“I believe that the community – in the fullest sense: a place and all its creatures – is the smallest unit of health and that to speak of the health of an isolated individual is a contradiction in terms.” Wendell Berry
Update July 2020
After several years of fine tuning our community living experiments, and just missing a large piece of land for a multi-home community in Marin County, the pandemic moved us back to Hawaii where for us the stars aligned on the north shore of Kaua’i – itself an unusual and diverse community in one of the most amazing natural environments on the planet.
If you are interested in visiting us for a month or longer, please introduce yourself by email to onealfamilia@gmail.com
Update January 2018
Exploring the San Francisco Bay Area. After looking around for several years we are seriously considering locations for an intentional residential community. Our Values and Practices pages on this site help describe what it might be like. To quickly get a sense of our aspirations, Sirius Community is an established project with the closest vision to ours that we’ve seen.
We’re exploring ways 6-10 “residences” (perhaps a large “deconstructed” home) could be created with the underlying land owned by a trust.
Update August 2017
Madrid News – As of late December/January 1, 2018 the 1-3 bedroom main floor unit in our five unit prototype community is opening up for a short or long-term sublet. Click here to see photos of the Main Home & Grounds We are heading back to the San Francisco Bay Area next.
Update June 2017
Website Update – changes to the “Values” page and newly added “Influences” page. Consider everything a work in progress – a “draft.”
Update May 2017
Wanted: Part-Time Teachers for an experimental after-school program in Madrid that integrates mindfulness practices into the curriculum.
We’re looking for part-time teachers from the mindfulness practice community to help create summer, holiday, after-school and weekend educational programs for children ages 3 and up.
A good example of an inspiring program that uses mindfulness practices is this project: Mindful Music They use music and reflection tools to teach awareness, attention and teamwork skills. Another inspiring program is Yoguitos who are leading a summer camp program on site.
We’re open to all ideas. This may include music, art, dance, movement, drama, sports, and emotional intelligence building activities.
There is currently a Montessori style “Mother of the Day” school on the property for up to six children age 1 to 3. Sonrisas Montessori.
We see an immediate need for an after-school program that could be operated for up to 12 children in our newly completed multipurpose space and lawn area. It would be on weekdays from 4pm to 6pm starting in September.
If you live in or near Madrid and have educational ideas that you’d like to share or experiment with, please contact us for a visit.
Update April 2017
Our Madrid Prototype Project is progressing well and we welcome visitors. We’re almost full with about 15 individuals (a family of 5, 4-6 “woofers”, 2 apartments for guests, and an additional studio (now a Mamá de Día Montessori school) staying on the property at any point in time. We encourage interested people and families to live within walking or biking distance (or a very short commute) so they can be part of our community and regularly join us. As we are in a city, there are many nearby housing options within just a few city blocks.
Expansion Possibilities:
- 1200, 1600 and 90,000 square meter empty lots nearby away that could be available for more farming.
Update October 2016
We’ve secured an unusual 5 unit property in the center of Madrid, Spain on three adjacent sunny lots and are opening it to short and long term residents interested in helping create and maintain an urban organic farm. It will be a demonstration project like this farm in Los Angeles.
In addition to a large 3 bedroom main unit, there are three large studios, and a small three bedroom apartment. There is about 300 square meters of outdoor growing space, a swimming pool, and another 200 square meters of unused light industrial/multi-use space with 4 meter high ceilings. There are a number of unbuilt lots within walking distance should we need more growing space.
If you are interested in living with us as a community member and/or “WOOFER,” please free to Contact us.
Initial Update August 2016
After three years living, generally as locals, in various parts of Thailand (Mae Sarieng, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and Koh Yao Noi) we’ve decided to return to the West to raise our three children who are now 3, 3, and 1.
The purpose of this website is to lay out a vision for community living, attract interested people, and then connect them together and share best practices in an effort to make something happen. It will take time, likely years. Like a start-up, it is important to get a good team in place with all the crucial skill sets covered, without which we can all waste a lot of time and energy. Based on responses to date, there seems to be building interest in several areas of the world. Eventually, we’ll begin connecting these folks using an online discussion tool such as Loomio or Slack.
- Europe – Spain, the UK, and Ireland.
- The US East Coast – from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.
- The US/Canadian West Coast – From Monterey, CA to Vancouver, BC.
- New Zealand and Australia.
It Takes A Community... 