Through our work in the local communities, the volunteer program, and our university field
courses we are always meeting new and interesting individuals. Our various programs bring
people from all backgrounds and every place on the globe here to the Center to learn, teach,
work, and play together. This creates a dynamic and vibrant community that is unique and full
of diversity. One of our goals is to create a more solid foundation eco-community here at the
STAND Center through crossing paths with the right people. Perhaps you are one of those
people! If you often find yourself daydreaming about a life that is part of something larger than
yourself, (but not so much larger that you are lost in the fray) a community founded on the
principles of natural development from a grassroots level, then perhaps you will consider the
opportunity of joining our community.
We believe the community we wish to create here will unfold naturally, like a fruit tree that
takes its own time to first sprout then grow and mature and finally blossom and bear fruit. The
right people will find the STAND Center through one of our various programs, or perhaps
through other means and when we meet and spend time working and playing together,
sharing our visions and our goals, it will become clear to each of us that an opportunity for a
lifelong community relationship exists. Already our community is unfolding by way of a
nomadic family of students and volunteers.
Our Vision
We envision a community of 15-50 people living in an intimate, environmentally conscious
eco-village tucked into the tranquil rain forest of Belize. Race, age, gender, sexual orientation,
religion or spiritual beliefs are irrelevant. What matters is that we share a common vision and
that our goals work together to form a cohesive community centered lifestyle.
Seeing yourself as part of a larger global community that crosses all boundaries of species is a
key understanding. If you value human life over the life of an insect you have missed the
crucial truth that all things have been created together in a web of life and each part depends
on the others to function optimally. We are not saying you can’t swat a mosquito that is
robbing you of your blood. Being a part of this global community means being part of the food
chain. The mosquito plays its part in collecting your blood to create a new generation and you
play yours in crushing it to protect yourself from vector-borne diseases and anemia. Similarly,
while we respect and honor a vegetarian lifestyle, we ourselves choose to eat meat at times in
response to our body’s natural craving. We prefer hunted game or fresh fish that has lived and
died a natural death as part of the food chain.
courses we are always meeting new and interesting individuals. Our various programs bring
people from all backgrounds and every place on the globe here to the Center to learn, teach,
work, and play together. This creates a dynamic and vibrant community that is unique and full
of diversity. One of our goals is to create a more solid foundation eco-community here at the
STAND Center through crossing paths with the right people. Perhaps you are one of those
people! If you often find yourself daydreaming about a life that is part of something larger than
yourself, (but not so much larger that you are lost in the fray) a community founded on the
principles of natural development from a grassroots level, then perhaps you will consider the
opportunity of joining our community.
We believe the community we wish to create here will unfold naturally, like a fruit tree that
takes its own time to first sprout then grow and mature and finally blossom and bear fruit. The
right people will find the STAND Center through one of our various programs, or perhaps
through other means and when we meet and spend time working and playing together,
sharing our visions and our goals, it will become clear to each of us that an opportunity for a
lifelong community relationship exists. Already our community is unfolding by way of a
nomadic family of students and volunteers.
Our Vision
We envision a community of 15-50 people living in an intimate, environmentally conscious
eco-village tucked into the tranquil rain forest of Belize. Race, age, gender, sexual orientation,
religion or spiritual beliefs are irrelevant. What matters is that we share a common vision and
that our goals work together to form a cohesive community centered lifestyle.
Seeing yourself as part of a larger global community that crosses all boundaries of species is a
key understanding. If you value human life over the life of an insect you have missed the
crucial truth that all things have been created together in a web of life and each part depends
on the others to function optimally. We are not saying you can’t swat a mosquito that is
robbing you of your blood. Being a part of this global community means being part of the food
chain. The mosquito plays its part in collecting your blood to create a new generation and you
play yours in crushing it to protect yourself from vector-borne diseases and anemia. Similarly,
while we respect and honor a vegetarian lifestyle, we ourselves choose to eat meat at times in
response to our body’s natural craving. We prefer hunted game or fresh fish that has lived and
died a natural death as part of the food chain.
| STAND Intentional Eco-community |
|
Generalized Reciprocity
Just as our learning Center is founded on the Laws of Natural Development so will be all aspects of our community. We will all agree to
share our time, energy and gifts freely with one another. This is called generalized reciprocity. You are expected to share whatever skills
or gifts you have (for example being a doctor or a massage therapist) freely, within reasonable limits. That is to say if there is a cost for
supplies or if you are strained for time that will be understood and the community will work together to help each other out. You may
work for pay outside the community but there should be very minimal monetary exchange (if any) between community members. All
efforts will be made to provide employment through the STAND Center. But we are first and foremost a not for profit organization, so
opportunities are limited, especially now at the beginning stages of our development. Your money is your money, your belongings are
your own. This is not a cult, it is a community. However, we should all also be ready to help each other out in whatever ways we can.
Part of this would ideally be a community insurance fund that all members pay an agreed upon yearly premium into to save up an
emergency fall back financial support system for any critical needs that a community member presents before the council. In this way we
can avoid the high cost of unnecessary insurance premiums paid to for profit entities.
Decision- Making and Conflict Resolution
Decisions will be made through consensus government, with deference to community elders. This means that everyone in the community
gets an equal say in things. We even invite children to give their input. Often, children can see and share things in profoundly simple and
relevant ways. In order to make a decision about something all community members over 21 must agree. There will come times when
this is not possible and that is when we defer to Elders. Elders are those persons who have been part of the community for at least 10
years.
Here is an example…. Joe loves his chainsaw, he uses it almost daily to carve wooden sculptures that he then sands, varnishes and sells to
local resorts. Noah and Mimi who live next door to Joe are not so fond of his chainsaw, they propose that a chainsaw is not ecologically
responsible as it creates atmospheric and noise pollution, he should not be allowed to carve with a chainsaw but should instead use hand
tools. All three have been in the community for a little over three years. When brought to council Joe vetoes the decision, saying that it
would be impossible to make enough money selling the carvings if he had to do them all by hand, but everyone else agrees he should go
over to hand tools. No one has come up with an alternative solution. So it goes to the Elders, we call this an ‘Elder council’. The Elders
all agree he should use hand tools, but they can not simply override Joes veto. They must agree on and present an alternative solution
first and if Joe still vetoes they can then override his veto and make the decision that the Elders decide is best. They reason that the
‘pollution’ it creates is less than what is created by any number of the community members personal transportation vehicles, yet it is all
within the community, not out on roads far away….They also see Joes point about the increased investment of time, so they come up
with an alternative proposal. They propose that Joe build a workshop near the front of the property away from the residential and
community activity centers. He can use his chainsaw to carve there, where the noise will be greatly reduced to a bearable level. Joe
thinks hard knowing that if he does not agree he may be forced into using hand tools and decides that while it will be slightly less
convenient to walk the longer distance ‘to work’ it is a pretty acceptable solution. He agrees and everyone is happy. Now what, you ask,
if Joe was also an Elder, well, obviously if he is an Elder he cannot be a part of the process of presenting himself an alternative, so he
would be excluded from the Elder group FOR THAT DECISION ONLY. Said simply, an Elder cannot be part of an Elder council
that directly concerns him or his activities.
Food Production
Our gift to our fellow community members has already begun with our biodynamic stacked poly-culture food production system. All
organic food will be provided from the orchards and terraced gardens. We truly are what we eat so eating a variety of organically grown,
freshly harvested and prepared foods will make us healthier happier people!
Education
We believe our children learn best in an environment that is safe and familiar. We also believe that no one knows a child and the ways
they learn better than their parents. For this reason we choose to home school our children. Currently Christa, our four year old
daughter, attends the Arizona Community Preschool which Andrea (her mother) founded. As we are currently the only family in our
community, this affords her valuable interaction with children her own age that she would otherwise miss out on to a large degree.
Our vision for educating our young ones is to work on a rotating basis with the other parents in our community teaching the children in
age appropriate groups the basics of math, science, geography, history, and language arts in an interactive form themed around the
environment and conservation. Working on a small scale will allow us to see the unique gifts and talents of each child and encourage
them to expand in those areas. We also believe that creative thinking and imaginative play is crucial to healthy development. In
addition, we envision a program that teaches children from preschool age on up through graduation key life skills like gardening, animal
husbandry, cooking, cleaning and organization.
All community members of every age will be allowed to participate in the workshops, field courses and other learning opportunities
always at the Center.
Holistic Health care
We hope to create a holistic health care system within our community, but this depends largely on who may join us. We envision
herbalists, massage therapists, sages, midwives and naturopathic M.D.'s working together to help all members achieve total health!
There are infinite possibilities for how our community might unfold. As it blossoms we will welcome it's development. Right now our
community is like a tidal pool....an ever changing cast of characters moving through with our family as the hollowed out rock that
catches the tides. Our family teaches and learns beside people from all over the world. But best of all, we are a cohesive family unit- we
spend every day together. A large part of why we decided to leave the comforts of a traditional western lifestyle in the United States is
our desire to have authentic community. Consumerism and financial burden keeps so many families split in a million directions seeking
out success and happiness when the key to both lie within the family. Our children are our future- let us invest all the time we can into
the future!!!
If you feel that you could be a kindred soul and community member please reach out to us! Come visit and learn on our farm through our
volunteer program and we will just see what happens! You never know!!!!
CONTACT US ABOUT OUR ECO-COMMUNITY
Just as our learning Center is founded on the Laws of Natural Development so will be all aspects of our community. We will all agree to
share our time, energy and gifts freely with one another. This is called generalized reciprocity. You are expected to share whatever skills
or gifts you have (for example being a doctor or a massage therapist) freely, within reasonable limits. That is to say if there is a cost for
supplies or if you are strained for time that will be understood and the community will work together to help each other out. You may
work for pay outside the community but there should be very minimal monetary exchange (if any) between community members. All
efforts will be made to provide employment through the STAND Center. But we are first and foremost a not for profit organization, so
opportunities are limited, especially now at the beginning stages of our development. Your money is your money, your belongings are
your own. This is not a cult, it is a community. However, we should all also be ready to help each other out in whatever ways we can.
Part of this would ideally be a community insurance fund that all members pay an agreed upon yearly premium into to save up an
emergency fall back financial support system for any critical needs that a community member presents before the council. In this way we
can avoid the high cost of unnecessary insurance premiums paid to for profit entities.
Decision- Making and Conflict Resolution
Decisions will be made through consensus government, with deference to community elders. This means that everyone in the community
gets an equal say in things. We even invite children to give their input. Often, children can see and share things in profoundly simple and
relevant ways. In order to make a decision about something all community members over 21 must agree. There will come times when
this is not possible and that is when we defer to Elders. Elders are those persons who have been part of the community for at least 10
years.
Here is an example…. Joe loves his chainsaw, he uses it almost daily to carve wooden sculptures that he then sands, varnishes and sells to
local resorts. Noah and Mimi who live next door to Joe are not so fond of his chainsaw, they propose that a chainsaw is not ecologically
responsible as it creates atmospheric and noise pollution, he should not be allowed to carve with a chainsaw but should instead use hand
tools. All three have been in the community for a little over three years. When brought to council Joe vetoes the decision, saying that it
would be impossible to make enough money selling the carvings if he had to do them all by hand, but everyone else agrees he should go
over to hand tools. No one has come up with an alternative solution. So it goes to the Elders, we call this an ‘Elder council’. The Elders
all agree he should use hand tools, but they can not simply override Joes veto. They must agree on and present an alternative solution
first and if Joe still vetoes they can then override his veto and make the decision that the Elders decide is best. They reason that the
‘pollution’ it creates is less than what is created by any number of the community members personal transportation vehicles, yet it is all
within the community, not out on roads far away….They also see Joes point about the increased investment of time, so they come up
with an alternative proposal. They propose that Joe build a workshop near the front of the property away from the residential and
community activity centers. He can use his chainsaw to carve there, where the noise will be greatly reduced to a bearable level. Joe
thinks hard knowing that if he does not agree he may be forced into using hand tools and decides that while it will be slightly less
convenient to walk the longer distance ‘to work’ it is a pretty acceptable solution. He agrees and everyone is happy. Now what, you ask,
if Joe was also an Elder, well, obviously if he is an Elder he cannot be a part of the process of presenting himself an alternative, so he
would be excluded from the Elder group FOR THAT DECISION ONLY. Said simply, an Elder cannot be part of an Elder council
that directly concerns him or his activities.
Food Production
Our gift to our fellow community members has already begun with our biodynamic stacked poly-culture food production system. All
organic food will be provided from the orchards and terraced gardens. We truly are what we eat so eating a variety of organically grown,
freshly harvested and prepared foods will make us healthier happier people!
Education
We believe our children learn best in an environment that is safe and familiar. We also believe that no one knows a child and the ways
they learn better than their parents. For this reason we choose to home school our children. Currently Christa, our four year old
daughter, attends the Arizona Community Preschool which Andrea (her mother) founded. As we are currently the only family in our
community, this affords her valuable interaction with children her own age that she would otherwise miss out on to a large degree.
Our vision for educating our young ones is to work on a rotating basis with the other parents in our community teaching the children in
age appropriate groups the basics of math, science, geography, history, and language arts in an interactive form themed around the
environment and conservation. Working on a small scale will allow us to see the unique gifts and talents of each child and encourage
them to expand in those areas. We also believe that creative thinking and imaginative play is crucial to healthy development. In
addition, we envision a program that teaches children from preschool age on up through graduation key life skills like gardening, animal
husbandry, cooking, cleaning and organization.
All community members of every age will be allowed to participate in the workshops, field courses and other learning opportunities
always at the Center.
Holistic Health care
We hope to create a holistic health care system within our community, but this depends largely on who may join us. We envision
herbalists, massage therapists, sages, midwives and naturopathic M.D.'s working together to help all members achieve total health!
There are infinite possibilities for how our community might unfold. As it blossoms we will welcome it's development. Right now our
community is like a tidal pool....an ever changing cast of characters moving through with our family as the hollowed out rock that
catches the tides. Our family teaches and learns beside people from all over the world. But best of all, we are a cohesive family unit- we
spend every day together. A large part of why we decided to leave the comforts of a traditional western lifestyle in the United States is
our desire to have authentic community. Consumerism and financial burden keeps so many families split in a million directions seeking
out success and happiness when the key to both lie within the family. Our children are our future- let us invest all the time we can into
the future!!!
If you feel that you could be a kindred soul and community member please reach out to us! Come visit and learn on our farm through our
volunteer program and we will just see what happens! You never know!!!!
CONTACT US ABOUT OUR ECO-COMMUNITY