A churning in my soul and a restlessness in my heart signaled to me that I needed a change. I felt the strong call to move to a self-sustaining embodied community from my smaller spiritual community in California.

The three years I spent in Cali were a time of silent retreat and spiritual initiation. Now, I was craving to be warmly engaged with the world through relationships and contributing to a larger vision and mission in a conscious and deliberate way. My chapter was closing in California. I trusted in the void that was my next steps —  the free fall of endless possibility.

Then I found Earthaven and felt pulled to register for the Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend.

When I first arrived in Asheville and we were driving up to Earthaven, I could feel the crystalline energy of the Appalachian mountains, and so much joy and expansion filled my heart and body. Everything was screaming yes! I was pleasantly surprised by how Earthaven was literally in the middle of a forest! The land felt well loved, alive, and thriving compared to the crisp grassy land of California.

There were around 30 people at the Experience Weekend, including a large group who were thinking about starting an intentional community in Ohio. Little did I know that we were going to be creating our own ecosystem during the weekend and that I would connect on many different levels with the people there. I met some incredible people, and we shared stories, songs, visions, and our hearts. I felt an instant connection to the facilitators — NikiAnne, Farmer, and Becky — and their embodied essence and passion for Earthaven. It felt expansive to know that I could grow in this environment where body-based practices, grief and ritual, and connection to nature are celebrated and embraced.

I felt grounded and connected to the land through our hikes together from each neighborhood and I loved exploring the possibilities of how people choose to build their homes and live on the land. The food was delicious and prepared with such love and intention. I loved that the meals were inclusive of everyone’s dietary needs, and created from quality and sustainable whole foods, with some grown on the land. We went on a wild foraging walk with Dimitri; I learned all about the abundant native friends growing on the land and tasted their sweet and intricate notes. I gained knowledge about the building of eco-friendly homes, the governing system, how Earthaven has made consensus decisions for 27 years, and the history and stories of the people.

I knew I had found home when I felt a sense of belonging to this group of people who carried the ultimate vision of a regenerative culture that is receptive to the changing needs of its people and the land that is so cherished and honored. I felt my own growth edge would be challenged here and sensed the expansion that would come with being immersed in this level of connection.

All the stars aligned, you could say, and now I am working for Earthaven’s educational nonprofit two months in, steeping in the unfolding of rich relationships, and joyfully sharing my heart and gifts with the community. I feel so incredibly blessed that Earthaven has welcomed me with such open arms and willing hearts.

The Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend is a great way to become immersed into an intentional community. It gives you a snapshot into what life is like at Earthaven if you decide to make the move. I highly recommend the Experience Weekend or Experience Week if you are interested in gaining a realistic understanding of the challenges of living in a community, as well as basking in the immense abundance and richness that come from building relationships and being together through all the facets of an ecovillage.

Upcoming Offerings:

Earthaven’s School of Integrated Living (SOIL) offers the Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend twice this year: May 27-30 and October 7-10. There’s also a new Earthaven Action Week following experience weekend so you can extend your visit and interact more with the Earthaven community.

I look forward to meeting you there, and giving you a little taste of the embodied essence of Earthaven!

Much love,
Jillian

The post Jillian’s Experience Weekend Adventure appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

“Yes, if the stones that we walked on could talk, they would surely tell our story.”

― Nico J. Genes, Magnetic Reverie

The kick off to this 2022 year has been one of momentum, busyness, expansion, and challenge. It’s been a full season of learning to navigate and hold sacred our energy and time.

With all the forward-moving energy and intensity of this time, I have been given the image of the stone circle over and over again. These stone circles or Stonehenges have been created across the world (including Chapel Hill, NC!), and have been mysterious as to who and what brought them about. These elements of mysticism and connecting to the ancient ways have been a present reminder for me through all the busyness and I wanted to share a little reflection with you.

Circles create boundaries. They create a sacred container. Yet, the gaps between the rocks of a stone circle still invite more to gather. Circles have no beginning and no end. They sustain and hold us in timeless space. They create a sense of togetherness and support to help us remember that we are not alone. Someone will always be facing you in a circle. Circles remind us that others are mirrors reflecting back our own internal landscapes. And circles reflect the cycles of nature and our life – the ebbs and flows, the ups and downs, the busyness and the stillness. The polarity and the infinity.

Rocks are earth. They ground us and hold foundation and structure. They bring us back to the simple ways of being,  without cell phones or tasks to distract us. Rocks return us to embodying our whole and loving selves through the stories they keep. We take on our respective roles as storytellers, healers, wisdom keepers, mystics, poets, song keepers, fire tenders, space holders, earth worshippers, and people of the land – connected by ancestors and the love that resides in each of our essences.

And so, I grieve the loss of the ways of my ancestors – the practices, the foods, the rituals. I grieve the isolation of our cultures, that we live separate from each other and that independence is valued and upheld so strongly. I grieve that connecting to the spiritual realm in our own unique ways is dismissed by our Western minds centered in science, business, and rationalism.

And I celebrate too. I celebrate that we are waking up to the needs of Mother Earth as she screams and retches in pain from the destruction we have caused. I celebrate that more and more hearts yearn to birth new communities around the country and world. I celebrate the hope that I have for the future of humanity in returning to our ancient ways through our current and more conscious lenses.

So I invite you this month to go outside, and with their permission, gather some stones that speak to your soul. Create a stone circle altar in a special place in your home. Allow that circle to remind you to slow down, to breathe, and to center in your energy and Self. Gift yourself the time and space to connect to Spirit and Mother Earth in all the ways that ignite the fire in your soul.

And I call you to remember that you are a sacred and sovereign being that knows how to connect and how to BE love in the infinitude of circles this world brings.

Your fellow mystic and stone whisperer,

Jill Lacasse xx

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I asked around the village to see what other villagers are reading. Deborah Clark recommended Helen Zuman’s book Mating in Captivity, A Memoir. It’s about her experiences in the Zendik Farm cult, which she didn’t know was a cult until she was in it for a while and discovered that her autonomy and self-worth were being eroded by the cult leaders. You might call it a cautionary tale of someone who was very interested in community life and looking for love, but found a distorted version with the Zendiks.

Deborah reports “I’ve actually read the book twice, and it’s really well written — she conveys what happened and her process with a satisfying balance of juicy description and economy: never a wasted word. Somehow she clearly speaks her truth while maintaining some objectivity, portraying the cult leaders as humans and not monsters. It was particularly interesting to me because I had read about the Zendiks and was curious about their ‘community,’ and also knew someone else who had gotten out (he was there at the same time Helen was). It was especially juicy the second time I read it, because by then I had gotten to know Helen as a dear friend, but I think the book would be of interest to anyone who is interested in the topics of community, cults, and personal transformation.”

Spoiler alert: Helen survived the cult, did some good healing and processing, or as she would say “composting” of her experiences, and went on to be a successful writer, activist, and entrepreneur, and now has a regular podcast called Chocolate Church.

Bruce Johnston is reading a book called Shame: How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country by Shelby Steele.

Bruce reports “The book is about how America’s ‘culture wars’ began in the 1960s, when America finally became accountable for its treatment of Black Americans, and then for imperialism, sexism, and so forth. The book argues a schism in American life has come from that awareness and the loss of moral authority that white America experienced as a consequence of that awareness. The book contends that this cultural war has prevented sensible policy in many areas of life and has generated an avoidance of principled discussion around sensitive topics like race and gender, mostly because American institutions still feel that they lack the moral authority to do so. I recommend it because it is a point of view on these topics that I rarely hear: unconventional, delightfully practical, humanistic, and relatively free of ideology.”

And our elder Arjuna da Silva is reading a book that’s 50 years old, but not yet known — The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes. She says that it’s a radical and amazing investigation of the more likely evolution of human thought and consciousness based on ancient texts that have apparently rarely been seen in these lights. She recommends it for people interested in evolution, consciousness, or healing.

What are you reading? If there’s a book you’d like to share, please share it in the comments.

The post Books we’re reading appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

As COVID-19 continues to distort our once-familiar realities, many people—residents of Earthaven included—are asking questions about systemic uncertainty. Food security is, quite naturally, at the top of many folks’ lists.

Check out some of the initiatives taking place in and around Earthaven with an eye toward food security. Some of these projects were already in existence and others are in direct response to COVID-19.

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On July 5th, a group of residents and neighbors gathered for a Food Interdependence Discussion Series. The series featured four sessions for discussion, as well as identifying actions. The sessions were created based on interests expressed on a community email list.

The mission of the Stock the Pantry Initiative is to establish and maintain a supply of nonperishable food for a community-owned, six-month emergency food stock. The project plans to include about 50 different items such as various grains, beans, nuts, seeds, flours, and dried fruits.

The Canned Bean Collective, which started before the pandemic, grew out of the project generator’s desire to reduce waste and to foster more thrift. The idea is to have the convenience of opening a jar of home-canned beans instead of trying to remember to soak dry beans a day ahead.

Tricia and her family, who live on land adjacent to Earthaven, created space for this work on their homestead because, “it feels very tribal and ancestral to work with others to put up food together and is a great way to have social connection and accomplish tasks.” A team of nine people meet in different configurations twice monthly for two to three hours. In July and August alone, they have put up over 120 quarts of beans.

Veggie Ladies is two years old and was created by a farmer to meet increased labor demands, while also promoting connection among women. She leads a weekly four-hour work party of six women. The women put in a small amount of money for seeds and supply ongoing labor in exchange for a portion of the harvests.

In a similar cooperative model, Bread and Butter Farm has a joint venture to build up corn production for high quality winter animal fodder. Community member Bruce puts up the seed, and supplies labor in planting and weeding, while the farm lends a portion of their field for the growing. The farm will use half the green corn for silage, and Bruce will use the rest for his own purposes.

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Add value to your and your loved ones’ lives by spending quality time in nature… observing, playing, laughing, and exploring. Below are nature adventures and activities as well as some perspective from Lia Grippo, Reaching Nature Connection Conference Instructor and our colleagues at Wilderness Youth Project. Have fun!

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“If we want our children to have the courage, creativity, wisdom, and care for the planet that will most certainly be required of them, we must give them the opportunity to fall in love with Nature before we ask them to save it.”

~ Lia Grippo, Reaching Nature Connection Conference Instructor and Co-Director of the Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers

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Adventure: Look up!

Take a wander and keep your gaze up as much as possible. Try not to look at the ground. This is a time to notice the clouds, undersides of trees, flying birds, (maybe stars and a moon). So much is going on all around us so much of the time, it is good to remember to change our vantage.

Activity: Flower Pressing

Flowers are abundant this time of year and there is no better time to press them. Plus, when summer comes, they’ll be dried and ready to do crafts with! Gather flowers on a sunny day when there is no dew or mist on the flowers, and then choose one of the following:

• In an old phone book: Lay flowers between pieces of printer paper or newspaper, then put a book on top of the stack and leave them for at least a few days.
• Make your own cardboard press: instructions on the Wilderness Youth Project resource portal!

Send us photos of your journey! We’d love to see them and share with others in the Earthaven and Wilderness Youth Project communities.

The post The Value of Happiness and Connection appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

On June 11, 2020, fourteen Earthaven members and neighbors formed the Earthaven Valley Business Savings Loan Pool – the first savings loan pool at Earthaven and the first savings loan pool formed with the mentorship of Co-operate WNC.

In a savings loan pool, a group of people saves money and loans it to other pool members. In our case, the pool intends to support existing and forming businesses in the valley. In addition to providing a source of interest-free loans and a way to invest in our community, members support each other through mentorship and peer review of project plans.

Savings loan pools are a common form of mutual aid, practiced all around the world. In North Carolina, many savings loan pools provided a way for Black people to save and pool their funds when they didn’t have access to commercial credit. Our savings pool project was catalyzed by Co-operate WNC, a non-profit organization dedicated to harnessing cooperative economics and ecological design.

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Dear Earthaven Family,

Awareness is at the core of community. Usually we write to you with inspiration to deepen connections to each other and the natural world. As a predominantly white community, we write to you today with a different awareness:

• Of our privilege, of the structures of institutionalized racism and anti-blackness
• Of the ways the intentional community and environmental movements support internalized racism
• Of the limits and barriers to access to nature and land ownership for Black people, Indigenous people, and other People of Color

Along with many of you, we’ve spent these past weeks feeling and processing the pain and rage felt across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. We recognize that until people of color are safe in all communities, no people are safe in any community. Our voices are not the most important ones, but our vocal solidarity is essential.

To the Black members of our global community: We see you, we support you, and we stand by you.

For the past few years, we at Earthaven have been thinking deeply about our responsibilities in working towards being a more just and equitable community. We are committed to making Earthaven a safe place for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color to visit, study, and live. We will keep striving to be an anti-racist community. Click here to learn about Earthaven’s commitment to partnership culture, to racial and gender equity, and against oppression in all its forms.

To the white people in our global community, we invite you to hold yourselves accountable alongside us. Confronting racism is so much more than any one donation, email, or social media post — it’s urgent, life-long work. To continue to educate ourselves about systemic and structural racism and engage in effective action, we encourage you to explore the list of resources below. 

We also want to share that Earthaven’s doors are open to visitors for tours and events again. Our first public tour is this Saturday, June 13. If you need some inspiration — a demonstration of what’s possible amid all the chaos and insanity of the world — or simply some human and nature connection, please make a date to come by for a visit or deep learning experience.

Last, but not least, we invite you to practice true self-care and well-being, particularly in stressful times. True self-care reduces harm and is a revolutionary act. When we care for ourselves, it’s care for the community. In support of personal and collective well-being, in our resource list below, we’re highlighting Black and POC herbalists and naturalists sharing their passions and gifts with the world. Let’s remember to engage and partner with the natural world and all our plant allies.

This moment feels particularly different from those in times past. May this mean that we are headed to real, long-lasting positive change. As Maya Angelou put it, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” May it be so!

Take care of yourself and each other.

Resources to Heal our Communities

––––––––––––––––––––  LEARN  ––––––––––––––––––––

A Black Women’s History of the United States 

by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross

How to be an Antiracist

by Ibram X. Kendi

Racial Equity Institute’s Groundwater Workshop 

A corrective history of the United States to better understand systemic and structural racism

The 1619 Project,  the Pulitzer Prize winning series by Nikole Hannah-Jones

A history of slavery in North America

Scene on Radio podcast “Seeing White”

About the origins of the dehumanizing construct of race

Trevor Noah of The Daily Show

Regarding George Floyd, the Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery, and Amy Cooper

13th

A thought-provoking documentary in which scholars, activists, and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom

––––––––––––––––––––  DONATE  ––––––––––––––––––––

Outdoor Afro, Latino Outdoors, BLISS Meadows,

Wild Earth, Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust

Organizations that endeavor to reclaim the connection of Black and Brown Americans to nature, farms, and food systems, and to ensure the safety and comfort of communities of color in the outdoors

The Bail Project

A critical tool to prevent incarceration and combat racial and economic disparities in the bail system

NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund

Fighting for Racial Justice

Rootwork Herbals – The People’s Medicine Project: Reclamation

Contribute to the movement of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color reclaiming their access to Herbal Medicine

TO FIND AND SUPPORT BLACK HERBALISTS, these wonderful folks can help:
@alysonsimplygrows @herbanhealing @indyofficinalis @empresskarenmrose @thehillbillyafrican@countrygentlemancooks  Olatokunboh Obasi

––––––––––––––––––––  FRIEND + FOLLOW  ––––––––––––––––––––

Red Table Talk

Tackling current social and cultural issues with an intergenerational perspective.

#AskaBlackBirder  @dcblacknaturalist  #BlackWomenWhoBird  #BirdingWhileBlack

Nature connection resources from organizations led by Black naturalists

–––––––– SUPPORT BLACK, INDIGENOUS + POC ENTREPRENEURS  ––––––––

Cherokee Moon Mixology

Rebuilding and appreciating culture through traditional food ways

Anima Mundi Apothecary

Committed to bridging ancient remedies to the modern world

* Receive 15% off this week (10% of proceeds will be given to NAACP and other causes owned and operated by the Black community.) APPLY CODE: BLACKLIVESMATTER

The post Black Lives Matter – Resources to Heal our Communities appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

Have you ever heard of carbon trading or carbon markets? In our Converging Paths segment, we’ll learn about a fresh new take on this idea that will empower individuals, organizations, and farmers in Western North Carolina to take a different kind of environmental action.

Co-operate WNC—a regional mutual aid project for a regenerative future, led by Earthaven member Zev Friedman—is rolling out its newest initiative this spring. This offshoot, the Carbon Harvest program, is coordinated by Asheville resident, ecological designer, and educator, Mari Stuart.

Here’s how it works:

• Western North Carolina farmers participate as test sites. They put agroforestry practices to use to more actively build healthy soil, plus sequester carbon.
• Individuals, businesses, and organizations desiring to be more proactive in lowering emissions use funds to support these regional farms.

And voila, everybody wins! The money stays local, accountability is personal, environmental impact is concrete, and all of it is connected to nourishment through food. This regional model for carbon markets is markedly different from what is currently in existence, which tends to move resources on a global scale and between much larger entities.

One of the key features in the design process of the Carbon Harvest program is the organization of stakeholder gatherings. These sessions invite feedback based on the day-to-day reality of the various stakeholders, so that the organizational model works for everyone involved.

Earlier in the month, there was a stakeholder gathering for innovators and researchers. On February 27, there will be a Learning Circle and potluck. At the Organic Growers School Conference March 7 & 8, Zev and Mari will be presenting.

Co-operate WNC aims to have the pilot sites and initial participating entities set up by the end of 2020. For more information about this regional initiative, contact Mari at mari.j.stuart@gmail.com

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If you see us smiling broadly these days, it’s because in January 2019 we finally finished our legal restructuring process, underway since we learned the severity of our financial/legal structure issues in 2010. Now every Earthaven member and our entire 329-acre mountain property are safer and more secure legally than when the first site lease was issued in 1999.

Since we couldn’t accept new Earthaven members until we fixed the problem, there has been a membership moratorium since 2012. Fortunately, many people waited until they could join us officially, and in the last six months seven wonderful young people became full members. More reason for our broad smiles.

Here’s what happened, and here’s how we resolved it.

Earthaven has been “building the road as we travel” – with our physical, social, and legal infrastructure. Our founders started out with a legal structure that was intended for us to own the land together, lease homesites from the community, and own our own homes. This approach was based on unregistered 99-year leases. In 2010, a critical mass of people became aware of potential issues with this approach, which could leave the community and members legally vulnerable. After our initial shock and dismay, and dawning understanding that we had a serious situation, we got down to work. We spent years of intense researching and learning, negotiating, and deciding. Little by little we agreed on what we needed to do, with the hard work and leadership of the late Kimchi Rylander, Geoffrey Stone, Martha Harris, Debbie Lienhart, and many others.

Over 2018 and early 2019 we created 12 different 10+ acre neighborhood parcels. Ten parcels are owned by associations of Earthaven members, either through a housing cooperative or an LLC (Limited Liability Company), one is owned by an individual member, and one is owned as a 501©3 nonprofit. These are:

1. Gateway Neighborhood and Farm LLC
2. Persimmon Grove Neighborhood Housing Co-op (formerly Forest Garden neighborhood)
3. Hut Hamlet Housing Co-op
4. Hickory Knob (owned by an individual)
5. Village Terraces Housing Co-op
6. Bellavia Gardens Housing Co-op
7. Medicine Wheel Collective, a 501©3 nonprofit
8. Hawk Holler Housing Co-op
9. Feathervev LLC (Lower Rosy Branch neighborhood)
10. Dancing Shiva LLC (formerly Loving Acres neighborhood)
11. Chestnut Housing Co-op (comprised of two adjacent neighborhoods, Upper Rosy Branch and Piney Knob)

Each neighborhood is a member of the Earthaven Homeowners Association (HOA), which owns the approximately 200 acres of common land. The HOA builds and maintains the roads and bridges on our shared common land.

Owning our property this way means that our residential areas are not subject to our county subdivision regulations and, as individuals and as a community, we have far less legal liability than we did before. Another feature of our new way of co-owning Earthaven property is that it may be more applicable and helpful to other intentional communities than the legal structure we used before. Also, using three different kinds of legal entities to own neighborhood parcels — housing co-ops, LLCs, and a 501©3 nonprofit — can help us learn how each legal entity works best for Earthaven and other intentional communities.

Most Earthaven neighborhood members are also members of the Earthaven Community Association (ECA), a newly created legal entity (a “nonexempt nonprofit”) that doesn’t own any property but manages some of our physical infrastructure and all other aspects of community life — our website, visitor program, tours, alternative currency, membership process, non-member residents, work exchangers, rituals, celebrations, social and cultural events, and so on.

“Most legal entities,” observes Debbie Lienhart, who managed our legal restructuring for the last several years, “have tax-related restrictions on how they get money, what they spend it on, and/or whether they need to make a profit. The cool thing about the new ECA legal structure is that we can earn and spend its money on anything we want within its very broad mission, as long as we pay taxes.” We still have an associated 501(c)3 non-profit — Culture’s Edge — for accepting tax-deductible contributions that can be used for Earthaven’s charitable and educational activities.

The young people who recently “jumped” into full Earthaven membership are Sara Carter, Liz Diaz, NikiAnne Feinberg, Zev Friedman, Carmen Lescher, Dimitri Magiasis, and Travis Robb. The Provisional Members we anticipate “jumping” soon are Sam Del Veccio, Rachel Fee, Julia Taylor, and Gabriel Vieira. Many of these new members have taken on leadership roles to manage our new legal entities — another reason for our smiles.

Diana Leafe Christian has been an Earthaven member since 2002 and is a member of Persimmon Grove Neighborhood. Author of Creating a Life Together, she leads workshops and webinars and speaks at conferences on community topics worldwide. Connect with Diana directly via her website.

The post Legal at Last appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

Do you long for community? Do you want to live in a place where kids play together in front yards and adults hang out on front porches? Well, you can, starting with where you live right now. You don’t have to live in an intentional community to have community. 

Community isn’t the sort of thing you just plan, but something that organically emerges if you keep showing up and reaching out to your neighbors. As Wendell Berry puts it, “A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other’s lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other, the freedom with which they come and go among themselves.”

In honor of Earthaven’s 25th Anniversary, which takes place on September 11th, we’d like to share 25 ways you can build community starting in your own neighborhood.

1. Get to know your neighbors. If you can’t name more than a neighbor or two, it’s time to introduce yourself. Even if you’ve lived in your home for a while, simply smile and say, “Hey, I’ve been meaning to introduce myself…”
2. Hang out on your porch or in your front yard. It’s hard to get to know your neighbors if you don’t ever see them. Just by being out in front of your house you can give off a welcoming vibe that encourages interaction.
3. Be respectful of your neighbors. Don’t be that person. Clean up after your dog and keep it leashed when out walking. Be aware of any disturbing noise levels that you are creating and respect property boundaries.
4. Organize a block party. This one involves a little work, but if you share the coordinating duties with other neighbors and keep it simple (at least that first year), a block party is an easy and fun way to get to know your neighbors.
5. Build a community garden. This is a time-tested way to promote community interaction in your neighborhood as well as share in the bounty of fresh veggies.
6. Host a backyard movie night. Treat the neighborhood to your favorite movie. You might want to keep it PG rated–it will be outdoors, after all.
7. Create a formalized tool-sharing program. Sure, you can just ask Pat next door if you can borrow their drill, but consider establishing a more formal tool-sharing program to get everyone involved. My Turn is an online lending library management system that can get you started. Or check out Streetbank to see if your neighbors are already participating.
8. Welcome new families. Bring them a traditional baked goodie or a list of your favorite local restaurants and businesses, perhaps a stack of your favorite take-out menus wrapped up in ribbon.
9. Establish a neighborhood watch program. These programs can be one of the most effective deterrents to neighborhood crime.
10. Celebrate Neighbor Day. Check out National Neighbor Day (coming up Sept 28) website where they provide tools and suggestions on how to engage your neighbors in a good way.
11. Host a regular monthly gathering, same time, no RSVP needed. The idea can be simple: provide soup, neighbors can bring a baguette or drink to share, and their own bowl. The key is to keep it the same time every month and no RSVP necessary.
12. Start a neighborhood book club. When you only have to walk two houses over, it is a lot easier to participate. Or if that feels like too much commitment, consider something slightly different like an “articles club.”
13. Shovel your neighbor’s sidewalk when it snows, especially if it is difficult for them. If your neighbors are older or perhaps just going through a hard time with a new baby or sickness, spend a few extra minutes to clear their sidewalk too. This is no small gesture.
14. Support your neighborhood schools. Even if you don’t have children at the school, it’s important to remember that the local school is also a member of the community and can greatly impact the neighborhood, positively or negatively. If you can attend an event, you’re helping the school as well as getting to know your neighbors at a fun community event.
15. Address concerns or issues directly with your neighbor. Don’t let a problem fester and escalate. Rather than immediately calling authorities to report a problem, first try to work it out with your neighbor directly.
16. Buy locally. You will not only see and interact with your neighbors at the local businesses and along the way, but you will also get to know your other neighbors—the local business owners and employees.
17. Support our youngest entrepreneurs by buying the neighbor kids’ lemonade. Encourage the initiative and resourcefulness of the young by buying what they are selling. Be that person for the neighborhood kids.
18. Treat your neighbors to a front-yard concert. Music has always been something that brings people together. Check out Boulder’s Mapleton PorchFest for inspiration.
19. Share your skills. Are you tech savvy? Perhaps you can sew or like to tinker with cars. Your neighbors would love for you to share these skills with them, either by teaching them or just helping on a one-time basis. Skill-sharing banks are popping up in neighborhoods across the country. See how this Ohio community is using this as a way for neighbors to share their valuable skills.
20. Coordinate a neighborhood yard sale. Garage sale, tag sale, yard sale…whatever name you go by, this is a good way to clear out your home’s clutter and help your neighbor do the same.
21. Start a networking group. Like the old Sesame Street song goes, you just never know “who are the people in your neighborhood, the people who you meet each day.” One of them just might be the perfect person for you to connect with professionally. Who knows? Your next position or client could be as close as the neighbor who lives four houses down. Meet up at a neighborhood coffee shop and publicize the networking group on your community board to cast a wider net in the neighborhood.
22. Let your neighbors know when you will be out of town and ask them to contact you or the police if anything is suspicious. You don’t need a formalized neighborhood watch program to keep the neighborhood safe. If you ask your neighbors, they will likely ask you in turn, which helps to keep the neighborhood safe for everyone.
23. Welcome new little ones to the neighborhood. The ritual of welcome is a powerful one. We feel a sense of belonging when we are welcomed. Let’s begin from the moment we are born.
24. Drive like your children live here…because they do! We all like to live in vibrant, bustling neighborhoods, but this means people, especially kids, need to feel safe when walking or biking around.
25. Connect online to connect offline. Websites like Next Door have created whole new online neighborhoods, but it’s important to remember to not use these sites in place of actually getting to know our neighbors in real life. So, go ahead and create that neighborhood Facebook group page, but be sure to use it to encourage offline interaction.

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