecological science, Electrician, Event planning & management, Experience teaching adults, Filmmaking, Finance, economics, timebanking, Food handling certification trainer, Food preservation (e.g., cheesemaking, home canning, drying, smoking), Group therapy or processing, Humanitarian work, Long term rentals and maintenance, Mathematics, Mediation or dispute resolution, Natural building, Political campaigning, Security (may include experience with weapons), Short term rentals and hospitality, Sociocracy or holocracy, Sports or physical recreation, Travel, Waterworks, plumbing, sanitation, Website design, Welding, Writing
Languages:
German, some Spanish
Occupation(s) and expertise:
Former fire fighter, public high school teacher, builder, campground and event manager
Years lived in an IC:
6-10 years in IC, Lived with roommate(s) or housemate(s)
Experience in community:
Founder of Down-To-Earth EcoShire
Professional certifications or degrees:
CA Teaching license, former EMT
Generation:
Gen X (45-60)
Generations intended in IC:
Gen A (born 2013 – 2024), Gen X (born 1965 – 1980), Gen Z (born 1997 – 2012), Millennial (born 1981 – 1996), Older boomer (born 1946 – 1954), Pre-boomer (born before 1946), Younger boomer (born 1955 – 1964)
Number of working adults:
3
Alcohol (tolerable rules):
Should be regulated by group decision only if it becomes problematic
Tobacco smoking (tolerable rules):
Should only be allowed outdoors
Cannabis (tolerable rules):
Should be regulated by group decision only if it becomes problematic
Psychedelics (tolerable rules):
Legal psychedellics are okay if not disrupting to others
Illegal recreational drugs (tolerable rules):
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, Should not be a concern of the community, as long as everyone's privacy is respected
Daytime visitor access (tolerable rules):
Should be discussed and limited by the IC agreements, Should be restricted to guest areas or residence of host
Nudity (tolerable rules):
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, Current addictions even if under treatment, On sex offender registry, Past felony conviction
Religious or spiritual practice-based IC:
No mandate of adherence to shared religious beliefs and practices
My religious beliefs or practices:
Spiritual but not religious
Practices welcome in IC:
12 steps (from AA, NA, etc.), Agnostic, Astrology, Atheist, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jainist, Jewish, Kabbalah, 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, Gray water recycling where permitted, Local food commitment for low carbon footprint, Use of alternative power such as solar or wind
Belief-related practices:
No requirements
Wisdom sharing:
Sense of humor, not just here for cheap place to live, should be easy to get along with
Size of community:
11 to 20
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
Gender + number:
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 applicable, 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:
Monogamous, Straight
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, Celibate community, Primarily left to the individual to determine, with the understanding that personal choices can impact community culture
Physical affection:
I am a big hugger; I’m affectionate even with people I don't know well, I enjoy hugs and lean toward the easily affectionate side
My availability for physical intimacy:
Prefer not to share at this time
Children in IC:
Children are welcome but not a necessity (not a dealbreaker issue)
Children present in household:
No dependent children
Other people’s children:
I am open to a community of free-range children who are allowed to roam the majority of community spaces unsupervised, I am open to sharing child-care responsibilities such as carpooling or swapping child-care, I want to be in a setting in which all feel a responsibility for well-being of children in the community, Parents shouldn't be so untrusting that they consider all adults a potential child abuser
Behavior correction:
Parents shouldn't allow their child(ren) to be loud and disruptive in group settings, Parents shouldn't be offended if other adults respectfully question their child(ren)'s behavior, Parents shouldn't have to micro-manage their child(ren) for the benefit of adults around them
Children sheltered from:
Adult nudity, Drug use, Guns, Violent images or lyrics, Vulgar language
Screen time (acceptable rules):
Screen time and content limits are up to individual families, Screen-free locations agreed on as a group
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, 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:
We have cats, sheep, chickens, fish, bees and a lot of wildlife
Special food needs:
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, Not applicable (e.g., no obligation for shared meals), Organic non-certified is okay
Shared meals (acceptable norms):
Prefer shared meals weekly or monthly, Shared meals should be optional
Medical risk bubbles:
I can't live with or work physically close to people who need strict precautions from people in their IC
Pandemic norms:
Keep good health practices for good immune function
Severe allergies:
One woman is allergic to peanuts
Noise level:
A quiet serene living space should be the norm, As long as the vibe is positive, loud gatherings can be frequent, 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, Parents with children shouldn't have to constantly keep them quiet
Sleep:
I’m not very consistent with my waking and bedtimes
Comfort & convenience:
I can participate in a rugged life and hard physical work, I can tolerate extreme temperatures, I cannot participate in a rugged life and hard physical work, I enjoy a rugged life and hard physical work
Tech savvy:
I'm about average with tech use
Internet connection & phone signal:
I can work without consistent internet connection
Off-grid:
Is okay but not so important
Leisure time:
Reading and writing
Films, books, music, podcasts, shows:
Star Wars, Grapes of Wrath, Razor's Edge, The Who, Pink Floyd, New Wave, techno, I'm a burner so whatever...
Political orientation:
Progressive left
Culture influencers:
I often listen to "The Great Simplification" with Nate Hagens.
Civic, political, or activist groups or movements:
former president of both local Lions Club and Green Coalition
Extroversion (under 50% means more introverted than average):
Yup, but I prefer when people come to my place rather than visiting.
Emotional even keel (under 50% means more ups & downs than average):
Stable with many long term friendships and relationships
Agreeableness (under 50% means less compliant or more contrary than average):
pretty much
Conscientiousness (under 50% means more easygoing than average):
Very much so
Open to new experiences / imagination (under 50% means more traditional than average, sticks with "tried and true"):
Let's do this
Tendency for dealing with others' expectations:
I do me, you do you...
Myers-Briggs (& Keirsey-Bates) temperament type:
Pretty agreeable
Astrological sign(s):
Libra
Weaknesses and superpowers:
I have very strong Empathy, pay close attention to word choices, and can sense energy of people quite well
A note about me/us:
Campfire gatherings are the best
Dealbreakers:
getting tired of people who are only worried about what's in it for themselves, people who can't handle tough situations, I work to surround myself with people of character.
Dealmakers:
You're not lazy, not a cheat, you're not living to be the sum of your traumas, but rather the manifestation of your dreams