Community Update
by Brent and Lisa

2009 began with planning meetings, design meetings, garden meetings, work trade meetings, livestock meetings, and, well, you get the picture. All with the focus on getting ourselves set up to accommodate our anticipated summer community of 20 adults and 4 kids. In the midst of our planning process, we also built a goat shed (which grew to a lovely goat “chateau”), completed in time to welcome Cathy (Michael’s sweetie) and her herd before the work season began.

With the tremendous help of 10 work trade we accomplished many things in many areas - building, gardens, livestock, kitchen, childcare, and social events, to name a few. They took on major tasks like milking goats in the early morning; preparing fabulous meals with the bounty from the gardens; creating garden beds that brought us tomatoes in November!; coming to the rescue when our well pump failed; sharing skills in facilitation and instruction; helping us to document our systems; organizing and managing the building site; designing and plastering our new cob oven/bench; cranking out hundreds of jars of canned fruits and vegetables; dancing into the wee hours; and most powerfully, simply showing up to do the work.

Last season two of our work traders were transgendered individuals. Their presence gave the community an opportunity to explore issues of gender expression. For some, this brought up challenging issues. The community learned a lot in the process of addressing them. From this experience came the understanding that we welcome all types of people to our community. It has raised our awarness of how to be a community where diverstiy is not just valued, but nurtured.

The new common house is now well under way. The 2-story portion of the building was framed and roofed. Strawbale and slip-straw wall systems were put up. Rough plumbing and electrical were installed. Some rough plasters were done. However, a pounding rain in early October stopped all momentum on the earth plasters, and we had to wrap the building in plastic to put it to rest for the winter.

Emerald Earth Sanctuary held its 20th anniversary celebration on summer solstice (also Father’s Day and Brent’s birthday). As part of a lead up to this celebration we recorded EE history during an event in Sebastopol. We also dedicated a Quan Yin statue in our sacred grove to Jess who so generously donated the land 20 years ago. Birute was so inspired by the ceremony and the sharing, that she wrote a huge check to EE and then came back and wrote another one! We walked the labyrinth, danced to a reggae band, painted our faces, and had a great time. May Emerald Earth’s next 20 years prove as inspiring as the last.

Love has wooed another resident from our circle. Prana (Sarah) and her dog Vox have moved to Sebastopol to join her sweetie. We have begun to call Sebastopol “Boonville South” as so many of our friends from the Valley have moved there. Prana graced EE with youth, magic with the plants, skill in building, aerial stunts and fabulous handwriting! She just recently returned from Nicaragua where she shared her natural building know-how with a newly forming community. Thank you Prana for taking the lessons outward into the world.

For news of our two new arrivals into the membership process, see Abeja’s article on the next page.

Another departure was Mitch’s resignation from the Land Council. We will feel his absence in that circle but look forward to his many future visits and the sounds of him working a chainsaw off in the distance.

Last but not least is the news that Michael and Cathy will be moving to the Capay Valley this fall. Michael has lived here for 11 years! His presence pervades this land, and he has sculpted not only the buildings, but the very framework of the community. Cathy brought with her not only a herd of goats, but an immense compassion for all animals, quiet wisdom and amazing acorn bread!

Emerald Earth 2010 Work Trade Program
by Lisa

We are excited to be embarking on a new season of living, gardening, building, tending livestock, and playing together. The season runs from April 12 through the end of September, and participants stay for anywhere from two to five and a half months. As in years past we are inviting people to join us through our work trade program. This year we’ve added livestock, kitchen and childcare focuses to last year’s options of gardens and building. While a large part of a work trader’s time will be spent in their chosen focus area, they will be involved in other aspects of community life as well.

If you’re interested in participating in the program, or know of someone who might be, send an email to community@emeraldearth.org or give us a call @ (707) 972-3096.We look forward to all that this season has to offer!

Love Giveth and Love Taketh Away
by Abeja

Cupid has clearly been practicing his archery skills this year on the Emerald Earth resident population. Last Summer, Prana and her dog Vox left Emerald Earth after 2 years to live with her sweetie in Sebastopol (aka Boonville South). Her enthusiasm and energy will be greatly missed, though we are constantly reminded of her by the myriad artistic signs and labels around the community.

Over the last year, Mika has worked his magic to manifest a partner for himself as well as Emerald Earth’s newest resident, Cassidy. Cass works as a naturalist and wilderness guide for The National Outdoor Leadership School. She is excited to be laying roots down among the redwoods. She offers team building skills as well as a passion for sustainability and care for the wildness of our home. Aparently cupid’s arrow was a sure shot, as she and Mika will be celebrating their love with a handfasting ceremony on Beltane! (May 1st)

Last year’s work trader extraordinaire Patrick has returned from the urban jungle of Pasadena with his feline buddy, Edgar, as a new resident. We watched Patrick go native last summer as he propelled our new Common House project forward. His artistic and functional carpentry skills can also be seen around the property on gates and cupboards, and we look forward to watching his aesthetics transform our inhabited spaces even more. Rumor has it that Cupid’s arrow has struck him as well, encouraging his speedy return.

Cupid’s biggest strike, however, is the planned move of Michael and Cathy to the Capay Valley in September.

Michael has lived at Emerald Earth for over 10 years, and has been instrumental in the existence and survival of this community. His gentle teaching style and writings have shaped the development of natural building in America and propelled Emerald Earth to prominence in that field.

Cathy left her beloved home in Rumsey to be here with Michael about a year ago. She brought dairy goats back to Emerald Earth (some from a herd we had here four years ago), and has shared her passion for local food and animal husbandry with us. Like Michael’s natural building, Cathy’s skills and encouragement to take our food sustainability up a few notches has permanently blessed our little ecovillage.

Wish List

Reflections on 2010’s Big News
by Abeja

As I try to write of the changes in our resident member population, I struggle to find the words. It’s a challenge to understand, much less express the complexity of our modern lives, relationships, and choices in this grand experiment we call Intentional Community. We come here, so many of us, with the intention of setting roots deep. With the hope of a loving surrogate family and community that lives simply and in harmony with each other and the Earth. Many of us have moved around a lot in our lives—due to choice or circumstance—and see both the great opportunity as well as the great disconnect from the land, family, and community fostered by that peripatetic lifestyle. We’ve created a container here which, I believe, truly has the potential to hold us and our visions—individual and collective, practical and sacred.

Yet somehow, for mostly unpredictable and completely understandable reasons, not everyone who settles into this container stays. As a matter of fact, with the departure this fall of the last of the pioneers of this phase of Emerald Earth, there will have been 100% turnover in the last 10 years. Yes, our beloved friend, dedicated visionary and natural building guru Michael Smith will be moving, along with his sweetheart Cathy, to Rumsey, a small farming community in the Capay Valley where Cathy has a farm and life that she loves. Michael and Cathy’s love and commitment to each other are full of joy and beauty, even as the decision of where to share their lives has been a challenging one.

Sara and Darryl moved to Sebastopol in 2008, and we are still struggling to fill the gaps left by their departure. Even in consensus groups, there is a leadership that grows over time, from gaining respect and experience and proving skill and reliability. The loss of Sara, Darryl, and now Michael leaves us with not only new challenges, but also new opportunities for the remaining members to take on different roles and responsibilities.

But, far more than leadership or practical, day-to-day issues, Michael’s departure raises serious existential questions. Can we create a community that works? What would make this a place where people really can stay in the long term? Is it worth the investment in new members, when they’ll most likely leave anyway? Is our investment in this project worth it, when experience has shown that we’ll most likely leave too, no matter how much we think we’re in for the long haul? Could we alter something here that would change Michael and Cathy’s minds? Would we want to do that?

And so, the darkest time of the year has been spent simultaneously planning for the future and questioning it;
rallying again and again around the hope and the vision of what we’re doing here; looking around the circle, seeing who is here, and celebrating ourselves; looking towards those who have moved on with a sense of gratitude and loss; taking a moment, while they’re still here, to appreciate Michael and Cathy, and to know that a part of them will always be here.

Emerald Earth Sanctuary turns 20!
by Brent

Emerald Earth Sanctuary was born of generosity and hope. Yes, for those who don’t know the story, Emerald Earth Community began in the East Bay Area as the Emerald Earth Laughing and Drumming Society. This group of activists, singers, and earth-based spiritual folk had a vision of creating a place out of the city to pray, connect with Mother Earth, and to create a community of harmony rather than competition. In 1989, Jess Forrest (now Julie Jess Middleton) gave a remarkable gift to the future by purchasing the property for this community and GIVING IT AWAY!

I meditate on the impact of this gift often. Without it, Emerald Earth would be saddled with a large mortgage and our energies would be spent outside this land earning money to pay off debt. Instead, we have been able to live “simply” while focusing on buliding the community and learning center. In ten years, we have built six cottages, a bathhouse, expanded two beautiful gardens, created living spaces for animals, worked to restore our creek and watershed, taught dozens of courses on earth-friendly sustainability, and developed a communication and decision making system based on integrity and trust in each person’s voice. We individually hold no equity in the land or infrastructure. We gift our labor and love to this land and project, trusting that it will in turn inspire others in service of this planet and the larger community.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to Jess, Deena, Birute, Jim, and all the pioneers of Emerald Earth whose gifts of love, spirit, and hope laid the foundation for this beautiful community.

Goat Update
by Liz

"Wow, do they have some great teats!” Such were the exclamations declared upon the arrival of our two new goats, Nellie and Bella. Their teats, along with their very gentle demeanor on the milking stanchion make Nellie and Bella most welcome recent residents. With the impending departure of Cathy’s wonderful herd, we decided to look into getting some goats to stay at Emerald Earth. We have all become quite addicted to fresh goat cheese!

We were very lucky to hear about these two charming Oberhausli’s that are in milk. They arrived in January. Raising our own meat and dairy here on the land has been rewarding for all of us. What a miracle to turn madrone, oak, and fir branches into gourmet food! Just as exciting is the valuable role the goats are able to play in land management here at Emerald Earth. We have identified areas where we want to thin and clear some dense fir/oak woodlands to begin restoring native oak grasslands. The goats are all too happy to help with this process. To our benefit, they are also reducing some of the fuel load, thereby reducing fire danger in the sunny housing cluster. Thank you Nellie and Bella!

Listen
by Cass

They walk upon me with their bare feet, and this is perhaps one of my most favorite things about them! I am tickled by their soft, pink, human feet on my skin. They have created brown lines on my body like fine wrinkles that grow deeper with time, and I love them for this. It has become a way of knowing them. I know who walks through the sunny side in the morning, and through the shady side in the evening. I have come to recognize their different rhythms, and to know them each by the different trails they take.

I have come to know their hands, their amazing, gifted, unique human hands. Hands so unlike the other animals, the way they can shape me and mold me. They have lifted and shifted my body to grow their food, to build their homes, to create sacred places where they come to sit with me. They tend to me with their hands as they tend to each other with care.

Most importantly, they give to me. Every meal they gather and sing and these songs fill the branches of my trees, the roots of my grasses, and give me such pleasure. They visit the places where water seeps out of me and thank me for giving it so freely. They feed me that which they can not eat, and I, in turn, transform it back into soil. As they sit below my oak trees, as they swim in the pond, they are giving me their attention. Even their bodily wastes, they give back to me in a way that nurtures the fruit trees, and keeps my waters clean.

If you sit upon the ridge, the rise in my body above the steep, redwood-covered slopes, you will hear them. There are many sounds: children yelling, hammers pounding, chickens clucking, the splash of a body jumping naked into the pond… dinner bells ringing…gates opening and closing, the squeak of wheelbarrows going over the bridge, a hose turning on, a fire being lit, books being read to the children, the soft rustling of hands searching for mushrooms below fallen leaves…

If you sit there long enough, if you sit and wait for the day to turn to dusk, and the dusk to turn to night, you will hear them walking, their wonderful human feet upon their evening trails, back to the homes that were sculpted from my body. And perhaps, if your ears are as sensitive as mine, you will hear their deepening breaths as they fall asleep, the subtle fluttering sound of dreams. Listen closely, put your ear to my moist, mossy skin and you will hear the deep, resonate humming of hope.