Heathcote Community, my home, is an intentional community in Northern Maryland. We have come together to live cooperatively and sustainably, and to share what we learn with others. We are not a "free-love hippie commune", nor are we a militaristic, religious cult. We are ordinary people who strive to "walk the talk" regarding our individual ideas of ecological sustainability, personal interaction, and personal growth.

Part of our vision is to eat a vegetarian, organic diet. Some of us are animal rights activists. Some of us want to eat lower on the food chain, thereby requiring fewer of earth's resources. Some of us want to save money by eating vegetarian. By living in community, we daily learn from our combined diversity.

We have a small orchard and vineyard, an ever-expanding organic garden, and we participate in a local organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group. The concept of a CSA is interesting. Members of a CSA purchase a "share" before the start of the growing season and thereby participate in some of the risk inherent in growing food, as well as enjoy getting fresh local produce as it comes into season. The farmers use the share money to produce as much food as possible. Typically, members of a CSA are at first overwhelmed by the quantity and variety of vegetables that they get for their money. Then they learn to eat more veggies!

Most people who come to live in an intentional community seem to have strong interests in ecology, personal growth, cooperation, and peaceful social transformation -- pursuing the work necessary to change destructive attitudes and behaviors often taken for granted in the prevailing culture. Vegetarianism is one aspect of this for our community. At Heathcote, we try to conciously look at all aspects of our lives and work toward creating a more sustainable existence for all of us.

One of the tools for doing this is permaculture, a philosophy and tool for creating a sustainable environment by integrating the diversity, stability, and resilience found in natural systems into our everyday lives. Permaculture provides a holistic view of sustainability including food, shelter, water, nutrient cycling, energy, technology, economics, and social systems.

For example, our garden was created using waste cardboard as mulch and nourished by compost from our leftovers and garden waste, local manure, and local straw (nutrient cycling). It is watered using roof catchment and a nearby stream, rather than pumping water from underground. We take advantage of the sun's energy by orienting our beds and cold frames to the south. Growing our own food has economic benefits (especially when we save seeds!) and the social benefits of interacting as we work together.

Chris Newlon, author of the cohousing article, and I have put together the sidebar references for more information on community living. If you'd like to visit Heathcote Community, are interested in learning more about our educational activites, including the July 1997 Permaculture Design Course, or want to discuss intentional communities, please give us a call at (410)343-DIRT, or e-mail me at lfelch@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu.