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10-15-2008, 03:14 AM

East Wind Community is an egalitarian intentional community that was founded in 1973 and is located on 1045 acres of woods, hills and meadows in the Missouri Ozarks. All decisions by which we live are assented to by the majority of members. We do not dictate manners of living so long as members do their fair share of labor and not break our bylaws.

Our land, residences, domestic facilities, businesses and labor are all held in common by the membership. All income received is regarded as communal income. Expenses are communal obligations. The community provides food, clothes, child care, health care, transportation and whatever else the membership deems appropriate. These entitlements are distributed among the members in a fair and equitable manner.

We encourage cooperation and discourage competitive behavior. Even so, we are not utopia. Conflicts occur, causing occasional departures. Turnover of members and failure to attract or retain people with specialized skills slows us down. These struggles aside, we are proud of what we have accomplished over the years and are enthusiastic about the future. Our location is scenic and rural. We support ourselves entirely from our communal businesses and are a thriving example of economic and social democracy.

East Wind is an active member of the FEC (Federation of Egalitarian Communities), a network of secular groups devoted to equality, ecology, cooperation and nonviolence. We challenge ingrained habits of oppression. We support men and women to break free of traditional gender roles. Children are not ordered around. Gay people are free to be themselves. We look forward to becoming a more racially and culturally diverse group, as we celebrate our differences and are enriched therefrom.

During our first decade we emphasized rapid growth and constructed our major buildings. In the 1980s we were concerned about economic viability and focused on the development of our nut butter business. In the 1990s we have built a child-oriented building and expanded our agriculture program. In developing a closer relationship to the land, we hope to become an ally of our bio region and planet.

Members are not required to work a fixed number of hours a day, can volunteer for jobs that suit them, and can vary their work life doing different jobs. We agree to take turns washing dishes, and there may be some weeks that all members are required to spend a few hours working in our businesses. With these exceptions, East Wind hasn't assigned labor since 1983.

The community sets a weekly quota of hours that members are expected to work as their fair share of labor. Trusting one another to do a fair share is very important to us, and failure to do a fair share endangers membership. In recent years the weekly quota has typically been 40 hours. Keep in mind, this includes domestic labor which is normally not compensated for in the mainstream; therefore, we generally work less than those maintaining individual households. In addition, members get three weeks of labor credit on the anniversaries of their joining.

Most of us find that we can take time off from our work to enjoy the beautiful landscape and one another. We are located in an area known for outdoor recreation. There are plenty of opportunities to canoe, backpack and explore caves.

We have a number of indoor recreational resources, including a pool table, stereo systems, and a large collection of records and tapes. We have an excellent library, musical instruments, board games, televisions, VCRs, and a satellite dish. There is a well equipped exercise room, a pottery wheel and kiln, and facilities for woodworking, metal crafts, and glass work.

Our computer network is comprised of 12 PC's. In the daytime, it's used by office workers, but at night they are free for personal use. We have our own domain (eastwind.org), and we also have a satellite broadband connection.

Live music is a common pastime for many East Winders. We spend a lot of spare time socializing, and there are frequent parties throughout the year.

Often we pool our artistic energies and create talent shows featuring musical recitals, readings, skits, and other forms of theatre. These "coffeehouses" usually occur in conjunction with our community holidays, which are built around lavish meals and parties that may feature bonfires, sweat lodge gatherings, and drumming circles.

10-15-2008, 03:14 AM	#6
Baggywrinkle Guest Posts: n/a	Eastwind; SHOW ME the way they do it in Missouri East Wind Community is an egalitarian intentional community that was founded in 1973 and is located on 1045 acres of woods, hills and meadows in the Missouri Ozarks. All decisions by which we live are assented to by the majority of members. We do not dictate manners of living so long as members do their fair share of labor and not break our bylaws. Our land, residences, domestic facilities, businesses and labor are all held in common by the membership. All income received is regarded as communal income. Expenses are communal obligations. The community provides food, clothes, child care, health care, transportation and whatever else the membership deems appropriate. These entitlements are distributed among the members in a fair and equitable manner. We encourage cooperation and discourage competitive behavior. Even so, we are not utopia. Conflicts occur, causing occasional departures. Turnover of members and failure to attract or retain people with specialized skills slows us down. These struggles aside, we are proud of what we have accomplished over the years and are enthusiastic about the future. Our location is scenic and rural. We support ourselves entirely from our communal businesses and are a thriving example of economic and social democracy. East Wind is an active member of the FEC (Federation of Egalitarian Communities), a network of secular groups devoted to equality, ecology, cooperation and nonviolence. We challenge ingrained habits of oppression. We support men and women to break free of traditional gender roles. Children are not ordered around. Gay people are free to be themselves. We look forward to becoming a more racially and culturally diverse group, as we celebrate our differences and are enriched therefrom. During our first decade we emphasized rapid growth and constructed our major buildings. In the 1980s we were concerned about economic viability and focused on the development of our nut butter business. In the 1990s we have built a child-oriented building and expanded our agriculture program. In developing a closer relationship to the land, we hope to become an ally of our bio region and planet. Members are not required to work a fixed number of hours a day, can volunteer for jobs that suit them, and can vary their work life doing different jobs. We agree to take turns washing dishes, and there may be some weeks that all members are required to spend a few hours working in our businesses. With these exceptions, East Wind hasn't assigned labor since 1983. The community sets a weekly quota of hours that members are expected to work as their fair share of labor. Trusting one another to do a fair share is very important to us, and failure to do a fair share endangers membership. In recent years the weekly quota has typically been 40 hours. Keep in mind, this includes domestic labor which is normally not compensated for in the mainstream; therefore, we generally work less than those maintaining individual households. In addition, members get three weeks of labor credit on the anniversaries of their joining. Most of us find that we can take time off from our work to enjoy the beautiful landscape and one another. We are located in an area known for outdoor recreation. There are plenty of opportunities to canoe, backpack and explore caves. We have a number of indoor recreational resources, including a pool table, stereo systems, and a large collection of records and tapes. We have an excellent library, musical instruments, board games, televisions, VCRs, and a satellite dish. There is a well equipped exercise room, a pottery wheel and kiln, and facilities for woodworking, metal crafts, and glass work. Our computer network is comprised of 12 PC's. In the daytime, it's used by office workers, but at night they are free for personal use. We have our own domain (eastwind.org), and we also have a satellite broadband connection. Live music is a common pastime for many East Winders. We spend a lot of spare time socializing, and there are frequent parties throughout the year. Often we pool our artistic energies and create talent shows featuring musical recitals, readings, skits, and other forms of theatre. These "coffeehouses" usually occur in conjunction with our community holidays, which are built around lavish meals and parties that may feature bonfires, sweat lodge gatherings, and drumming circles. Last edited by Baggywrinkle; 10-15-2008 at 03:21 AM.