Common Ground (VA) :: Communities Directory

Formed: 1980 Established: 1981

This page last updated:12/13/2011

Common Ground (VA)

Lexington, Virginia,

United States

Common Ground, a homesteading intentional cooperative community, holds a perpetual lease on 77 acres of land owned by the School of Living--a regional community land trust. Members hold lifetime subleases. Each household has use rights to about two plus acres. The community exists and operates for the mutual benefit of its members, to help one another become established on the land while conserving, protecting, and improving the environment and its resources.

Members follow their own spiritual and dietary leanings. Currently we have six households. Many of our children have been homeschooled cooperatively in our schoolhouse facility. We would like to continue our tradition of offering an enjoyable and natural learning environment to our kids.

Members work together in our organic gardens and on community building or maintenance projects. We build shared facilities through group planning and joint and individual labor. We continue to pursue the goal of becoming an educational center open to the larger community and public. We have recently completed a large pavilion with attached stage area and open-air canning kitchen. We have celebrated birthdays, holidays, and special occasions. Intergenerational play includes potlucks, songfests, swimming in the pond, and hiking. Neighborhood events include sweat lodges, the Fourth of July, and the local ice cream social. Neighbors and area organizations use our land for approved activities.

A yearly community budget is adopted; each household is assessed a monthly fee to cover operating expenses. Income is not shared. However, cottage industries can be practical for our location. We seek members with homesteading skills, a commitment to ecological land use, those of goodwill and initiative, good communication skills, and the ability to work cooperatively and to enthusiastically share their lives with others.

Our membership process can last from 6 - 21 months. Our decision making strives for consensus. The membership fee is $1,500 per adult member. Members finance, own, and maintain their "improvements." Each household is responsible for their own income.

Visitors are welcome on weekends, upon prearrangement. Tenting, camping spaces, and a few rooms are available. Learn more about us at the School of Living website: http://www.schoolofliving.org.

Website: http://www.schoolofliving.org/CG/CGHmpg.html

Contact:

Kari Corazza
131 Broad Wing Trail
Lexington, Virginia 24450 United States
Phone: 540-463-9422

Community location is placed at the center of the zip/postal code, city/state, or city/country (not based on street addresses)

This page last updated:12/13/2011

Visitors Accepted

(Please contact ahead)

Visitor Process: Call or write the Corazzas to arrange a visit or for more information. You may need to give some time for a reply as Internet is in town. As a last resort you can email Rita Jane Leasure at ritajane@rockbridge.net but expect delays in response time.

Affiliations: Julian Woods Community

:: Heathcote Community

:: Ahimsa

Network Affiliations:

School of Living

Statement of Housing Non-discrimination:

Our community does not discriminate in regards to housing based on race/color, national origin, religion, sex/gender, family status (i.e. having children, not having children, or being pregnant), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, source of income, age, creed, personal appearance, political affiliation, HIV infection, military/veteran status, unfavorable military discharge, gender identity or expression, receiving public assistance, or being the victim of domestic abuse.

Population Members(adults and children): 12 (currently, five kids) Non-member Residents: 9 Open to new members: Yes	Government Decision Making: By consensus (Modified Consensus) Identified Leader: No Leadership Core Group: No	Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Labor Contribution: Expected (one workday/ month and as needed hours/month) Join Fee: Yes ($1500 per adult member) Regular Fees: Yes (This varies annually but has long been kept at around $100 per month per household)
Land and Buildings Rural Area: 80 acres (32.4 hectares) Land Owned By: Community-controlled land trust Number of Residences: 8 Cohousing: No (We are open to co-housing units)	Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 21-50% (This varies by household input to community gardens) Share Community Meals: 1-3 times/month (Open to more) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual Dietary Practice: Omnivorous Alcohol Use: Used occasionally Tobacco Use: Seldom used (In ritual/ rites accepted; habit smoking disliked by most here)	Social Factors Which Spiritual Traditions(s): Eclectic (integrates pieces from many religions) (We truely have many spiritual paths each held firmly and in harmony not as a mix but individually held and practiced.) Educational Style(s): Private school at the community (We would like to see a homeschooler's cooperative and/ or alternative education center restarted- have building for this purpose.)

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Become an Editor Current editor(s): ritajane, TonyCorazza

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