Won Possible Futures Contest!

Sat, 1 Oct 2011 12:51:51 -0500

We humbly announce that so many of our fans LOVED the video we made for the Kickstarter campaign, that you all voted it the #1 Video in the first annual Possible Futures Film Contest!  
In gratitude!

The Full Spectrum of Sharing

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:29:05 -0500

The beauty of all the sharing we witnessed was that each effort contributed to the overall sustainability of the community and thereby the planet. For example, if two families who live side-by-side share one lawnmower, that’s one less lawnmower that needs to be manufactured (saving resources), purchased (saving money), brought home or delivered (saving fossil fuels), stored (saving space in the garage or shed) and maintained (saving time and additional resources). However, it also creates a natural need for neighbors to interact, collaborate, work through their differences, develop agreements, trust and responsible stewardship of the item being shared. 
For the non-material items we witnessed people were sharing, such as time working in one another’s gardens, or helping care for children, it in essence was the opposite motivation and outcome than the material. When I share time with you, working side-by-side on a project such as planting your garden, we are thereby developing relational sustainability, trust, agreements, etc. And as a secondary benefit, we naturally begin to share material items such as the garden tools, gloves, soil, cuttings from the plants, seed swapping and the like.     Possible Risks to Sharing
Many people indicated that of course the risk in developing extensive systems and agreements around sharing was when one person or family did NOT choose to follow through on the agreement. For example, in the community we live in - Hummingbird - one family loaned a generator to another years ago and it broke down. Now, years later the generator has still not been fixed or replaced and therefore both families don’t have the use of this helpful tool.
Nonetheless, through this experience, the two families have since had the opportunity to work through their differences, develop new more solid agreements for the future, and get to a new level of honesty in the relationships.

Tips for Developing Self-Responsible Sharing Systems in Your Community
• Decide what you wish to share - it’s okay to start small and build up to sharing as much as possible.
• Create clear agreements with your neighbors, such as how long the item can be out of it’s place, who is responsible if the item breaks down during the borrowers use, etc.
• Consider creating a small ‘sharing fee pot’ for collectively maintaining all shared items. This is not a per-use feel, but rather a monthly or annual fee that goes into one shared pot in case items require maintenance.
• As part of the process of sharing things, time and other items, spend some time once a month or so practicing self-responsible communication together. This could be in the form of an NVC practice group, studying these self-responsible healing communication agreements together, or collectively reviewing your agreements on a monthly basis.

May the sharing begin!!!

What is the Secret Ingredient in Community?

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:40:39 -0600

At first we wondered if talking about “spirituality” would turn people off of this project, or, like politics and other sometimes divisive topics, would cause you and the future audience of our film, to close off to the message. However, it has become clear over time that “Reaching Within” or finding that place within yourself that connects deeply with truth, beauty, love, compassion, and all the qualities that are so helpful when we seek deeper connection with one another and the natural world. We don’t need to call it “spirituality”, but that is the word that feels right for us at this time.
So, developing these inner qualities, goodness, God-like qualities, whatever word you wish to give it, allows us to more easily recognize those qualities in others around us; and if we are open, we can allow them to help us see that in ourselves. Many of our interviewees talk about the “mirroring” that occurs when they move into community, or create deeper connections in their own existing neighborhoods. Intimacy can also be thought of as Into-Me-See, and sometimes this can be difficult in the short-term...recognizing areas where we need to forgive ourselves, where we haven’t been in integrity, etc. It’s sometimes easier to see the fault in others, or I find myself projecting how I really feel about myself, onto other people. The mirroring effect that occurs more readily in community helps us to iron out these rough spots with more grace. Instead of sweeping my blind spots under the rug, they become more visible and I have to, not GET to, embrace them more immediately and more fully.
So, since moving to Hummingbird May 30, 2010, I have already had the opportunity to embrace certain parts of myself that I used to think were “bad” or “not so pretty”, and thanks to the focus on living a spiritual life here in community, I can now wrap those parts of myself in love, AND feel the acceptance “just as I am” from every single other community member. Incredible! I did not even think this life was possible! The gratitude then just pours out of me, as it is right now!
What experiences do you have with this “mirroring” effect in your life? Thanks for reading. ~Mandy

101st Community Visit. The Journey Continues...

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:31:10 -0500

Within Reach Presentation & Wonderland Hill Development Company
Thursday evening, we offered a brand new presentation called “Social Sustainability”,  which highlighted the non-physical aspects of sustainability, including compassionate  communication, consciousness, forming loving relationships and “reaching within”.  We had the opportunity to show several new video clips, including this one from  Laird Schaub, Executive Secretary of the FIC (www.ic.org):

Then, on Friday we spent four hours filming various people who work at Wonderland Hill, including the founder and current president, Jim Leach (fondly nicknamed the [grand]father of cohousing in the US), as well as Georgette Vigil and Tanya Toot. In addition, we met and interviewed two of the members of the now forming community, Washington Village, which is planned four blocks from downtown, thereby walking distance to everything Boulder, and it also includes the restoration and conversion of a historical building and a wide range of economic diversity, more than we’ve ever seen before, with home prices ranging from $90K to $1.5 million!

We didn’t get a chance to film the historical building, however, as a wild forest fire broke out in the morning, thereby creating a huge smoke cover over the area where we were to film. Hopefully no homes or people were damaged this time (see photo below).

Why is Boulder CO touted as one of the United States’ most sustainable cities?
(these are the reasons we heard or observed while we were there, anyway!)

• Birthplace of cohousing.org, the National Cohousing Association and current home of the largest cohousing developer in the country - Wonderland Hill Development Company (www.whdc.com).
• There are more cohousing communities per capita than any other city in the USA; in other words, more people are choosing to share their lives in community in this city, thereby co-creating a new world!
• There are inter-linked biking and walking paths for almost 100 miles within the city limits (yes, we saw more cyclists than anywhere, other than maybe Davis, CA).
• This city is at the foothills of the Rockies and has easy access to hiking, biking, skiing and more outdoor activities than you can ever imagine.
• Almost every restaurant has ingredients to meet the special food needs of each community member, including Proto’s Pizza where we had dinner...they served the pizza on gluten-free crust!
• So many more reasons...but this is what we gleaned from our first (of many more to come) visit to Boulder CO.

THE TEMPTATION OF THE GOLDEN NUGGET

Fri, 8 Oct 2010 14:29:37 -0500

In my effort to live more sustainably in community, I have made decisions that have made my life more complicated…like get into debt.
The choice was based in lack of trust in the universe, and the karmic consequence is that I have to deal with tens of thousands of dollars of debt now…which may take a very very long time to pay off.
In my egoic mode, I am often tempted with the huge opportunity that has arisen in my life to make a move about the inspiring act of bravery I choose which was to leave the corporate world and follow my dream of living in sustainable community.
The temptation is to follow the money. To take the opportunity and make a movie that will inspire people, make a lot of money, so I can not only pay back my debt, but also create security for my lover and my community.
But what is karmically happening, is that often I steamroll my friends, lover and community, as I speed towards the goal of the golden nugget.
What I often forget is that there will be karmic consequences of steamrolling people and that it will all hit me in the end. Then I will be left with a movie and nothing that I originally wanted in the first place, a lover and a life in community…as I will have burned all them long before.
So I understand now that there is a balance, which is to go with the flow, take all the daily doses of karmic reality with a grain of salt (paying debt back on limited funds), and have faith that it will all work out in it's own time.
Today's goal is to remember what the original inspiration for all this crazy life change was to begin with….to love more, to create community and to enjoy life!

~ Ryan

TOWARD LIVING OFF THE LAND, AND OVERCOMING FEAR

Sun, 4 Jul 2010 11:34:46 -0500

Waking up every morning in a tipi on a river, in a beautiful forest, surrounded by snow capped rocky mountain peaks, I often have to pinch myself, for it's literally heaven on earth.

While making strides towards living sustainably off the land, such as cooking over a fire, fishing from the river, sustainably harvesting our own tipi poles off the land, getting in touch with spirit, and mother earth with ceremony, meditation, and community bonding, it seems as if there is no better way to live for me. This is where I have dreamed of being for so long.

How is it then that some days, I am quickly overwhelmed after these self-pinching morning moments, with thoughts of how to earn money to pay off our debt? Well, money is a fear based tool. If I hadn't had racked up so much debt to make this movie project happen, then we could probably be living so simply that we wouldn't even need money.

So now how to overcome this fear? Well some wise people at our community said that if we really wanted to be here, then we would be here. We are here, and some days I have had thoughts of leaving and getting a paid job in a city to pay off our bills.

But what good is that doing? After all the miracles that happened just to get us here, it seems like if I only have a little faith that the universe will provide everything I need all around me all the time, that I will then be able to see the solutions.

It's like that scene in India Jones and the Search for the Holy Grail movie. When he was crossing the deep gorge in a cave, he couldn't see a bridge to cross it. But somehow he had enough faith to believe that there was a way to cross it...but he just had to take a step of faith, and he put one foot out and his foot miraculously landed on a stone bridge that was camouflaged to look like the rock below. I feel like our lives at Hummingbird Community are like that right now. We have no idea how to cross into the world of 100% sustainability with no worries about money. But there has to be a leap of faith in me to believe it is possible. If I can take that leap then the solutions will present themselves one step at a time. If I don't take that leap it ends right here, right now.

So how do I earn money? stay open to the possibilities that work is out there, connect with people, and pray that jobs opportunities will happen. There is not much work here in Mora, NM the 2nd poorest county in the state, but miraculously I have been offered some forestry and photography work one day at a time. Maybe more will come along and I can pay off one bill at a time.

So how do I learn to eat? well there are people in town I have been making friends with who know the land and have taught me to fish. Maybe there will be opportunities to learn to garden, harvest wild edibles, hunt, and maybe even raise livestock.

So how do I pay off our debt? well, work diligently one day at a time on Within Reach Movie, and maybe it will bring in income down the road.

All this and not to mention that we live in a community that is all in this together. There is a definite love field here where everyone looks out for each other. When another is helped we are all helped. So i continue to help others here, and know that by helping them, I am helping myself.

When i feel like I should just go and get a job, and realize that most of America has been looking for jobs for years now with less and less available, it makes me realize how important it is for me to stay here, have faith, and forge a new path for living in America. Maybe this pioneering lifestyle will end up helping our society find a more sustainable way to live.

More than anything, I am realizing that my life is always going to have obstacles. But taking those obstacles head on instead of turning around and walking away is the only way to really live my life and suck the marrow out of it.

Check out this article our friend Gatlin just posted on facebook about this subject:  http://hobbyartists.socialgo.com//magazine/read/dance-like-no-ones-watching_38.html

More pics of our tipi home at Hummingbird Community, Mora, NM:
http://consciousphotography.smugmug.com/Movies/2010-7-3-Our-Tipi-Home-at/12794419_m7HP8#922475778_kFDnA

-Ryan

FOOD BLOG: Part 2

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:15:38 -0500

Recap - How We Ate for $40/Month per Person:

• Purchase more food, less often - in other words, buy in bulk. A great way to do this is through a food buying club such as UNFI, or buy big quantities of food and split with other members of your community. This also saves energy with fewer trips to the market.
• Cook meals as a family or community. Cooking single servings is typically more expensive per person than cooking several servings.
• Serve the plates up, thereby keeping portion sizes reasonable. This also discourages people from just eating and eating and eating even after they are full, because the pot of ‘extra’ food is not sitting on the table.
• Cook two meals worth of food at once (uses less energy) and freeze or put away the second meal before eating.
• Think like an animal! Don’t worry so much about diversity...eating beans, rice and dark greens a couple times a week is healthy for most people, and you’ll spend less if you aren’t concerning yourself with fancy and creative meals every day.
• Use organic, natural and local ingredients, especially for vegetables, fruits and grains. They are literally filled with more nutrients and therefore fill you up faster!
• Invite donations and abundance into your life. Many cities and towns have excess food at the grocery store, restaurants and farms, that are near date or post date. Just because they can’t sell them commercially does not mean this food is not any good! A bug bite in a leaf of lettuce doesn’t hurt you, for example.
• Hari Hachi Bu! Follow the Japanese way of eating and stop when you are 80% full. You’ll find you are satisfied and actually don’t NEED to consume as much food as you thought!
• *NOTE: the budget did not include any snacks or dining out, but we only dined out once a month, and ate very few snacks (maybe $10/each per month).

Click here to read full article: Food at the Monastery: Part 1 >
 
How We Eat at Now, at Hummingbird

Now that we’re settling into community after living on the road for so long, we are definitely eating for less, but not quite as low-cost as at the monastery. While on the road, we spent up to $500/month for the two of us (or over $60/week each), as we had to buy what we could find in whatever town or city we found ourselves in. This sometimes meant eating out, which is not sustainable in many ways (with the exception of some local food restaurants of course!). After three weeks at Hummingbird, we’ve spent $227 for the two of us, or roughly $35/week per person. That’s a far cry from $40/month, but we’re also eating more organic and natural food than we did at the monastery, and a little more diverse, which is nice.

The interesting piece to track in this new experience is whether Ryan or Mandy spends less...because Mandy is buying, preparing and eating with a group of 10 people this summer in a community kitchen; and Ryan has chosen to buy, prepare and eat food on his own at our tipi site so he can focus nearly 100% of his attention on editing the film.

Here’s how each of us is eating so far:

Mandy 
• Offers any amount of $ into the community pot each week (each person gives as much or as little as they are able...it’s called the gift economy). Thus far I’ve offered $32, $40, $40 each week ($112 total).
• One person takes everyone’s money and goes shopping by car in Santa Fe, Taos and Mora. Trips are often combined so this person is also picking up toothpaste for people, mail at the PO Boxes, etc.
• Nearly 100% of the food is bought organic or local, and in bulk (rice, quinoa, beans, honey, etc.) at health food stores, co-ops and Trader Joe’s. Some is bought at the local grocery store called Russell’s (they even have a few organic items! and we hope to see that grow).
• Veggies/fruits are harvested from the community garden, purchased at the farmers’ market or grocery store.
• Some food is collected wild from the land, such as lamb’s quarters, nettles and more (today, a local indigenous woman came and offered an herb walk around the property, teaching everyone about wild edibles!).
• One participant in the kitchen co-op, Prema, goes to various food co-ops, natural grocery stores and Trader Joe’s for “Food Resource Recovery” (in other words, she checks out the dumpster to see if there are any edible foods there, and asks the employees if they have any post- or near-date foods they would like to donate to Hummingbird’s Bus the Change Youth Empowerment program. So far we’ve received 40 dozen eggs, loads and loads of loaves of bread, veggies and more.
• We cook most meals as a community, though breakfast is sometimes on our own, and if there are leftovers from the night before, so is lunch.
• Most food is cooked in a solar oven outdoors, or on the propane gas stovetops in the community kitchen. Food is stored in a large commercial fridge powered by solar panels!
• We try to cook the exact amount needed, and never take seconds until everyone has served themselves (and often there aren’t ‘seconds’ to take!).
• About once a week, we all do a juice fast and spend the  day in silence.

Ryan 
• Aiming to spend $50 or less each week, and keeps track of how much he spends. So far he’s spent $32, $50, $33 each week ($115 total).
• He rides his bike to Mora, or carpools to Las Vegas.
• Some food is bought organic and in small quantities (i.e. cans of beans, packs of 30 locally made tortillas, etc.) at a small discount grocery store called Russell’s.
• Veggies and fruit also bought at the grocery store at this point. He’s also purchased seeds to start a small garden for the two of us near our tipi site. Not sure if he plans to work in the community garden to be able to harvest some food from there...?
• He invited a new local friend from Cleveland out to the land to teach him how to fish, and Dean caught 8 trout from the river! Ryan then went and bought a fishing pole and lure and is committed to eating from the land as often as possible. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!
• Prema has also brought back dumpster dive food for Ryan from time-to-time (namely eggs and bread).
• All meals are cooked on his own.
• Meals are either eaten raw (PB&J, fruit, etc.) or cooked over the open campfire near our tipi site. A few times he’s used the propane stoves at various community members’ homes. Food is stored in an airtight box near the site, and cold stuff is in a styrofoam cooler sitting in the river water!He cooks only what he is going to eat at that moment.
• Today as I write this, he is doing a juice/water fast in  preparation for the upcoming Vision Quest.

So, cost-wise, we’re neck-and-neck! There are obviously benefits to either way of eating in community, and both are aiming toward sustainable practices, using as little energy as possible. Mandy’s body requires a low sugar, gluten-free, low dairy diet and Ryan’s diet is much more flexible, so that may come into play as well. We’ll report back later in the summer after we’ve each practiced our ways of eating a little longer :)

Doctrine Creative Joins the Tour

Fri, 28 May 2010 10:19:01 -0500

How to Get to Hummingbird...Bike? Rideshare? Train?

We were in the middle of post-production on the film, living in community at a monastery (wonderful place to be, but not long-term as we are not celibate monks!), working with Doctrine Creative, a fabulous production company out of Kissimmee FL, to edit our 1,000 hours of footage into a feature-length documentary, raising funds to get it made, and decided to move to northern New Mexico. On the map, that was about 1,300 miles away. Before our sustainability journey, we may have decided to pack our things in a U-Haul and drive there. However, since we are petroleum-free and living on less than $1,000/month between the two of us, this is not an option. So, we decided to take our bikes on the Amtrak, visit the remaining six communities to round out to 100, and arrive at Hummingbird in time for their busy program season (beginning May 29) when the community would be in full swing and we could get a good idea of how things run. They also wanted to combine their opening weekend with our arrival party. BIG PROBLEM! Amtrak does not allow stored baggage (aka bicycles) at many of their train stations, including all four stops we wanted to make along the way. So, we decided to bike the whole way and arrive sometime in the fall. Then, miraculously, our film crew decided they wanted to join us on the journey, visit and film the communities and film our arrival at Hummingbird...and all in a veggie oil Mercedes! So we ended up doing some of each - we cycled about 400 miles through Wisconsin, Iowa and into Missouri, visiting the following amazing projects, people and communities:

Doctrine Creative Community Joins us on the Road!

Then, three amazing souls from Doctrine Creative Community (Derek Rowe, his girlfriend Vanessa Hernandez and Gatlin Rowe his brother), jumped in a veggie oil-fueled car and joined us in Missouri, Kansas and are going with us to New Mexico and will be filming our arrival into Hummingbird! In addition to filming the remaining six communities with their high-quality camera and getting us from place-to-place in time to meet our schedule, they are filming episodes of their road trip for S.C.R.A.P.S. in an effort to get more votes for their $250,000 grant application, as well as blogged on Green and Free about the journey.   Please place your vote for them here: http://www.refresheverything.com/scraps.

Here are the stops we’ve made riding along with them so far. As I write this  we are in Greensburg KS, our 100th community visit! This community is sure to be in the film, as it represents a way of life that anyone can access and the  community is quite diverse. More to come on Greensburg soon :)

• Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage* in Rutledge MO - 
• Red Earth Farms* in Rutledge MO 
*READ VANESSA’S BLOG & SEE PHOTOS HERE 
• Possibility Alliance in La Plata MO 
• Karlin Family Farms in Lawrence KS 
• Delaware Street Commons in Lawrence KS 
• Greensburg Greentown in Greensburg KS

How We Chose Hummingbird

Thu, 27 May 2010 13:01:14 -0500

Narrowing it Down: 100 to 5, then to 1!

Much of this decision came directly from the heart and how we felt our connection to the land and people was during our stay at each community. So we did make this decision based upon intuition in a lot of ways. However, lists were also involved...many, many lists. First, each of us (separately) had written our idea of what we each wanted in community before the journey began. Synchronously, we agreed on most everything - rural, ecovillage style, education/outreach aspect, small, water feature, spiritual, opportunity to grow food, service-oriented and focus on compassionate communication. Another key element is that we were both looking to downsize significantly (which is hard to do when you’ve lived out of a tent for more than two years!); but honestly we mean living in something about 300 square feet made of earthen materials with outdoor compost toilet, community kitchen, etc. Many places do not yet allow for such small dwellings, nor do the zoning or building codes allow for use of earthen materials. We require more outdoor space than indoor to meet our needs for happiness and service. So, this shortened the list significantly, and we landed on five main communities that we felt called to explore in more detail: 
• Dancing Deer in Templeton, CA 
• Hummingbird Community in Mora, NM 
• The Farm in Summertown, TN 
• White River Junction Transition Town, VT  
• Blue Mounds, WI (near-but-not-in Joyful Path) - creating our own community

From there we created “What We Love About It” and “What Challenges We Might Face” lists for each of these communities. This allowed us to more clearly see that our priorities focused on living in a place we can grow food year-round, and in a place that is focused on spiritual and personal growth and service. We also determined that for now, a smaller intentional community would be a better fit, and that we wanted to go where we’re needed and join an existing community rather than start a new one in order to help strengthen the existing movement. It also became more clear that we wanted to live in a central state, not coastal, to be nearer to family and also in a place where the ‘green‘ movement was not already thriving.  We then began contacting the communities and beginning the dialogue about joining their community. It quickly became clear that at Hummingbird, every single piece fit: Heart connection + Friends + Opportunities to build small natural home + Growing food year-round + Spiritual essence + Education/Outreach + Small group + More outdoor space than indoor + Rural + the list goes on and on. So we entered into dialogue about how to move onto the land. Followed was a series of big “YES’s” from the community, namely from Robert who talks to potential new members. We video taped our responses to their list of questions for new potential members, which helped them get to know our intentions. We spoke over Skype video chat with Robert and other members to help get clear on their intentions. We decided to enter into a modified version of their Residents Program for one year so that we can experience all the seasons and get to know the land and people. Though we may be traveling quite a bit in order to produce and distribute the film, Hummingbird is also a great place to consider a home base, as many of the residents already do.

In short, the choice to move to Hummingbird took a lot of time in prayer/meditation, talking to community members and evaluating the pros/cons of living there, but ultimately came from a deep knowing that it is the right fit for both Ryan and I. We would love to continue to share our journey with you through this blog, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, see photos, video and our community write-up for Hummingbird HERE.
 Visit their programs page to see what’s happening this summer HERE.

Sneak Peek Clip #6: Brady Karlin on Cycling and Life

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:34:11 -0500

Brady Karlin joined the Within Reach tour on several occasions for a day or two, then for a full month from Earthaven Ecovillage all the way to DC. His personal mantra is “if it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable!” and boy did he teach us this. This is a beautiful quote that Brady shared with us, and some images of him cycling to go along with it. He is now stewarding 10 acres of land in his hometown of Lawrence KS.

Why Joyful Path is Wonderful!

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:03:38 -0500

Top 20 reason why Joyful Path is wonderful:

(1) There are three monastics here (and one more who lives off-site) who have devoted their lives to the practice and study of Tibetan Buddhism. They are kind, loving, energetic, thoughtful, knowledgeable, generous, patient and so much more.
(2) They have every book, CD and DVD you can imagine on so many different topics of spirituality, religion and more. Many resources right at your fingertips!
(3) The building was nicely constructed with little nooks and crannies to find a place to read those books, meditate, work on the computer, have a personal retreat, cook healthy meals and more.
(4) The kitchen...ahhh...the kitchen. This is Mandy’s bias of course, but as one who loves to cook, the main kitchen here is very fun to cook in, and opens to the living and dining areas for great conversation flow.
(5) Situated in the town of Blue Mounds WI, Joyful Path is a short walk from a State Park, 2 restaurant/bars, a yoga studio, a Pilates studio, several farms, a 20 minute bike ride from Mt. Horeb, a cute tourist town, and so much more.
(6) As the name indicates, it’s a rather joyful place to be. We produced several episodes of Jugney the Monk, watched movies together, ate meals together, went on walks, co-created sustainability events, attended retreats and other events, had friends over, sat together and had long talks.
(7) The neighbors that we got to know in Blue Mounds, including Rick, Scott, Collette, Karl, Aunt Mary, Lois, Tony, Janet, Pluma, Radonna, Matt and others, are very kind hearted, down to earth folks.
(8) Joyful Path was very open to incorporating sustainability techniques to share more, reduce energy, develop more intimacy in relationships, etc. So we had a rare opportunity to help them. There is now a compost system, worm bin, rain barrels, rudimentary grey water system, structural agreements, new member process, and more! We’ll share photos as they become available.
(9) The cats...Mandy overcame her allergy and Ryan got to live his dream of living with cuddly, cute cats all winter long :)
(10) Meditation space - the dharma hall here is big, hosts many group events, and is a wonderful space to practice each morning at 6am.
(11) Sharing more. This community shares a lot - space, time, resources, food, clothing, yard tools, kitchen gadgets, furniture...everything that a usual household would share. So this sustainability principle is already very strong here!
(1) Eating all meals for $40/month...amazing! The food budget here is kept so low! Read our previous blog to see how.
(2) An introduction to the best green tea Mandy has ever had - Kyoto Cherry Rose Tea from http://www.whitelotusteatime.com
(3) The seasons here are beautiful. Blue Mounds is situated where three weather systems cross, and the result is beautiful. Ryan took many photos of the gorgeous white snow covered landscape.
(4) Deepening in our meditation practice. Joyful Path provided the support and nurturing for deepening in our daily meditation practice, and we also learned new prayers, sadhanas, purification practice and more.
(5) Madison. What a hip city! We enjoyed so many aspects of it, ranging from Willy Street Co-op to the largest producers-only farmers’ market in the country to sitting on the middle of a huge frozen lake to bicycle lanes everywhere!
(6) Other friends of ours are nearby and spent time visiting and enjoying Joyful Path for various events as well, including Jess, Sasha, Thokmay, Carl, Sam, Tolga, Avis, Alfred, Chonyi, Dorje, Choeden, Tashi Powo, Thekchen and Khandro. And some new friends we met THANKS TO Joyful Path including Christine, David, Lhakpa, Garrett, Rinnyi, Max, Diane, .... (I hope we didn’t leave anybody out, but if so we love you too!)
(7) Joyful Path is not only a monastery, meditation and healing center, but is a place dedicated to hosting White Conch’s teacher - Domo Geshe Rinpoche. We are grateful to have experienced the depth and breadth of her teachings both audio, DVD and in person.
(8) Ryan got to attend an “I Take the Vow” ceremony with WindEagle and RainbowHawk while here.
(9) We were given an opportunity to serve others here. Through physical labor, meditation, website work, business management/legal support, cooking, cleaning, etc. we learned the true value of generosity.

Oh, and did we mention there is a REAL monastic community in the United States! They’re young, they’re real buddhist monks and they are white Americans. And, they have a real underground meditation cave :)

April '10 eNewsletter

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:00:51 -0500

...Happy Earthday dear You-oo,  Happy Earthday to you!
This month we have lots of green goodies to share with you to help you on your personal journey toward sustainability in your local community - home, neighborhood, ecovillage - however you define it! See below.  We also have a BIG announcement to share with you...  After visiting nearly 100 sustainable communities around the USA, we (along with the consensus of the community members) have decided to move to Hummingbird Community in northern New Mexico! We depart Joyful Path by bicycle on April 27 and make our way down, visiting 6 more communities in Iowa, Missouri and Kansas, to arrive at Hummingbird on May 30. There, we will focus on finishing the film and integrating into an ecovillage-style way of life which will involve co-creating community, growing food, living simply, practicing NVC, hosting events and more. Stay tuned :)
CLICK HERE for our upcoming route and schedule and join up along the way. CLICK HERE to learn more about Hummingbird and why we love it!
http://www.withinreachmovie.com

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FREE DOWNLOAD: WORMSHOP
 http://blip.tv/file/3246101
1-hour workshop on how to build your own vermicompost bin at home.  Begin recycling your food scraps to keep them out of landfills and in turn,  create rich soil to use in your garden like you've never seen before!  Worm bins are great for in your apartment, home or  build them together with a group of friends in your community.
SNEAK PEEK CLIPS! (maybe you're in it?!)  
While working night and day creating both a short film and  feature-length documentary to inspire and educate,  we are finding lots of fun clips to share right away.  Click to view a collage of clips answering the questions: "Why Community?"  and "What is Sustainable Community?"  _________________________  Check the blog regularly for new articles and videos!
 EARTH DAY TURNS 40!  LET'S CELEBRATE!

CLICK HERE FOR INVITATION
Join us on Saturday April 24th in Blue Mounds WI to  commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day!
Together, we'll build a 2-bin compost system, install a rain barrel with RainReserve donated by Sustain Dane, and share food and laughter.  Then, at 6:30, stay for the PREMIERE of the Within Reach Short Film!
FIND US ON:

 www.withinreachmovie.com | 616.566.4884 | info@withinreachmovie.com
All content in this newsletter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 USA License meaning... please share it, re-print it, Tweet it, give it away...just give Within Reach Movie credit. Thank you! 

ANNOUNCING: Within Reach Workshop Series at the Florida School for Holistic Living

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:03:53 -0500

Visit
http://holisticlivingschool.org/education/courses/sustainable-living-discipline to register.

Imagine a World Without Cars...?!

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:11:21 -0600

For a moment, imagine if no-one owned their own car.

• What might the streets look like?
• Would there be buses or trolleys rolling by? Bicyclists? Walkers? Some people in electric golf carts perhaps?
• What businesses would no longer be needed?
• What about drive-up windows in restaurants, banks and pharmacies? Would they still be needed?
• Would there be garages on the houses? What about driveways? Would there be larger gardens, lawns and outdoor playspaces?
• Would there be paved parking lots in front of all the buildings? Would there be more greenspace?
• Would the air quality be better? Would people be nicer to one another?
• Would there be more wildlife, trees, birds, flowers and bees?
• Would there be more space to grow food?
• Would more kids be playing outdoors safely?

Might, just might there be an extra dose of health and happiness?

For some people, not owning a car might look scary or unappealing, and questions might arise such as: 
• How would I get to work every day?
• How would my kids get to school?
• How would I get out for fun?
• What about long-distance travel? How would I get away to visit my friends or family who live out of town? How will I get to my vacation destinations?
• Won’t it take longer to get from place to place?
• My job requires that I haul around a lot of tools (or products, or ...) with me in my car or truck. How would I continue to do my job?
• What happens when I need to go pick something up, such as groceries, a new couch, etc.?
• It’s difficult for me to stick to a schedule when things are unpredictable...so taking the bus is difficult. Would I have to follow somebody else’s schedule?
• What happens in an emergency when I must get somewhere fast? or god forbid, if a natural disaster hit our town and everyone had to evacuate at once?!!!
• What happens during inclement weather if I need to get somewhere or stay warm and dry?
• I have a physical disability, I am elderly and/or I am out of shape and I can’t walk or ride a bike, but I have my car outfitted for me to use or I can easily drive a car. How will I feel able-bodied and self-sufficient without my car?
• I like having independence and my car allows me to go where I want to go, when I want or need to go there. Would I have to give up my independence?
• Our local, national and global economy seems very dependent on all the businesses associated with cars (car sales, car re-sales, auto parts retailers, auto parts manufacturers, auto manufacturers, auto repair shops, oil change stores, auto accessories manufacturers and retailers, car rentals, gas stations, drivers’ ed teachers, the list goes on-and-on...); so what happens to our economy if there are no cars?
• I think that one of our culture’s “rights of passage” is turning 16/17 and getting a drivers’ license. Won’t our young people feel disempowered without that?
• I can imagine downsizing to one car in our family, but not owning a car at all seems unreasonable. Isn’t decreasing the number of cars on the road enough to change the pace of global climate change, or do we really have to get rid of them altogether to create a sustainable world?
• I bought a hybrid, and plan to buy an electric car and run it off of my solar panels. Would that type of car be okay?
• And most importantly, what will happen to all the drive-in movie theaters?! :)

I don’t presume to have all the answers to these questions already figured out. However, I do have some ideas to help spark this conversation to move forward in your own community.

• First, consider every non-car method of transportation that you are able to take from the following list:
• walking
• upright road bicycle
• recumbent bicycle
• tandem bicycle
• tandem recumbent
• bicycle with kids’ attachments on the back (trailer, tag-a-long, etc.) or panniers or trailer for hauling large items
• HPV (human powered vehicle) - click here for awesome slideshow for ideas!
• Humancar http://www.humancar.com
• Xtracycle http://www.xtracycle.com
• ‘bicycar’ (see photo at top right of page - each bicycle seat has seat belts so one person can even be blind or disabled and not do anything physical but sit there strapped in)
• small electric vehicles: segway (http://www.segway.com), solar golf cart, scooter, moped or motorcycle
• skateboard
• rollerblades/rollerskates
• scooter
• special scooter thing we saw (include photo)
• bus
• train
• trolley
• airplane, jet or private plane
• helicopter
• average-sized motorcycle
• a limited number of electric or biodiesel cars made available through a city-wide carshare program
• PTV (personal transport vehicle)

• Next, consider what trips you currently use your car for. Make a list.
• Now add to that list any additional trips you think you might oneday need to use your own personal car for (i.e. when I’m older and can’t walk or bike as easily/quickly; if there were a natural disaster and I needed to evacuate my town; etc.)
• Are there any trips on your list that you can remove because they’re actually unnecessary? If so, cross these out.
• Then consider another method of transportation that could replace using your car for each trip still on your list. Write this new method of transportation down next to each trip on the list.
• Lastly, is there any trip on your list that can only be done by owning your own car? Would it be possible to share a car with someone else or use a town-wide carshare program for these trips?
• Now, what about the economy? Without all those businesses I mentioned above, won’t we end up with a large number of people out of work? Indeed we could; but I’m suggesting that we can find and create ‘green jobs’ for each of these people so that their skill sets are utilized and they can in turn contribute to a more sustainable world for all. These include (but are not limited to):
• Bicycle manufacturer, retailer, mechanic, trainers and resellers
• Small electric vehicle manufacturer, retailer, mechanic, trainers and resellers
• Solar panel/wind turbine/etc. manufacturers, retailers, trainers, repairs and refurbish/resellers (to power the electric vehicles)
• Accessories inventors, manufacturers and retailers (for bicycles, small electric vehicles, scooters, etc.); such as panniers, trailers, covers, locks, goggles, clothing, etc.
• Bus, trolley and train operators and mechanics

I’m suggesting that we can live and thrive without owning our own personal cars, not even one per household; but instead we can easily replace this use with other more sustainable methods such as those above. I’m not suggesting that the above ‘alternative’ methods are completely sustainable, however. Firstly, getting the manufacturing of these bikes, buses, etc. is not currently done in a sustainable fashion. Also, trains, buses and trolleys consume large amounts of power and right now we don’t have nearly enough renewable energy sources in place to accommodate a dramatic increased use of these methods. I even “crossed off” planes, helicopters and motorcycles because there is currently no technology in place to make them anything close to sustainable (though they are not cars, so I had to put them on the list!). However, if we each evaluate our needs for transportation, then use less transportation overall (combine trips, make fewer trips, etc.), and for the trips we MUST take, try to use sustainable transportation, that we can easily transition away from being a car culture!

And lastly, don’t worry about the movie theaters...I’m sure we can start having bike-in movie theaters instead! :)

<-- Wooden bikes made by Sylvan Cycles in Vermont - manufactured locally out of local, sustainably harvested wood. The future of cycling...? http://sylvancycles.com

Call to Action!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:54:17 -0600

If you are moved to help see this project through to completion, please donate $10 today by CLICKING HERE.

Can’t donate but still want to help? Email us to inquire about volunteering to watch 1 or more hours of behind the scenes footage, transcribing and selecting highlights for the film!

Compassionate Communication Styles

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:54:27 -0600

While there are many different practices recommended for compassionate communication, these are three styles that we find very helpful for those living in a community of any type - partnership/marriage, family, business, intentional community, neighborhood, religious group and more!

Below we’ve shared a bit about each style, and how we are incorporating each into our life; then we encourage you to explore them on your own, and let us know how it goes in the comments below. And remember, we are all on a journey toward sustainability, so don’t feel like you have to perfect each method overnight! We certainly haven’t mastered this yet, but are conscious of trying to work at it one day at a time.

The Four F’s - download the How To Document and Feeling Chart

Before we departed on the bike tour, we lived on Laguna Farm and rented workspace from Rachel Balunsat (http://rachelbalunsat.com). She is also part of our buddhist sangha and is a good friend. She offered us some initial insight into compassionate communication through the use of “I Statements” and a method her stepdad helped develop called “The Four F’s”. Here are the key pieces of wisdom that we have tried to incorporate into our lives in community: 
• Use the four steps: Fact-Feeling-Fantasy-Favor In a sentence this looks like: (1) "When you did ___, (or "When 'X' happened...), (2) I felt______. (3) I imagined________and (4) what I would like/need from you is_______.
• Engage in deep listening. As described in the Celestine Prophesy, it is so important to hear each person speak their full thought and not interrupt. The flow of energy that takes place is then complete and no one misses out!

NVC - www.nonviolentcommunication.com and www.cnvc.org  
After cycling for about 2,000 miles and realizing the challenges of being in constant communication about where to cycle to next, where to stay each night, which communities to visit, what style to shoot each film shot in, the list goes on-and-on...we recognized the need to develop more kind and loving ways of communicating our thoughts and needs to one another. Back in Templeton CA at Dancing Deer community, we had met Alicia Nowicki, an NVC coach who runs an organization called www.communicationfromtheheart.com and she invited us to a workshop. We couldn’t make it then, but Mandy later contacted them over the phone and Alicia instantly recommended the book by Marshall Rosenberg - Nonviolent Communication. We ordered it on the spot (audio book of course!) and spent the next month listening to his teachings chapter-by-chapter while riding the bicycar through New Mexico and Texas. Here are the key pieces of his wisdom that we have incorporated into our lives in community: 
• Use his 4-steps: Observe - Feel - Need - Request when engaging in any conflict, or communication in general.
• Remove the word “should” from our vocabulary; instead use words like You “could” do xyz...no more guilt-invoked requests!
• Go for it! If something is making you uncomfortable or you don’t agree with the way a conversation is going, it is likely that others are also uncomfortable. So, feel free to use the 4 steps above to break things up and shift the conversation into a more positive direction

EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUES - www.emofree.com  Click for EFT Words List 
A few of these techniques were introduced to us by the beautiful and balanced Becky Mayfield at Sasona Co-op in Austin Texas. She took the time to interview for the film and describe her experiences living in a 17-person co-op where communication can be constant. EFT involves recognizing and using the connection between our body’s subtle energies, our emotions and our health to lead a more balanced life, and therefore develop easier and more compassionate ways of communicating The basic tenants of EFT that we have tried to incorporate are: 
• Don’t use blaming words, rather find words that describe your own feelings (see words list above)
• Practice, practice, practice! And that goes for any of these methods...it is important to find a partner or group of people whom are committed to learning the same ways of communicating and find specific times to practice with one another.

Transcript from Appointment with a Tibetan Doctor

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 18:35:50 -0600

My (Ryan) appointments with a Tibetan Medicine Doctor in Madison have been amazing. He is one of only 10 of these doctors remaining in the USA. He is showing me that medicine can incorporate diet, spirituality and preventative measures like watching comedy movies instead of violent movies. The appointment that is transcribed below shares some valuable insights on the fundamentals of Tibetan Medicine as well as remedies to common problems. Enjoy this sacred sharing.   * this interview is shared with the permission of Dr. Yangbum Gyal.

Eris Weaver on Gracefully Receiving Critique

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:48:21 -0600

In learning how to get along with others better this year, I have often wondered if I am cut out for community. For a guy who has been promoting sustainable community for over 3 years now, this is a pretty daunting question. However, when I read these words below in Eris Weavers e-newsletter, I was relieved to have a better understanding of conflict. Often I forget that other’s words are to be balanced with what I know in my heart.

Common Good Bank

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:03:44 -0600

Is there a way to have democratic economics for a sustainable world? Common Good Bank is proposing a solution that could be the cornerstone of a new economic system, which is committed to sustainability and economic justice. It claims it can spread quickly as an empowering community-based system.

Food at the Monastery Part 1

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:06:11 -0600

How is it possible to eat for 50 cents per meal?! We live in community, eat on small plates, the cook serves the plates up (not family style where you can keep on eating and eating), we buy healthy, whole foods on sale then cook the meal based on these ingredients (not planned-out meals), some donations of food from events and local organizations (after all this is a religious organization so donations are helpful), eat 90% vegetarian, snacks and sweets are 'on your own', no alcohol (which is very expensive), the list goes on and on.

But one of the main ways we eat on less $ is that we are changing our perceptions...

A Parable About Community

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:21:41 -0600

I wanted to share one of our favorite parables. It came up in conversation yesterday for like the 20 millionth time, so now it’s part of your consciousness as well :) This translates to any religion, any belief system and any being on Earth.
Please share your insights in the Comments below. Thank you.

Within Reach’s Secret Clips from the town that inspired the movie “Cars” (maybe)

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:09:33 -0600

I swear we actually biked through the town in Arizona that partially inspired the movie "Cars"

Check out all our evidence below! :)

What Exactly is a Transition Town Anyway?

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:17:27 -0600

In preparing for this weekend’s presentation “Life in a Sustainable Community”, I’m researching the best, most concise way to describe each of the five main types of sustainable communities that we chose to focus on for Within Reach Movie: (1) Ecovillages (2) Cohousing Communities (3) Housing Cooperatives (4) Communes (5) Transition Towns

Winter Compost WormShop a Success!

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 21:39:45 -0600

On Sunday, January 10th from 2-5pm, we hosted our first workshop in a series here at Joyful Path: the Winter Compost WormShop!
CLICK HERE: January JP-WR event flier.pdf to view more information, or check out the event listing on FACEBOOK.
Soon, we’ll post the slideshow for you to purchase for a minimal fee and download to learn how to build your own vermicompost bin at home!
Stay tuned...

What Exactly is an EcoVillage Anyway?

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:13:02 -0600

I was at a childhood friends reunion of sorts the other evening, and several people jokingly asked me “so are you moving into one of those hippie communes where everybody sleeps together and don’t drive cars?” Of course, there are so many misconceptions about ecovillages, cohousing, co-ops and even the few existing communes themselves. And most folks don’t know much about Transition Towns, which is the most accessible type of sustainable community in our culture today.

Sneak Peek Clip #5 Kids at Twin Oaks, with Rowan Dakota

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:18:24 -0600

In our next 2 minutes “clip of the week”, Rowan Dakota, a 12-year-old kid who’s spent his entire life at Twin Oaks in Louisa, Virginia, shares his insights on sustainability. This deep young man has a wonderful vision for the world...sharing more, using less, and sustainable water slides...?! Watch and enjoy!

Episode 2: “Jugney the Monk”

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:56:23 -0600

Jugney is a superhero because of his devotion to compassionate communication and getting along with others. He is a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and incorporates a lot of humor in his daily life.

Sit back and enjoy Episode 2, where Jugney the Monk learns how community is the key to sustainability, but also to more happiness and ease...

Please leave comments below, and suggestions for future episodes :)

Community Pics & Nature Pics

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:18:12 -0600

We posted ~200 of our top fine art community and nature pics and are offering them at 10% off for the holidays.
 Check below for two promo videos featuring these photos and the galleries embedded below. Click here to view the galleries larger> Community & Nature

Holiday Fundraiser

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:33:33 -0600

Forward this message to a friend

Hang Our Photos on Your Wall

withinreachmovie.com
6,000 Miles. 100 Sustainable Communities. A Bike-Packing Documentary.
100 Sustainable Communities. A Bike-Packing Documentary.
Exclusive Opportunity to support the creation of Within Reach Movie +  own a one-of-a-kind photo for your home!

We've went through the 14,000+ photos taken on the Within Reach journey thus far, and have selected 200 of the most artistic to share with you to enjoy in your home, or use to create gifts, cards and more. You may even find a photo you recognize in there :)
Now, at the year-end, we hope to raise the remainder of our "trip budget" - just $9,500 - to get caught up, and prepare for post-production on the film, books and more. To support the ongoing creation of positive media, please...

• Click to visit the COMMUNITY and NATURE galleries below to order a print, enlargement, set of custom cards or other merchandise - all items are currently priced at 10% off for this special fundraiser!             : COMMUNITY gallery :                        : NATURE gallery :                  
• Visit our Gear Wish List and send your used or new items. 
• Or, simply make a Paypal contribution now:




Or, mail check payments to:
Mandy Creighton or Ryan Mlynarczyk
11000 Division Street,  Blue Mounds WI 53517
We are so grateful for your continued support.
Peace and blessings in the New Year!
~ Ryan and Mandy

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Watch our new videos - to educate and inspire - now posted weekly on:

 info@withinreachmovie.com | 616.566.4884

Who’s Heard of Baraboo Wisconsin?!

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:41:42 -0600

...had a great time this past Friday at Barnes and Noble Bookstore for the second time wrapping gifts for donations. Only made $27 but got to spread the word about sustainable communities, and work on media. Check out our new weekly episode called "Jugney The Monk" we created that night.

World Premiere of “Jugney the Monk” superhero video series

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:42:17 -0600

Jugney is a superhero because of his devotion to compassionate communication and getting along with others. He is a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and incorporates a lot of humor in his daily life. Now, we all get the privilege of enjoying regular episodes showcasing this amazing monk’s devotion to sustainability, reaching within and bringing joy into the world.

Sneak Peek Clip #4: Uriel and Asher Gelbart Winter Gardening - San Lorenzo, NM

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:07:41 -0600

Here’s the next 2-minute video “Clip of the Week” - this week focuses on Winter Gardening...yes, you heard us right! You can easily and affordably grow your own food in the wintertime...underground. Even if you’re 8 years old (though Uriel is a brilliant 8-year old...you’ll see more of him in the film, due out April 22, 2011!).  Watch, learn and do it yourself...

Sneak Peek Clip #3: “Why Community” Collage

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 21:23:22 -0600

Here’s week 3! A collage of clips answering the questions “Why Community?” and “What is Sustainable Community?” You’ll see the faces of some pretty amazing people including: 
- Sharon at Echowood in Texas
- Phoebe at Sonora Cohousing in Arizona
- Lynette at Fresno Cohousing in California
- Chuck Durrett at Fresno Cohousing in California
- Cougar at Avalon Springs in California
- Brother Scott at Solstice in Texas
- Ana at Regen Co-ops in California
- Charris at community in New Mexico

as well as some images depicting just what community looks like in some places around the U.S.

Sneak Peek Clip #2: Emma Juniper The Sacred Acre - Austin, TX

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:56:14 -0600

Here’s our second 2-minute video “Clip of the Week” for your viewing pleasure. This week highlights Emma Juniper, a visionary for The Sacred Acre project forming in Austin TX. She talks about the challenges involved in forming sustainable communities, as well as the key to community...

Visit their website at www.thesacredacre.com.

Spirituality Part 1

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:06:18 -0600

Spirituality - Part 1
by Ryan Mlynarczyk

“We are shaped by our thoughts, we become what we think.” - Buddha
 This quote sums up over 4 years of spiritual searching, exploring, education and practice in my life.

This is funny because I recently watched a clip of me quoted in Yert's (http://yert.com) interview from Green Fest 2007, saying the same thing basically but from a "new age" "think positive to manifest your own reality" perspective. I was saying how there has been a movement during the previous few years to learn how to “think positive” because astro-physics and string-theory has scientifically proven that our inner thoughts do change the environment around us. This is the whole premise of both of the movies: “What the Bleep do we Know” and “The Secret”.

Now I can see in this quote the reason I am so drawn to Tibetan Buddhist meditation and teachings: the Buddha has been saying all this think positive stuff for thousands of years. It's nothing new! Let's give credit where credit is due! :)

Why Eastern Religion? What about wanting to study ancient mysticism, not a man-made religion? Well I have been drawn to Native American spirituality, Sufism, Kabbalism, native people’s earth wisdom traditions, paganism, wiccan, Judaism, mythology, yogi’s, Hinduism and especially to new age teachings. However, something clicked for me deeply when I attended some Tibetan Buddhist teachings a few years ago. There was something so powerful about this tradition that has not only been around thousands of years saying these same things we are now “discovering” about the nature of reality (we are actually just re-discovering it....or remembering). I think another part of me understands that their quiet suffering and oppression at the hands of the Chinese for so long now, has been proof that they are a peace filled, balanced, people who have literally proven the positive effects of their spiritual path. That’s hard to say for some other oppressed spiritual paths. Though I don’t idolize the Tibetan Buddhists, they are just as human as the rest of us and make mistakes as well. I think there must be some reason that I am drawn to this path, and I am not sure everyone else would be drawn to it. But the wonderful thing about this path is that they believe that everyone can be growing spiritually on whatever path they choose.

So here’s a list of some of the other spiritual explorative experiences I have had over the years:

• In high school and college I took several classes on varieties of religious experience classes and even minored in Religious Studies. Though I practiced Christianity throughout those years of my life, I always remained open to the truth shared by other religions.  
• After moving on from Christianity after college and spending many years in Santa Cruz, CA, I learned to think outside the box about spirituality. Specifically learning from the pagans (earth worshipers) I became friends with that spirituality in general is like exercise. It’s like a muscle that can grow or weaken. The more you practice it, the stronger it becomes as part of your being.  
• I had an experience with new age philosophy and paganism and prophesy and Native American spirituality on Orcas Island and in Redmond WA. Several years ago, I left San Francisco to seek a new path in life, outside of corporate America. I wanted to work for my own business, and live closer to the land. I had heard that Orcas Island was a sacred energy portal. When I went, I felt compressed time there- like i was learning more lessons in a 3 month period of time than I would normally learn in a year. I was also having more inspiring thoughts and ideas than usual. I was also experiencing more struggles than usual. It was like an explosion of life! Though it was intense, I realized that there is some force to tap into on daily basis, and all I had to do was take doses of it every day, and not necessarily immerse myself in the elixir of life force all at once...if I continued to stay on Orcas I probably would have exploded from the intensity of the effects of all that sacred energy on me.  
• My cousin Clint who lives in Redmond, WA has a Sufi girlfriend, Sara, who asked me the deep question that started this whole Within Reach journey for me...”if money didn’t matter, what would you be doing with your life?” This journey was the answer. But before I left I had an amazing vision, sparked by an elder named Woodcarver who spoke raw truth in my life that wasn’t all easy for me to hear (like I smiled too much...faking an appearance of happiness with a real agenda of pleasing others). My vision at Sara and Clint’s house (though too private and sacred to share openly-it will dilute the effect of the vision), basically told me that I had to stop exploding my energy on others or else I could be extremely energetically depleted (like I had found myself being at this point in my life)! I needed to learn to hold my energy within me and once receiving energy every day in daily doses from the universal pool of energy, that I could then share my overflowing energy to those in need. I also happened to meet another Sufi practitioner - Wendy - in New Mexico years later on our journey, along with several of her friends and mentors. Ironically, another vision I had experienced on Orcas Island was tied into my eyes being open about the spiritual energy of New Mexico, and the opportunities there for learning from the sages in the distraction free landscape of the desert.  
• Kabalism has had a miraculous effect on my life through daily kabbalah tune ups that Mandy introduced me to on the journey. The simple truths of all these messages hit me at the core of my being nearly EVERY day, and remind me of the spiritual teachings I have heard occasionally in life where it seemed as though the teacher was talking directly to me. It is all based on symbology, an astrological calendar system, and ancient books of wisdom. Hmmm...starting to sound similar to Tibetan Buddhism and Sufism.  
• Over these years I have dated several Jewish woman (Ariana Mindelzun, Ida Harris, Adrien Moskowitz, Meredith Meadows) and always found myself in alignment with their spiritual souls, not to mention with my plethora of Jewish friends who seem to so often pop up in the hippyish/bohemian type scenes I tend to hang out in. Their peaceful temperaments, wisdom, intelligence and general efforts to help others always made me realize that here are a people who have been oppressed for thousands of years and yet they remain wise, gentle souls for the most part. Hmmm...again, reminding me of other ancient spiritual paths....like Tibetan Buddhism.  
• I have an old protestant Christian friend, David Moen, who aligns with my passion for Earth ethics in a huge way. His whole life revolves around this work as he makes attempts to save the California Condor from extinction. His main drive? God’s command in Genesis to be “Stewards of the earth”. He found himself aligning with the ancient Orthodox Christian Church in recent years, which has had a deep history of asceticism and Earth care. Hmmm...yet again, ancient spiritual path with similar truths and practices to eastern faiths. Since then my old college Christian friend, Josh Harper, has introduced me to the ancient Christian practice called contemplative prayer, where instead of praying to God with outward energy, words and thoughts, to sit in quiet contemplation of Spirit infusing itself into the mind and heart of the practitioner who listens for God’s guidance, words and voice. Yet again, another similarity to meditation practices of the ancient east. 
• After reading a book called the Isaiah Effect, by Greg Braden, I learned of research pointing to the idea that ALL the worlds ancient mystic traditions are actually all rooted in the same original source: the Ancient Egyptian religion. These people had deeply advanced spiritual practices that were threatened by a Pharaoh that wanted to wipe the faith out in order to control the people. The sages of this tradition sent out elders called “Gyptians” (the original source of the wordy “gypsy”) to all corners of the earth, to spread out and keep the faith safe. These elders taught their faith to those who would hear it in their respective parts of the world, and thus began all the world’s separate mystic faiths. According to this idea, they have all evolved from the same ancient source and thus they all have similarities and truth based on the same ideas. Another gypsy-like Christian friend, Jes Karper, has recently been taken up study of the Egyptian religion, and has read information that higher-evolved outer-planetary beings have brought truth that is beyond our evolutional capacity to help us, beginning with the Ancient Egyptians; and that this truth has been passed on. There are even people who (like those I met recently at Mother's Trust workshop in Michigan that Mandy took me to) believe these beings are still helping us. Hmmm....could be true, but in my Buddhist teacher’s perspective we have the capacity to evolve to these outer-planetary beings (whom she admits exist) levels of understanding and beyond (by becoming enlightened). Se cautions that we have to be careful what we invite into our lives, as not all of these beings have positive intentions (like maybe some of them might want to inhabit our planet because we aren’t taking good care of it).

After visiting this Interfaith Ashram in Michigan, and another interfaith church called a Unitarian Universalist Church in Vermont (with Bill Mckibben in attendance who himself is a Methodist), I had a deep opening of understanding that all these spiritual paths I have opened myself up to learning about are bringing some truth into the world. None of them seem to have ALL truth figured out. It seems that even Buddhism admits that all paths can help one become enlightened, but the deep truth is that it’s an individual exercise to become enlightened and to learn the true nature of reality. However, all paths together might help bring more truth into my life since they all have part of the truth. So I am committed to being a lifelong student of all spiritual practices. I do, however, understand that with breadth often comes a lack of depth. So I choose one daily practice to get the depth, and this is my reason for choosing Tibetan Buddhism. It vibes with me, and I want to practice one path really deep.

Here’s a poster I saw recently of all the world’s major religions’ version of "the golden rule":

First Snow, WI

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:32:44 -0600

We were so excited to see the first snow in WI, and Ryan’s first white winter ever, that we filmed and photographed and created a fun short film on the eve of thanksgiving.

Laugh in gratitude with us as we have a snowball gift exchange with Wangmo the monastic, get locked out of the monestary, and make it back in for some meditation time.

Sneak Peek Clip #1: Clip, Cobb Hill, VT

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:55:03 -0600

As we enter into post production and have more computer time, as well as hands on time with our footage, we decided it would be fun to be able to share a 2 min. clip posted to Youtube every week. Here’s our first one, an interview with Colleen Lannan, of the infamous rural cohousing community called Cobb Hill, Hartland, VT.

November '09 eNewsletter

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:47:02 -0600

We were so excited to see the first snow in WI, and Ryan’s first white winter ever, that we filmed and photographed and created a fun short film on the eve of thanksgiving.

Laugh in gratitude with us as we have a snowball gift exchange with Wangmo the monk, get locked out of the monestary, and make it back in for some meditation time.

What We Learned from the Amish

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:07:34 -0600

10+ STREAMS OF INCOME FOR WITHIN REACH

Our idea for earning a living wage while living in community will be to have at least 10 streams of income, and hopefully most of them can be set up as passive income in the long-term. This model was inspired by the Amish and many sustainable communities such as Earthaven Ecovillage, The Farm, and the Transition Towns model in general. Shorter term income ideas are listed below, which we have already begun to work on in the community we live in now in Wisconsin. PLEASE CONTACT US to obtain any of these goods or services. Thank you. 
1. GRANTS: Obtaining grants for educational work - VOTE NOW to help Within Reach win a YouTopia grant. 
2. AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS: Conbribute $20 or more to Within Reach and receive the book The 7-Minute Organic Garden by EvoOrganic. Makes a great gift! 
3. TEACHING & SHARING: Giving presentations and teaching classes about sustainable communities at schools, churches, coffee houses, etc. (typically by honorarium or donation). See sidebar for upcoming dates -->.  Contact Us to schedule one! 
4. CONSCIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY: In California, we ran a small biz- www.consciousphotography.com. Hire us for professional photography & videography at weddings, events, engagements, family portraits, etc. 
5. WRTV: This is an idea born many months ago that we will soon bring back into focus...Within Reach TV (Transition Video) - a website with subscription videos to inspire and educate Transition Towns (and other groups) all over the world. 
6. WRITING: In the process of writing a photo/quote book with the highest wisdom shared with us on the Within Reach journey. 
7. CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS: We welcome any contributions you are able to make to help with post-production on the film...let's make positive media together! Please note that we are no longer able to provide a tax-deductible receipt after 11/20/09. 
8. REACH WITHIN PRODUCTIONS LLC: Formation of a sustainable media production company and studio. The primary vision of company is to create positive solutions-oriented media, and construct the first U.S. sustainable editing studio to promote sustainable communities and conscious media. Need a video made to help promote your conscious group, sustainable community or organization? Contact us to arrange details. 
9. FREELANCE OFFICE WORK: Hire us for hourly work including copy-editing, virtual assistant, website design and copy writing, etc. Contact Mandy. 
10. GARDEN/FARM WORK: Hire us to help you put your gardens to bed for winter. Contact Mandy.

Longer Term ideas are listed here, which we would like to transition more of our time into doing especially as the world transitions into a new paradigm, away from the current paradigm and into the new age of enlightenment & earth conscious livelihood. We welcome your input and collaboration on these:

1. Create a CSA farm
2. Create a walk-in/bike-in movie/music theater/stage and flea market (trade/barter market), with locally grown popcorn/food, and pedal-powered drinks made in blenders attached to bicycles from ingredients on-site (smoothies, alcoholic drinks if we brew or distill them!)
3. Run an Eco-Inn and Wedding/Events venue to host groups, events, gatherings, teachings, retreats, family reunions, etc.
1. Catering company for local organic food - for weddings/events held on-site
2. Continue work for Reach Within Productions LLC - Photography/videography for communities, conscious groups, sustainable businesses, etc.
1. Continue work for Conscious Photography - photography/videography work for weddings, portraits, events, etc.
2. Host after-school children's garden training program
3. Speaking tours with the film (similar to Al Gore, or No Impact Man - film viewings and discussion groups about sustainable communities)
4. Passive income from book sales (quoteable quotes, children's book, Mandy's memoir, sustainable communities guidebook, etc.)
5. Passive income from DVD sales of Within Reach Movie and other videos
6. Ads or subscriptions on www.communityswap.com and www.withinreachmovie.com website (community swap is our idea for people who live in sustainable communities around the world to be able to travel by swapping communities to maintain responsibilities at community while getting to get out and see the world for periods of time...kinda like a community sabbatical)
7. Contributing to whatever community-run businesses already exist within the community
8. Continue Zazzle site to sell eco-friendly products (see above)
9. Freelance office work in the area
10. Within Reach TV and Reach Within Productions (maybe travel the world with funding to create media on international sustainable communities, and sustainable ways of life, spirituality, and more).
11. Would love to help create local currency options at Hummingbird and the surrounding community. Check out: http://www.timebanks.org and http://commongoodbank.com

Greywater Systems in a Regular House

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:36:25 -0600

GREYWATER = wastewater generated from domestic activities such as dish washing, laundry and bathing. Greywater comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater generated from all of the house's sanitation equipment except for the toilets. Water from the toilets is designated sewage or blackwater to indicate it contains fecal matter and urine. (source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greywater)

STEPS WE’RE TAKING
(1) First, we’re getting to know the plumbing. Does the greywater mix with the blackwater before going outside the house? Can we easily access the greywater before it mixes with the blackwater? Is it possible to retrofit the existing plumbing, or do we simply need to find a way to collect the greywater before it even goes down the tub or sink drain?
(2) We’re determining what the local building codes allow for. The U.S. is often behind the times with allowing residents to handle their own greywater, due to the fear that it may be handled and used in the wrong way and thereby spread disease. This is changing in many areas (namely San Francisco CA and Austin TX), but rural Wisconsin doesn’t seem to have any existing precedent set :)
(3) Lastly, we are determining what needs we have for the greywater. Most people re-route their greywater from the sink and tub to use on their vegetables, flowers and lawn. There is not a whole lotta lawn here, and the gardens don’t require much watering (especially in winter). Therefore, we’ve decided to try to use water from the sink and tubs to flush the toilet, thereby reusing the water and saving money and resources! So we call this "stacking functions". We have tried manually so far, but the food-ridden dirty water gets smelly when left in an uncovered bucket for later flushes. Likewise when the bath water is left in the tub and bucketed out for each flush; by the end of the day the tub is very dirty from having had used water sitting in it all day, thereby requiring extra cleaning (aka water and soap...where’s the water conservation in this?!!!). So we are trying to develop a way to get the water from the sink to the toilet with plumbing, or a bucket over the toilet inside a nice wood cabinet with some sort of plumbing to flush with.

RESOURCES
We saw some of the experts at creating greywater systems at the Rhizome Collective in Austin TX (and read our communimedia page entry here).

They actually wrote a book called "Toolbox for Sustainable City Living" about how to live sustainably in urban areas that has become an international hit. We interviewed the co-author Scott, and he may very well be in our movie :)

Constructed wetlands: Constructed wetlands are artificially created systems that mimic natural wetlands' function of purifying water. In this case, they treat household wastewater, or greywater, which, apart from a few contaminants, is relatively clean and capable of being reused. NOTE: We do not treat toilet water, or blackwater, as it is called. This system consists of several bathtubs filled with gravel, which have water plants growing inside them. Wastewater passing through the aerobic root zones of the plants is cleaned by the bacteria living there. The bacteria consume organic nutrients while the plants themselves uptake nitrogen and phosphorus. By the time it exits the system, the water has been made safe for reuse in irrigating vegetable crops. Plants used in this system include: bulrush, taro, cattail, papyrus, swamp hibiscus, canna lilly and phragmittes reeds.

Here's another great resource from the non-profit called Greywater Action (aka "Greywater Guerrillas") out of California. This highly publicized group also helped get greywater systems passed into state permitting legislation this past summer to help CA with it's drought.

Here's their page on kitchen sink greywater systems (though no help with over the toilet ideas).

Here are some links to ideas for flushing toilets with sink water:

• http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/08/04/dual-flush-toilet-is-a-sink-and-greywater-system-in-one/
• http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/815/
• http://www.plumbingsupply.com/greywater-recycling-system.html
• http://current.com/items/91120258_using-sink-water-to-flush-the-toilet.htm
• http://www.envirogadget.com/water-saving/sloans-greywater-system-recycles-water-for-toilet-flushing/

Lastly, here’s a “blackwater” victory...using no water at all!
http://hopedance.org/home/housing-news/1580-green-toilet-wins-city-approval-

Taking the Middle Path - Ryan’s thoughts

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:20:29 -0600

WHERE WE HAVE BEEN LATELY

About two weeks ago, while in Holland, MI housesitting for Mandy’s college friends, and having just made the decision to stop the bicycle tour and go into post-production on Within Reach Movie, we did an exercise we have been excited to do the entire journey...we created a huge list on the wall, of the top 5 communities we are considering with two columns: “Things we love about this community”, and “Potential challenges”.

The 5 communities we chose are: Hummingbird Ranch in Mora, NM, The Farm in Summertown, TN, Dancing Deer in Templeton, CA, White Conch Dharma Center in WI, and Vermont in General (the whole state is pretty much a big community).

We then made initial “courting” phone calls to Hummingbird, the Farm, and Dancing Deer. We thought it would make things easier to narrow it down to the top 3. We let White Conch Dharma Center folks know we wouldn’t be able to make it out for our visit this winter, but would stay connected. Then after a day or so, they wrote back and suggested we stay at their Joyful Path Healing and Meditation Center/Monastery for the winter if we felt like we needed a place to stay. WE DID need a place to stay actually. We were scrambling to figure out where we were going to settle in to community for the rest of our lives, and produce the movie which was feeling to rushed and crammed.

The idea had crossed our mind to just create the movie in the place that would offer us the best resources for that effort (fastest DSL, access to a major city, etc.), and move to the long-term community choice later. But when our Buddhist community (called a sangha) offered us a place for the winter, near our spiritual teacher whom we have been craving to spend quality time with, we realized this may be the divine intervention we needed.

After a huge ordeal getting there (the monks loaned us money to get a train there as we were both too sick from the flu to bike the 300 miles from Holland MI to Madison WI area) due to the train not allowing bikes, and our best option at that point being to have Mandy renew her lapsed drivers license (which was easier than for Ryan to do the same thing since we were in her home state) and rent a car, we finally arrived over a week ago and decided with the monks to do a trial visit for 3 weeks to feel each other out.

One of the challenges for us to consider was that we are now staying in close quarters with Buddhist Monastics, who have taken vows of celibacy. So as not to be creating distracting energy in their home, we were asked to leave our “couple” time out of the house, and engage in those activities outside of the monastery (they suggested a state park just outside of town in Blue Mounds, WI). We agreed with the anticipation of this time and energy being focused in deeply reflective time for ourselves and our spiritual growth.

That is exactly what has happened so far.

REACHING WITHIN WITH BUDDHIST MONKS

There is so much to learn and experience out here at the “Joyful Path Healing and Meditation Center”. It feels like one would think a true Buddhist Monastery experience feels like. It's out in the rural areas just enough that it feels removed from busy life like a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery would feel like in the Himalayan Mountains. It is a beautiful building (recently remodeled and paid for by the monks themselves who work jobs while they remain monastics and keep up with all their meditations...the are inspiring!). The building is adorned with authentic Tibetan art, artifacts, and decorations. The energy here is so pure and uplifting as they have been holding this space in a sacred place and creating energy here through their meditations for people to come and have personal transformative experiences. That's why Mandy and I are so happy to be here right now...we are in such need of this after the year on our bikes meeting so many people.

On top of this, our Teacher Domo Geshe Rinpoche 9th lives 3 hours north and has been teaching around the area. We got to attend her series of teachings the week we arrived which was a synchronous blessing as she travels all over the world and it is a rare occasion to be able to attend her teachings. After 1.5 years of missing her teachings, the week we arrived in her area, getting to see and hear her, was very sacred.

All the amazing benefits of the transformational meditation we have been practicing all along this journey twice a day, requires a teacher to guide one as development occurs in order to ask spiritual questions as they arise. We are very lucky to have a very advanced teacher. Domo Geshe Rinpoche the 9th is a "Lama's Lama" (a lama is like the "Dalai Lama", an enlightened being who is here to teach"). Our teacher has initiated other teachers (Lamas) into becoming empowered teachers for hundreds of years (she is reincarnated every life into a new body...just like the Dalai Lama...it's part of Tibetan Buddhist Tradition that the enlightened teachers/beings can do this). So she calls it a "precious human rebirth" to get to have the good Karma to be introduced to her teachings, and to be initiated and empowered by her, as she holds a sacred transmission of energy that has been passed down from generation to generation through her reincarnated self. It's very real. Once I was initiated by her, I could literally feel a sacred energy within me that helps me during meditation. :) It's like a blanket covering me holding space for me to continue meditating. It's like I can take refuge in this energy when life seems too much. :)

When we watched the “Karate Kid” the other week, we realized knowing Rinpoche is kinda like how lucky “Daniel-son” was to have been introduced to his Karate teacher “Mr. Miyagi”. When you come across a master...you just listen and learn!

Some of the lessons we learned at her teachings this past week put into perspective the lessons I have been learning for the past two years, and pushed me onto a newer level of understanding and growth.

LESSONS WE HAVE BEEN LEARNING

The nature of our physical reality here on earth is ILLUSORY. “We are not who we think we are” she repeats to us like a mantra. Kinda like the movie the “Matrix”. She loves this movie by the way and says that the creators have a very advanced understanding of Buddhist philosophy. The movie is basically a metaphor for the nature of reality according to Buddhism. There is something in this world that seems “off” to some people. Like “Neo” (Keanu Reeves character) we will all eventually “wake up” to the fact that nothing in this world can really provide us the satisfaction we crave...because it’s just not real. It’s all going to fade away someday. All people whom have ever lived in this physical plane have died and passed on to somewhere else. This “somewhere else” is actually where our energy comes from. “We are energy beings”, Rinpoche teaches. The energy in our bodies is our higher self, and our higher self is constantly trying to “wake us up” and get us to pay attention to why we are TRULY here. It is here to learn lessons to spiritually advance it’s journey closer to “the source” of all energy. By letting go of illusory things (all things in this physical plane), we can start to make our life meaningful. We can be here to help all sentient beings “awaken” and continue their journey toward “the source” (just like “Neo” helped all humans “awake” to the illusion they were living in inside the Matrix...click here for a great article about this topic).

Another realization we had is that “nothing goes away until it has taught us what we (our soul) needs to know”. If we try to run away from lessons they will just come back because that lesson is what we are here to overcome, so we can advance to the NEXT LESSON. We can’t think of lessons as something that inconvenience us, as there is lesson after lesson to learn. They are each an opportunity for growth. And whether we like it or not, we are here to grow; we are all going to have to face that fact sooner or later.

When I get depressed, I tend to focus on my suffering and how much I just want it to go away. The more I focus on it, the more it doesn’t go away however, and the more the lessons just keep hitting me over the head until I finally wake up and just ATTEND TO THEM! The spiritual wisdom I learned about this week is that by paying attention to the suffering of others, and working to help ease it, my own suffering is alleviated more quickly than anything and actually helps me heal.

Mandy and I have noticed a difference with the way that each of us gets our needs met this year on the journey. I tend to give until my “cup” is empty, and then I need “refill” time. I need alone time to recharge my batteries. Mandy, on the other hand, is filling her cup at the same time as she is giving; continually multi-tasking she finds her cup is never empty and that through giving, her cup is replenished. Though I find this amazing, it is difficult for me to push ahead, give in an outward way, when I feel I need to stop, recharge, and look inward. The conclusion that we came to this week after all of these deep spiritual teachings, is that both of us were right to an extent. Even our spiritual teacher needs time for sabbatical for two weeks a year to recharge and refill. But like Mandy, she recommends looking at others to stay motivated. She says that if we feel like we are suffering, to think of how much others are suffering and to send prayers and energy out to them to help their healing...and ours will come along with it. Then we can physically give to them with a helping hand too. But it all starts with an energetic offering. Energy is real. It’s what gives us all life. Once we reach within, we find that every dream we have ever had is within reach.

THE NEXT STEPS

The next steps of our journey will involve us balancing carefully working part time jobs at first, and working on post-production of Within Reach Movie part time. Eventually we hope the post-production will be fully funded and that we can focus full time on it to get it out into public release by April 22 2011 (Earth Day).

We are likely going to stay at the Joyful Path Healing and Meditation Center here in Blue Mounds, WI for 5 months through the winter. We hope to bike to the community we hope to settle into long term at that point.

We will be working out our work-trade/payment agreement with Joyful Path on a graduated plan of more work-trade at first, and then more money payment later. This will balance our abundance of time/lack of money now, with our abundance of money/lack of time later.

The monks have been so generous with the abundance they have here since we arrived and we are so grateful. They have given us a place to sleep for free for three weeks, and free meals for a week. Of course we are pitching in with help around the monastery but they are helping us survive with abundance now, as have other members of our Buddhist community and also others who support our journey from afar.

Luckily our being here at the monastery is mutually beneficial to them, as they have to work so hard at outside jobs in addition to running a healing center full-time, and serving as monastics, which requires steady meditation practice, prayers and volunteerism. They also have a need for more people to traffic through their doors, and our holding presentations and events here and in the area will help spread the word about the amazing services that they offer here for healing and meditation. They are also on board with promoting sustainable community which is a deeply integrated part of their lives and has been for thousands of years in this tradition! We are excited to read a book they recommended by Thich Nat Han called Joyfully Together which is about Buddhist Monastery communities and how they live together in peace. Not to mention we will be offering many other services to the monastery like our media skills, cooking, cleaning, organizing, and much more.

The other balance in our lives right now will be to slowly integrate into the sustainable community we choose to move into. We are grateful for the possibility of having 5 months here in the monastery so we can slowly get to know the community of choice, and then start their process of membership, figure out details of making it work there, what we can mutually offer each other, and create a livelihood for our lives there.

DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS POSSIBILITIES

As for our blossoming relationship with Dick Clark Productions, many people have been curious about this and we are too! All we know is that Dick Clark Productions, who approached us in July this year, about us helping them produce a TV reality show about sustainable communities, is still working on it. In our early discussions with them this past summer, they became interested in making the reality TV show idea about our personal journey towards sustainable community. They created an amazing “pitch video” (aka “sizzle reel” or “demo”) to pitch the idea to major networks such as: Sundance Channel, Discovery, Planet Green, A&E, TLC, Travel, National Geographic, History, and PBS. The process has taken a long time and they have recently started hearing back from some networks. One network said that if it was three years ago, they would have bought it on the spot. But being that they can’t just take risks like that with this economy, they are considering it still, but more carefully. Another network expressed interest recently, though more along the lines of what DCP was originally interested in which is a show about life in a single sustainable community. so we will see what happens. Just waiting patiently and hoping that the message about the movement will be able to spread into as many hearts as possible.

SURVIVING THE ECONOMY

Speaking of how to survive with the economy being down, Rinpoche said something the other day that affirmed what we have been learning all year. SIMPLIFY! That’s it. We have learned to get our needs met, and let go of our wants. When we do this we usually realize that not only do our needs get met, but there is usually some extra to make us feel abundant. It’s wonderful to be able to live in a place of abundance in the midst of what appears to be an economic depression. In reality, it’s all an illusion, it’s all in our heads, and if we look around, all the resources we need are here in abundance. Love, food, water, air to breath, and a place to lay our heads to rest. (For a really inspiring story check out Mark Boyle who lived for a whole year without using money: http://hopedance.org/home/money-news/1582).

With continued joy in the effort,
Ryan

Taking the Middle Path- Mandy’s Thoughts

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:03:08 -0600

After visiting nearly 100 sustainable communities around the US, we have learned a lot about what it takes to create a more sustainable life. We know that it requires a strong interconnectedness with a vibrant community, which can require a lot of time-, task- and heart-sharing. This usually leaves less time for professional work outside of the community; but due to all the sharing, the need for a higher income is much less! Beyond identifying community as the key to sustainability, we’ve also determined that “reaching within” or having a spiritual practice of some sort is an essential part of living sustainably. When we began to more deeply explore the various paths we could choose for our spiritual lives, for our partnership, and for our desire to serve one community, there seemed to be one path leading very strongly in one direction and one that leads strongly in the opposite direction, forcing us to consider whether or not either path really leads to a balanced life!?

Thus, in all areas of our live, we instead choose the middle path.

What does this mean for our decision to move into a sustainable community?
We thought about abandoning our desire to be a part of a sustainable community for a long while and hole up somewhere to work on the film. We also thought about trying to work out a way to move into one of our favorite ecovillages ASAP. However, taking the middle path in this case means that we are not making a fast decision about moving to Dancing Deer, Hummingbird Ranch or The Farm. In fact, we have realized that there are a few additional communities that we would still like to visit before making this final decision (Dreamtime Village, Dancing Rabbit, Sandhill Farm, Possibilities Alliance). So for now will continue to build community here at Joyful Path here in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin through winter and deepen our connection to the buddhist sangha (community) that we are blessed to be a part of, in addition to reconnecting with old friends of mine who now live in the Midwest and whom I have been away from for nearly two years (see photos below). Joyful Path is a cooperative household of five (including us), and the other three members are Tibetan buddhist monastics (Jugney, Wangmo, & Pema). Here we meditate together at 6am, cook and enjoy 3 meals a day as a community, share household chores, work on energy efficiency by holding one another accountable for turning off lights, reusing dish water, etc., and generally seek to improve our compassionate communication and learn how to get along with one another better in order to be of service to all sentient beings.

What does this mean for Within Reach Movie?
When riding a bicycle for up to 10 hours a day for over a year, one has lots of time to spend contemplating life, the nature of reality, and dreaming up fun ideas. We invested early on in digital voice recorders (photo above) that we could easily pull out at any time and record our thoughts. So we’ve been delving into these inspired ideas the past few days, and have come up with pages and pages of income possibilities, as well as a list of tasks to move forward on accomplishing our goals to produce the film. We thought about delving head-first into the film by completing the business plan and film treatment in order to align with the right Executive Producer(s) to bring in finishing funds and both of us work full-time on Within Reach Movie. We also thought about abandoning the film for a short while so both of us could go out and work full-time in order to get back on our feet financially, pay off some debt and hopefully save some $ to take time off later to work on the film. Instead, we are again choosing the middle path. Each of us will seek to bring in about $800/month through part-time work, photography and videography gigs and other freelance work. The other half of our workdays will be consumed with work for Within Reach Movie until the finishing funds are fully in place, at which point we will consider having one or both of us shift into full-time work for Within Reach Movie.

What does this mean for our personal lives?
Being on the road has brought many “high highs” but also many “low lows”. We sometimes say to one another while traveling...“we lead such a bipolar life!”, meaning we are often having one peak experience after another (our askiversary, Homesteaders Gathering in NM, and being in Vermont just to recall a few), but we were also learning the true depth of our ability to cope with some of the most intense hardships we’d ever experienced personally (such as Austin struggles, financial, and relationship questions). Now that we are settling into life in community, we are definitely seeking the middle path in regards to our individual spiritual paths, our relationship to others, as well as in our relationship as a couple. This means we are not necessarily meditating 24/7, nor are we abandoning our meditation and spending all of our time together worrying about what comes next for our relationship. We are not spending all of our time alone at our individual computers, nor are we talking through every single decision each of us makes. Instead we are intentionally taking more time for ourselves by taking walks, meditating, cooking or reading books (Ryan’s reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer and I’m reading The Wind is My Mother by Bear Heart with Molly Larkin). We are also often “dividing and conquering” in order to accomplish more than we could by discussing everything over and over, and we are experimenting with new ways of communicating our needs and desires to one another, using fewer words and focusing more on the subtle energy exchanges that are constantly taking place between us and others around us. It is these subtle energies that we are becoming more and more sensitized to due to meditation. It is these subtle energies that can create heaven or hell on earth. It is these subtle energies that when balanced, allow us to keep following the middle path.

Thanks for reading.  Please share your responses by commenting below. ~ Mandy

The Within Reach Journey Toward Sustainability Continues...in a Whole New Way

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:09:31 -0500

THE ISSUES

We get up every day now in 30 degree weather, often with rain, and with reports of snow on the way any day now.

Ryan gets up on mornings in the tent now with a flat mattress because it has a hole in it. We have tried to fix it several times with all kinds of glue, tape, material, etc. and nothing is working. So after a bad night of sleep, he wakes up with a hurting back and is very grumpy.

In the cold we pull ourselves out of our sleeping bags, change our clothes while our naked skin feels like thousands of knives pierce it in the cold air, we put on wool socks, and Keen brand summer bicycle sandals which are not made for autumn cold and rain. When it rains (which is quite often these days in the North) our cold feet are instantly wet and soggy.

Our bikes, which have been wonderful since we bought them in Austin, have reached a breaking point, and lots of things are going wrong with them every day. Though we make efforts to fix them with what limited tools we have, they need expensive overhauls, parts, and professional tools and help to really get them back in shape.

Our clothes, rain gear, and pannier bag rain covers have holes all over them, are getting thin, and because we tend to lose stuff along the way (we are constantly in new places and forget to grab stuff when we leave and it gets left behind), we are getting low on clothing.

Ryan's computer is on the fritz. It has been freezing up constantly lately to the point where 1 minute into a session it freezes. It's basically unusable now. We've been to the Apple store twice and they have even put in a new hard drive thinking that would fix the problem and it didn't. Apple stores are few and far between so we now have to wait awhile to find another one. We are a one computer media making team now.

Our GPS phone's internal battery is not only wearing out (meaning we only get a half of day of power now), but it's loose inside the phone and it freezes whenever we use it now, causing us to get cut off of phone calls, getting GPS directions, checking/writing emails, etc. Our second phone is also having battery issues. It also doesn't hold much charge, and for some reason freezes often as well, causing us to not even be able to answer phone calls most of the time...maybe a loose battery as well.

The solar panels we use to charge our batteries and laptops don't have enough sunlight to gather the proper energy to do their job, not to mention two have stopped charging our electronics altogether, likely due to water damage.

Our tall tripod is falling apart and we are missing a crucial part on our smaller tripod which makes it unusable, making filming good shots for the movie very difficult.

The zoom on our video camera has a mind of its own now. In the middle of interviews it will automatically zoom in and ruin the shot. So we have to hold the zoom button back to prevent it from doing that, causing not only a sore thumb :), but a little bit of camera shake simply from our breathing. This is probably a remnant problem from when the camera fell down and smashed against the ground in TN during high winds on the road. The screen broke and was fixed but Canon didn't know about the zoom problem which has now developed into this major issue.

We are now down to 4 water bottles altogether (we used to have 4/each). This means we have to stop more often to fill up with water, thus slowing us down.

Our $400 worth of rechargable batteries (for lights, voice recorders, etc.) are practically useless now as none of them hold a charge anymore...too much use, temp. changes, etc.

We think moisture and the roughness of the road has gotten the best of a lot of our gear, electronics, etc. and that is just going to get worse with Winter.

Not only has the roughness of the road seemed to be hard on our gear, but it is also hard on our bodies. Mandy recently wrote an article to be published in the next issue of Communities Magazine about her journey toward holistic health. This has definitely been a part of the bicycle journey, and unfortunately, the actions that need to be taken regularly to better her health (use of neti pot, herbal steams, regular chiropractic adjustments, etc.) are out of reach while on tour. Ryan has a health issue that stems from stress. It has blown up 3x more often on tour than it has in the past, which is a sign that he is overly stressed.

Then there is the issue of funding that would help fix all this. We notice that our donations which used to be around $500-1,000/month at the beginning of the journey are now dwindling to $100-$300/mo. The state of the economy seems to be in direct relationship to how many donations we collect.

This means we are not getting enough funding these days to pay our bills on time, and we have now been late on several of our bills, thus risking the good credit we have been able to maintain. This is not acceptable for our lives.

Not only are we not able to pay our bills and fix our gear, but we are often not able to eat an adequate amount of food while in the middle of a 70 mile bike ride (which means we are burning thousands of calories and we need more food than normal). So we end up eating like birds, having one or two peanut butter and jelly's in a whole day and we wonder each day where the next meal will come from. Everyone that crosses our paths notices our hunger and helps us out and buys us food; but it's embarrassing to feel so needy and dependent on people we just meet.

We have met over 20,000 people this year (that is a conservative estimate...it may well be 40,000 or more) and we are starting to forget people we meet. For instance, the other night we gave a presentation at Hope College, and some people we had met on the Natchez Trace trail in Mississippi, showed up and said "Hi do you remember us?". Ryan didn't remember them at all, and it took about 30 minutes for him to finally figure them out. We realize that meeting this many people is not sustainable for building lasting relationships, and that we are doing it this way mostly for PR and educational purposes. We have heard at an ecovillage that as a human species we really are only meant to know and remember a "village-sized" number of people...about 250. This is helpful for us to remember when we get overwhelmed with the sheer number of people we have met and are trying to keep in touch with.

Since we have very little money, are in debt, need new gear, are cold and wet often, we are often asking ourselves what we need to do to figure this out and continue to serve the world in the way it needs to be served!

THE QUESTIONS

After hearing Robert Gillman speak at the Cohousing Conference this year, a question we often ask ourselves is "is your life a co-creative abundant adventure or an unfair struggle?" Lately, the answer to this question has been a gray area. It's been a co-creative scarce adventure. Our basic needs are met, but bills are unpaid and our gear and health is deteriorating; But boy is it a co-creative adventure!

So should we stop temporarily and raise money? To do this we need to finish the film treatment, make a higher quality fundraising short video, finish our business plan, finalize our LLC, and pitch our project to as many potential investors as we can find. This could take us months.

Should we keep going and risk breakdowns, health problems, capturing low-quality film footage? If so will we forgo doing justice to the people we are meeting and the communities we are visiting because of too many factors going against us to really do a quality community filming visit?

Should we just stop bicycling altogether? Our original goal was "1 Year. 12,000 Miles. 100 Sustainable Communities". We have already filmed over 1,000 hours of footage (more than enough to make a 90 minute documentary, or a 13 episode tv show), and visited 86 communities (nearly 100). Also, last week we hit the 1-year mark and celebrated having been on the road since October 5, 2008! Lastly, we've technically reached our goal of biking 12,000 miles already...together. That is, Mandy has biked 6,000 + Ryan has biked 6,000! ;-)

When we ask ourselves the question that started this whole journey..."If money didn't matter what would you be doing?"...the answer is still the same..."Living on the land in sustainable community".

When originally asked that question the response was "THEN GO DO IT!"

In our efforts to "go do it", a movie project, website and educational tour formed out of the effort, and the lifestyle has been further out of reach than hoped for.

Because we aren't spending enough time at communities to get more in-depth lately, we are often filming the same information over and over again. This just means more editing time to go through this footage to find the gems. So do we really need to visit more communities to enhance the film's message? Not really. It will be sad not to get to visit the rest of the country and some of the most amazing communities that we had hoped to visit, but that can happen later in our lives when the time is right!

THE SOLUTIONS

So there is one thing on our hearts more than anything these days as we realize and reflect on the realities of our current situation...that is to just settle down in sustainable community on the land, build an eco-home, raise our own food, and eventually animals, kids, and a family.

SO WE ARE GOING TO JUST STOP AND GO DO IT!

One of our life's philosophies is that in order to live our right livelihood, we always need to be moving TOWARD something and being FOR what is good, not running AWAY from what isn't working or being AGAINST what is bad.

We have learned that by living in the present moment, we pay attention to each and every sign the universe gives us, and when we REACH WITHIN we notice that the universe is staying STOP, edit this footage, share it with people, and serve one local community with your hands and hearts.

The information we have gathered this year needs to get out to the public eyes to see as soon as possible. The longer we wait to get it out the later it will make a positive impact on the world.

So here ends this epic bicycle journey (for now)...and here begins our life in sustainable community! Stay tuned for more videos, blogs, tweets and more as we go through the process of choosing a community and delve deeper into finding out what it takes to live for a long time in one community!

Light,
Ryan and Mandy

350.org's International Day of Climate Action

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:42:28 -0500

Today is “International Day of Climate Action” organized by Bill McKibben’s organization 350.org. Check out their website at http://350.org for more details and join an event today!

This December there will be an international meeting of nations in Europe to agree upon a number of parts per million of carbon that is safe for the atmosphere of the earth to handle, to enable a sustainable future.

There is a debate about wether or not the number should be higher than 350. Bill McKibben, an internationally known climate change expert, whom we got to interview for our film a month ago, started an organization, 350.org, to promote the importance of keeping the number down to 350 or below, as this is what he and many other concerned scientists believe is the safe number for what our atmosphere can handle in order to avoid climate change catastrophe. There is an incredibly huge movement of concerned citizens around the world that support this number.

Read on his website about the over 170 countries that will be participating in over 4000 events today in solidarity with this number and this movement. It will be the biggest eco-action day in the history of the planet.

With regenerative Light,
Ryan

We Lovermont!

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:41:39 -0500

The moment we started biking through the border of Vermont, we knew everything we had heard was not only right, but we were going to experience a lot more amazing-ness than all that we had heard...and boy did we.

Vermont has this quaint country farm feel to it that takes one right back to the past. It also has a beautiful scent that is indescribable. But I kept having flashbacks to my childhood to places like grandpa's pipe smoking boat rides along the Columbia River in Oregon. It was reminiscent to the smells of the great pacific northwest. The trees, the flowers, the soil, the water, and the animals give it all an earthy smell, feel, look, and experience that is heavenly.

We first visited a new community called "Amazing Planet Farm and Justice Center" where two young people about our age, had bought an old farm and were starting a CSA and community. The farm came with one barn converted to two apartments for visitors to rent, it also has another barn with a yoga/dance/healing studio built into it. They had made some great improvements to the farm already - they had raised their own beautiful timber framed farm stand, built a huge chicken coup for hundreds of chickens, and the coup was lined with tons of solar panels.

Their backyard is a popular river with swimming holes, several of which are notorious nude, and gay hangout spots, just to add to the flavor of this progressive farm and community. Of course Mandy and I passed up "family hole" to hit up nude hole, and got a kick out of the name for the third hole which you can figure out (maybe that's why it is one of the most popular spots in VT for gays)!

We later biked to White River Junction which is across the river from Dartmouth University (New Hampshire is right across the river). We met with a few eco-heroes recommended to us by friends we met at Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Amherst, MA. Bill Stetson is an environmental film producer who used to introduce Al Gore at his early "Inconvenient Truth" presentations, has hosted Barack Obama at his house during his presidential campaign (he was a donor), and he knows a VT US congressman and many other politicians. While we were meeting with him the VT congressman he was talking about walked in to the restaurant and sat down with us for about 10 minutes with his new wife, a VT state legislator! Joining us for the meal and film interview were several other amazing people: Bob Walker, whom everyone in VT had been recommending us to meet, a community energy organizer/developer, and Simon Dennis, a spiritualist/eco-activist who is helping to start the White River Junction Transition town. Right after our meeting he was running off to join in on a group "transition town" visioning mediation! Wow! We met a few other people that day and were overwhelmed with the kindness, enthusiasm, and warm welcome to their very green state.

We visited three very different and very amazing cohousing communities while in VT and one short community visit. The cohousing communities were Cobb Hill in Heartland (a very rural working farm/cohousing community, with a CSA farm stand, maple syrup production, award winning cheese making, milk production, and they also use horses for live power agriculture help! In Burlington we visited Burlington Cohousing, a unique cohousing community with an amazing affordable housing option provided by state and private grants. We met a young couple our age living there who had purchased their unit for a mere $150,000! Cohousing can be an option for lower income people (their income was less than $48,000 a year). We visited a new and unfinished rural community called Champlain Valley Cohousing with a farm, small milk operation, and a very welcoming community in a beautiful location. They are about 2 miles away from Lake Champlain, and right across the street from a well known winery that makes an amazing blueberry wine that Mandy had been told to drink on the lake a month before...and when we did it...it was a blissful experience that made us both cry tears of happiness. Along the ride between Burlington and Champlain Valley Coho, our friend Laura Fitch joined us for a bike ride, and we randomly came across another community we had a hard time getting into (in fact impossible as their is no contact info for them on the web), the Ten Stones Community. Coincidentally a friend, and another sustainable communities traveler Jonathan Cardozo, happened to be at that community at the time we were visiting! He was on the verge of making an important decision about his possible choice to move into this community! So we were blessed with a quick tour of this hard to visit community which was beautiful!

And for some whip cream with a cherry on top, we were able to interview two people we admire so much on our last two days in Vermont. Rob Hopkins contacted us indirectly on the web, and we were able to connect directly through Skype and record a wonderful interview with the founder of the Transition Town's movement (he lives in England and doesn't fly). We were also able to get connected to Bill McKibben an internationally known climate change expert, and founder of www.350.org, a new organization blowing up on the environmental scene to help get our world’s carbon emissions reduced before things become catastrophic. We met him at a meeting of eco-Unitarian Universalists at the greenest church in VT near where he teaches at Middlebury College. He gave a speech on 350.org and the urgency of calming climate change, and then gave us a short interview. Our hearts were pounding with excitement for the urgency of his message, and also excited to hear him talk on film about what gives him hope.

We actually made it out of Vermont...and that is a miracle, as so many people were doing such a good job of hooking us into this heavenly place and making us never want to leave! Now we can continue to travel the country doing our research on what is going on with sustainable communities around the USA, and share this with you!

~ Ryan

Fun Signs We See

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:21:29 -0500

September '09 eNewsletter

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:05:25 -0500

...oh, oh, livin' on a prayer!
That's right, we are officially halfway through the journey, and our compass if finally pointing West! And yes, we're essentially living on prayers...and love and support. We have had the unique opportunity to visit and talk to literally thousands of people who show us that living more sustainably in community is not only possible, it's already happening! They serve as a wonderful example, voice of reason, and inspiration to us all. A few highlights from this month...
• Colleen at Cobb Hill (a 23-family rural cohousing community here in Hartland VT) shared with us that as long as she can remember she's wanted to devote her life to "saving the world". But her passion happens to be 19th century English literature. Hmmmm...not exactly the non-profit-world-changing career she'd envisioned! But in 1994 she found sustainable community and moved into Cobb Hill in 2001. Now, she lives that change, and says "I get to 'save the world' simply by living here".
• Rob Hopkins, the founder of Transition Towns and author of The Transition Handbook, graced us with a "low-carbon" interview via Skype (he lives in the UK). He talked about how much fun it can be to work on the local solutions to peak oil and global climate change. See below for more info about this movement that is sweeping the USA and the world.
• Many people have chosen to give up driving their cars for an hour or more and join us on tour. Today we celebrate their contribution and courage by sharing stories and photos. Click here for pix & stories. If you can't ride a bike, consider taking public transportation. See below for ideas on how to simplify your life.
• About 70 people joined us at Sirius Community for our first "Burgers and Bikes" event. We're hosting a second on this Sunday 9/27 at EcoVillage at Ithaca. Click here for details and to RSVP!
Many thanks to those of you whom have lent your voice to this film and devoted your lives to the sustainable communities movement. We are encouraged to keep on keepin' on.
http://www.withinreachmovie.com

Step #9: Community Highlight: Buy the Book.
Public Transportation Transition Alpine TX Support Within Reach.

Take public transportation
      as much as possible and
    notice how many nice
    people are using it.

     ...and look! Google has
   "transit" directions.
       Click to plan your trip.

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SPECIAL ENTRY: People Who Ride w/Us

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:24:05 -0500

Ganas Lessons, NYC

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 07:57:49 -0500

Biggest Challenge so far...no filming allowed!

While at the Ganas Community in New York City in the Staten Island borough, we arrived after a long and tumultuous day of biking into New York City. After almost getting arrested for illegally bicycling over the most southern bridge onto Staten Island (and while trying to film the police officer and the whole incident the officer reached out and tried to break our camera), and then coming away from that experience shaken up and not to excited about the hardness of New York, we arrived at the hilly Ganas Community exhausted after some of the sharpest and steepest hills on our journey since San Francisco. We were also shaken up a little because of our disconnect on arrangements with our contact at Ganas, a board member of the Fellowship for Intentional Communities, whom we met at the FIC board meeting we attended in 2008 at Hummingbird Ranch. He was extremely busy this past month and didn't get our advanced-notice email to make arrangements. We finally got a hold of him about a week before and this caused their community and us to cram in some poorly planned last-minute arrangements. In the future we will remember that if we don’t hear back from a community until the last minute, or if we don’t plan accordingly, it’s probably not the best time to come. So our usual warm welcome was reduced to a lack of information in general, people from their community not knowing who we were when we arrived, getting told to lug our bikes and stuff around to several different hilly locations, me breaking one of my bike chain sprockets riding up yet another Ganas Hill with all my gear (too much weight being placed on the sprockets), and after arriving practically traumatized from our entrance into New York, this left us exhausted and me personally a little frumpy and grumpy.

Thus, when we met one of our first contacts at Ganas, and he made a statement that we were not to film in public places at Ganas without asking for permission, I made the mistake of not listening very acutely, and then soon after made the mistake of making the poor decision to film in a public setting at Ganas, thereby angering many in the community.

About an hour after I heard the "no-filming in public" comment at Ganas, we were encouraged to participate in a community food chain which helped lug groceries and bulk food items from a truck on the street below to the kitchen on several flights of stairs above. We had been anticipating dinner, and were low blood sugar (which is a H.A.L.T. moment for us, we have a team agreement that if we are HUNGRY, ANGRY, LONELY, or TIRED, that we get our needs met before doing anything else and making things complicated!), and before we were able to eat we were asked to help with this work. We were exhausted already but wanted to make good with the community by participating. Towards the end of the work, I thought (with a poor critical thinking state of mind) it would be an amazing community oriented activity to have on film since we probably wouldn't see anything like it again to capture on film on our journey. Since they only do it once a week we couldn't have done it later after getting the official ok from the next morning's community meeting to film in public. So I ran to go get the camera anyways thinking I could take a shot from far away and maybe not get any faces in the shot (not thinking of wether or not the mere presence of the camera recording would cause problems). When i got back out to the scene with the camera, I noticed the chain was ending and instead of asking permission of the whole scene and potentially disrupting the flow of the moment, I just took the shot from about 100 yards away. I was immediately questioned by a woman who asked "did you get permission?" I said no, and that I was far away and no faces were really in it. She said, ok.

Later that night our first contact angrily told us that was not ok what I did. He was going to bring it up in the morning meeting and they would decide whether to allow us to film there at all at that meeting.

When the morning meeting happened, we picked up very fast that the infamous "feedback learning" process at Ganas was very intense and also very harsh. I was not ready to be a part of this process and knew immediately that this communities process was not a good fit for me. It also fit my stereo type of New Yorkers being very aggressive, harsh and intellectual and not into being soft, subtle, and heart-centered. Yes a stereotype is only good for manifesting more of that, so I learned that maybe I actually brought this all on my self (and Mandy) just for holding onto stereotypes.

When it came time for the community meeting to shift to our situation about filming there, our original contact tried to leave the meeting but I asked him to please stay. Our host quickly made his way towards the door as well, saying "Mandy and Ryan can film me anytime they want, but what Ryan did yesterday was "not cool". And then he bowed out.

So already I was sensing this community didn't have the time, or didn't want to take the time to prioritize the discussion about us filming there. Eventually the conversation came to a head when after our contact describing what he had told us and what I did wrong, I got the chance to apologize and explain everything that had happened up to that point causing me to make the decision to go for the artistic shot and ask for permission later. The first contact guy made it clear to the whole group that on top of an apology I should have told them i wouldn't let it happen again and that because of that mistake, it would now take us more than the 3 or 4 day visit to regain our trust. But i didn’t think of that. I figured that my apology would be understood. The community’s entire energy shifted toward us not filming there after that moment.

After a few minutes of me describing the traumatic entrance into New York, and the state of mind I was in the day before, and how that all contributed to me making a poor decision, and that I was sorry, the community decided that us filming there was “just not a good fit”. I made it clear this was a huge loss to us, and would be a loss to them as well as the entire communities movement and the world. At that point several people at the meeting piped in and agreed that this was a loss and that the outcome was not satisfactory to them. There was a general majority rule though that there was just not time to work it out and that the decision would stand. There was a general disbelief in the air for many of us, and the meeting quickly and quietly ended.

We were invited to stay there for three more days to “get to know the community” but at that point it was obvious to me it would be better for me to leave, to get some space to heal, to decompress, to debrief with Mandy about what happened, and to learn about this whole incident to create a better outcome next time something like this happens.

It’s not the first time we have had concerns and even restrictions with filming, and the times before were pretty difficult for me too. It makes me sad when people don’t understand the beauty of sharing their lives, lessons, and hearts with the world through film. It’s a medium that can reach the masses and help make the world a better place I believe.

Our intentions for this project are to help the world by sharing information that communities are learning about living together in harmony and with the earth in harmony. We are not looking to exploit communities at all, as we do intend to live in community some day. We would not want that to happen to us while living in community.

Later we found out that Ganas had a shooting several years ago, where an ex-member (a woman) came back to the community and shot a founding member (a male ex-lover of the woman) about 5 times. The victim survived. The woman was caught by the police eventually and the result of her trial was that she was acquitted due to lack of evidence that it was her (the shooting happened at night with no witnesses). The victim was subsequently kicked out of the Ganas community. Supposedly for financial reasons. Currently Ganas is being sued by the shooting victim (a co-founder) for over a million dollars for money he says the community owes him. Apparently the whole situation is extremely complicated and layered and it left me wondering what the real truth is and why this community has so much drama going on in it.

Once we found out about this we understood a little more about their sensitivities to being filmed. It was just a shame we were never simply told something like “there is a female shooter on the streets and we don’t want people to know who and where we live so to keep our community safe from another shooting”.

A little clarity in communication goes a long way in helping people be invested in requests. Non-violent communication’s key principle is that by telling people what your needs are and inviting them to help you get your needs met, that others are more likely to be interested in meeting your requests.

After a lot of thinking and research on the internet, and talking with people, it seems to me that our failure at Ganas was just a perfect alignment of events to teach me just the lessons I needed to learn.

I also learned that I don’t think Ganas is a community I will be interested in living at though part of me wonders if being in the community that is the furthest thing from comfortable or desirable is probably the community that will help me grow the most and maybe they could learn something from me too. Hmmm....

-Ryan

Can I be a Locavore on a Bicycle?

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:35:50 -0500

We typically carry about 2 days of food on the bicycle at a time, which consists of fruits, veggies, peanut butter and jelly, tortillas, trail mix (nuts, seeds and dried fruit), the occasional block of hard cheese, and of course some spices and olive oil. Simple, but delicious!

Of course, there are times when we are on the road and crave a full meal. This is when we find ourselves eating out, usually at whatever restaurant is within reach, but ideally something healthy and inexpensive. We do not eat fast food at all and try to find a restaurant that serves local organic as often as possible...especially after watching the films Fresh and Food Inc, each of which present the realities of the industrial agriculture system. Fresh delves deeply into the many amazing solutions that exist in our country including Joel Salatin’s way of raising animals humanely, and a Milwaukee WI group called Growing Power that is growing loads and loads of food and healthy soil in greenhouses. I’m convinced! Continue down the path of becoming a locavore! It’s not always accessible though, at least not while on the tour.

The latest restaurant experience was near Washington DC at the Wandering Nomad where we enjoyed vegan sausage and eggs on a croissant, along with a mango-kiwi-banana smoothie. Not all local (mangoes don’t grow many places in the States), but all organic and made fresh...and inexpensive for us, as they gave us a 15% discount in exchange for some publicity in our twitter, facebook and right here on the blog. Be sure to seek them out next time in DC!

When we roll into a community we are often invited to potlucks, where we usually bring sprouted black bean burgers (one of my specialties...see above). We simply sprout beans on the road as it takes about 3 days, and then mix them up with some oats, tahini or peanut butter, chopped veggies and spices....mmmmmm...always a hit!

For food inspiration, I continue to rely on the Ryan Is Hungry project...especially their twitter updates, which tell tales of all their amazing homegrown veggies and fruits, as well as experiments in preparing local meals and trying out new recipes. Ryanne and Jay are amazing, and we continue to be very inspired by their efforts to homestead in northern Virginia. 
In short, we’re finding it very difficult to follow a 100% locavore diet. We often dream of the day when we can grow our own food, like the many people in city garden plots and large country farms with whom we visit every day. In the meantime, we do our best, eat vegetarian as often as possible, and thank the many amazing people who share their bounty with us as we travel.

To good food!
~Mandy

(PS - did I mention I recently gave up ice cream?! Yes, it is possible...I did it to be more healthy, and to try to remove some dairy from my diet.)