The three books Nonviolent Communication, Roberta's Rules of Order and Creating a Life Together, are recommended to forming communities.
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We the People: Consenting to a Deeper Democracy, A Guide to Sociocratic Principles and Methods
by John Buck and Sharon Villines
We the People is a comprehensive presentation of the history, principles, and theory of sociocracy. It also includes "how to" information, reprints of historical texts, several guides to meeting processes, a glossary, and a bibliography.
Sociocracy is a method of governing organizations that produces more effective and harmonious decision-making in both businesses and associations. It ensures inclusiveness, accountability, and transparency while it increases productivity.
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Journey: New Earthship Coffee Table Book
by Michael Reynolds
Color plates, stories, thoughts and history of the Earthship Concept
Many people all over the planet know of Earthships. But few really know what they are and fewer still know what the effort is really all about. Some think they are just buildings made of old tires - “what a neat idea” - they think. Others think they are solar buildings made of recycled materials - “great”. Still others are aware of the fact that they are an attempt (getting quite successful) at making totally sustainable homes from by-products of our society. Even this is still an incomplete understanding.
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Breathing Life Through Dance – creative empowerment
by Aubrey Stephens
Breathing Life Through Dance is a visual tribute to the courage and determination of today’s youth, and honors the parents, mentors, and members of the community who make a positive difference in the lives of our children.
This fine art photographic book includes over 100 pictures of young dancers, aged 6 years and older, accompanied by inspirational quotes and by testimonials from the dancers themselves.
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Life, Money & Illusion – Living on Earth as if we want to stay
by Mike Nickerson
"Life" refers to the biological processes by which living things maintain themselves over time, "Money" to the present economic ideology that says that as long as the volume of money changing hands increases, all will be well. "Illusion" refers to the fact that these two perspectives are directly opposed in terms of how they would solve current problems.
Life, Money & Illusion tracks how economic patterns change as the communities they serve grow from extended families, through local populations and nations, to global civilization. While there are advantages to large-scale production, the potential for participants to be alienated from each other and from the natural environment grows with the size of the system. With alienation come opportunities for unfortunate advantages to be taken.
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Nonviolent Communication: A language of life
by Marshall B. Rosenberg
Published by PuddleDancer Press
This book is a complete presentation of the process of NVC. Enjoy powerful and satisfying relationships in all areas of your life with this complete presentation. New chapter on Self-Empathy. Forward by Arun Gandhi. Newly revised index. 240 pages, second edition.
Order this book online: from cnvc bookstore in California or
from amazon.ca
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Soulhaven
by Gisele Bedard
This book relates a wonderful and intimate journey of one person's quest for greater understanding.
Visit the website: Soulhaven
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Roberta's rules of order: A guide for nonprofits and other teams
by Alice Collier Cochran
Published by Jossey-Bass
This book challenges anyone who runs meetings to retire Robert's Rules of Order and adopt simpler, friendlier, and more effective method for conducting meetings - Roberta's Rules of order. It defines if and when consensus is appropriate for making decisions, and shows how to reach for concordance or substantial agreement when consensus is an obstacle.
It also explains how to balance face-to-face meetings with modern media.
Who is Robert and why do we still follow his rules anyway? Henry M. Robert has a military background with the U.S. Army. His rules made a good deal of sense in the late 1800's and contributed to the protection of the rights of individuals until today, with rigid rules.
Cochran succeeds in what she sets out to do: Provide a less formal, more feminine, and flexible approach. She replaces formality with informality; strict rules with guidelines and agreements; parliamentary procedure with democratic principles and processes; language of the 1800s with that of today; military terminology with civilian terminology; one-size fits all with flexibility, by culture; a framework designed for English and European males with that for a pluralistic society; win-lose voting with win-win decisions; a decision between two choices with straw polls and multiple choices; highly controlled and constrained meetings with those that are relaxed; and complicated with simple. I've saved perhaps the two greatest contributions for special mention: Roberta's Rules of Order replaces debate with dialog, and she puts the motion AFTER a discussion of the problem and its solution, where it belongs.
Order this book online: from amazon.ca
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Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community
 by Diana Leafe Christian
Finding Community is a well-written handbook that will help those reading it research, visit and evaluate potential community homes in terms of what is best for their own well being. Case studies, anecdotes and other resources make this a must-read for serious community-seekers.
The need to belong makes finding community imperative for many people. The isolation that is a feature of modern life creates a hunger for deeper connection. Finding Community offers resources and tools for those who are searching for a better way of life.
Offering equal measures of solid information and common-sense advice delivered with a humorous touch, this is the ultimate guide to finding a home in an intentional community or ecovillage.
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Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities
by Diana Leafe Christian
An overview of the process of forming new ecovillages and intentional communities, gleaned from founders of dozens of successful communities in North America formed since the early ’90s. It distills their hard experience into solid advice on getting started as a group, creating vision documents, decision-making and governance, agreements and policies, buying and financing land, creating sustainable site plans, communication and process, and selecting people to join you. It includes sample vision documents and sample community agreements. It’s what works, what doesn’t work, and how not to reinvent the wheel.
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small is beautiful: economics as if people mattered
by E.F. Schumacher
Published by Hartley & Marks
Small is Beautiful is the perfect antidote to the economics of globalization. It is a landmark set of essays on humanistic economics.
The author observes that there are inherent thresholds in the scale of human activity that, when surpassed, produce effects that subtract from if not destroy the quality of all life.
Order this book online:from amazon.ca
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Silent Partners: an eco-spiritual adventure
Silent Partners is said to be a parable of events unfolding around the globe. International reviews hail it as an equal to Celestine Prophecy. Environmentalists are encouraged by its perspective and emphasise on solutions.
Setting the action in Ecological and Spiritual Communities in Canada, the US and New Zealand gives the story a refreshing slant and shows how we can live sustainably with all living things.
Although written as a fictional story, Silent Partners is non Fiction, whose sole purpose is to reach the subconscious mind of the readers, where all the answers lie. This book awakens the memory of what we already know to be true and serves as a reward to those who hold similar visions.
Visit the website: Soulhaven
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Solar Living Source Book,from Real Goods.
The very best all around source for technical information on all aspects of green energies in the home.
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EcoVillage Living - Restoring the Earth and Her People
An excellent guide to sharing the community experience without being there.
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Communities Directory
A guide to starting your community, from FIC.
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Garbage Warrior - DVD
Garbage Warrior (Oliver Hodge, UK, 2006; 85m) tells the story of Michael Reynolds, a renegade environmental architect striving to build sustainable off-the-grid housing communities. Using beer cans, abandoned auto tires and disposable water bottles, among other materials, Reynolds creates environmental “earthships,” but not without conflict with the mainstream architectural bureaucracy. But after the catastrophic tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the need for self-sufficient housing is all the more pressing.
Visit the website www.garbagewarrior.com
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The Fight for True Farming - DVD
In her documentary The Fight for True Farming, Ève Lamont questions the future of our agriculture. Filmed in Canada, France and the US, it shows grim lucidity but also irrepressible hope. Driven by the forces of globalization, agribusiness is harming the environment and threatening the survival of farms. A current of resistance, bringing together farmers and consumers, insists that it is possible and imperative to produce our food on a human scale, to consume locally, to honor biodiversity and methods respectful of mother nature.
Visit the website of the National Film Board (NFB) to order a DVD of this documentary.
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