Terrific event last night, graciously hosted by East West Bookshop, with nearly 60 in attendance, including representatives from several intentional communities, including the Port Townsend EcoVillage and Clearwater Commons. If you attended on behalf of a community and I missed naming it, add it below in comments–we were so glad to have you there!
This is a very brief overview of what happened–the event was videotaped and we will post excerpts as soon as they become available.
Panelists, including Neal Schindler (Ravenna Kibbutz), Nancy Lanphear (Songaia Cohousing Community), Syd Fredrickson (speaking about her experience at Twin Oaks), Larry Ryder (Ananda Community), and Helen Bennett (Sherwood Co-op), shared their reflections on the material, emotional and spiritual benefits of living in intentional communities, and added their own personal thoughts on how they decided to join one.
The Q&A session following the formal presentations included key questions like economic support, the impact of the recession, how communities deal with difficult residents, whether pets are allowed, decision making processes, and opportunities for people to explore living in an intentional community before actually making the leap.
Susan Gleason of YES Magazine was present and “live-tweeted” the discussion. You can get a flavor of the discussion on her Twitter profile (scan to her entries for March 10).
Thanks to all who made this event possible, particularly new NICA Board member Larry Ryder for helping set up the event at East West Bookstore, bookstore staff, our panelists (including another new NICA Board member, Neal Schindler), and Syd Fredrickson for skillfully moderating the discussion.
