Regenerative, Resilient Living
Welcome to an educational resource for creating self-sufficient, resilient communities that restore ecosystems, support human connection, and prepare for economic and environmental instability. Learn how you can do the same!
Blue Zone Lifestyles for All!
Blue Zones are places where people naturally live long, healthy lives, rooted in movement, connection, and sustainable living. We can create this same longevity and resilience in ecovillages and regenerative communities—designed for health, purpose, and sustainability.
Daily Movement & Physical Labor
Gardening, walking, building.
Strong Social Connections
Multi-generational communities, shared meals.
Plant-Based, Seasonal Diets
Local, homegrown, nutrient-dense foods.
Sense of Purpose
Community involvement and meaningful work.
Permaculture! Core principles:
Observe & Interact
Learn from natural patterns and ecosystems before taking action.
Catch & Store Energy
Use renewable energy sources like sun, wind, and water.
Obtain a Yield
Ensure systems produce food, resources, and benefits.
Apply Self-Regulation & Accept Feedback
Adjust and evolve based on what works.
Use & Value Renewable Resources
Prioritize natural, regenerative inputs.
Produce No Waste
Design systems where everything has a use.
Design from Patterns to Details
Work with large-scale natural patterns first.
Integrate, Don’t Segregate
Foster interconnection between plants, animals, and people.
Use Small & Slow Solutions
Build sustainably with long-term resilience in mind.
Value Diversity
A mix of species and systems increases resilience.
Use Edges & Value the Marginal
Maximize use of transitional spaces.
Creatively Use & Respond to Change
Adapt to environmental, economic, and social shifts.
Permaculture in Action
Food Forests
Perennial, multi-layered edible landscapes that mimic natural forests.
Regenerative Soil Practices
Composting, mulching, no-till farming, and microbial restoration.
Water Harvesting
Rainwater catchment, swales, ponds, and greywater recycling.
Zero-Waste Design
Upcycling, composting, and natural building materials.
Agroforestry & Polycultures
Growing diverse crops together for mutual benefit.
Natural Building & Off-Grid Living
Cob houses, earthships, passive solar homes, and tiny homes.
Community & Cooperative Living
Sharing resources, skills, and knowledge for resilience.
Problems Permaculture Addresses
Geopolitical Instability & Capitalism’s Collapse
Pandemic-era food shortages could easily happen again. Nations are struggling with unsustainable financial systems. The 1% of the world owns more than the bottom 50% combined.
Environmental Breakdown
75% of plant diversity has been lost since 1900 (UN). One-third of the world’s soil is severely degraded. 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking water (WHO).
AGI & Automation Disrupting Jobs
AI will replace millions of white- and blue-collar jobs. Without decentralization and increasing local resilience, people become more dependent on failing systems.
Decentralization & Self-Sufficiency

1

🌱 Local, Regenerative Solutions
Instead of relying on centralized governments and corporations that prioritize profit over people, regenerative communities create localized, self-sufficient systems that empower individuals to meet their own needs sustainably, fostering resilience, cooperation, and long-term stability.

2

🍎Food Sovereignty & Energy Independence
By growing food through regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and cooperative farming, and by producing renewable energy locally, communities reduce reliance on fragile global supply chains, ensuring long-term food security and energy resilience in the face of economic and environmental disruptions.

3

🤝Cooperative, Community-Owned Economies
Decentralized, cooperative economic models allow wealth and resources to circulate within communities rather than being extracted by corporations, creating self-reliant, worker-owned businesses and economic systems that provide fair wages, financial security, and collective prosperity.

4

🏡 Multi-Generational, Sustainable Living Spaces
Designed for security and longevity, intergenerational communities integrate elders, families, and individuals into shared, regenerative environments that provide stable housing, mutual support, and a deep sense of belonging while reducing the environmental impact of conventional urban sprawl.
8 Ways to Live the Dream

1

Co-Buying with a Group
Shared land/home ownership where a group funds a shared land project democratically. It can be part of a Community Land Trust, Cooperative, or REIC model… There are specialized real estate agencies like LiveWork Denver you can work with.

2

Land Cooperative
A group of resident and non resident investors collectively owns land, pooling resources to expand and sustain the community.

3

REIC
Real Estate Investment Cooperatives are a model for acquiring and managing real estate. Members invest capital, often receiving dividends, while some members live on the property but others invest remotely.

4

Community Land Trust
Nonprofit or cooperative owns the land but individuals own the buildings on it. It prevents speculation and keeps housing permanently affordable.

5

Partnering with Aging Homesteaders
Caretaking agreements with landowners. Wheaton Labs has a program (SKIP) where you can learn the skills needed to homestead and pathways to inherit property. Paul Wheaton also runs a helpful forum permies.com so you can ask and learn from a global community.

6

Seeking Investors for a Land-Based Live-Work Project
Create a business plan for land-based business ideas. Then, start pitching to investors or get a small business loan. Certain states in the USA and many countries have affordable properties and incentives for moving there.

7

Building an Income-Generating at-home Business
If you already have the land, host retreats, farm sales, pick up remote work, or offer co-working spaces. Permaculture can be practiced in urban, suburban, rural, or wild environments. Start where you are!

8

Nomadic Ecovillage Experience
With or without a van or remote work, you can find places through Worldwide opportunities for organic farming (WWOOF), The foundation for intentional communities (IC.org), or the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN).

9

Cohousing
A collaborative living model where private homes are arranged around shared spaces, such as a common house, gardens, and recreational areas. Residents actively participate in community decision-making, shared meals, and mutual support, fostering a balance between private life and collective engagement.

10

Cofamily
A small, intentional household of less than 10 people who live together and share resources based on affinity rather than traditional family ties. Cofamilies can include friends, single parents co-parenting, or intergenerational groups, creating a supportive, cooperative living arrangement that functions as an extended family.
Income Stream Possibilities
Retreat, Hosting, & Workshops
Yoga, meditation, spiritual ceremonies, permaculture education, summer camps, complementary wellness retreats, team-building retreats, bed & breakfast ranch.
Farm-Based Business
Organic agriculture, herbal medicine, mushrooms, fruit trees, market gardens, Community supported agriculture, pumpkin patch, regenerative Christmas tree farming, cottage industry production location.
Digital & Remote Work Hub
Marketing, media production, book-keeping, e-commerce, online education, remote work in tech field. Workers can live and work anywhere, whether in eco-homes, conventional structures, or van/bus dwelling with good infrastructure and common spaces.
Regenerative Burials for End-of-Life
Conventional burials consume land and resources, but green burials allow the cycle of life to continue, by returning bodies to the earth naturally, enriching the soil instead of polluting it. Regenerative burial grounds transform cemeteries into thriving forests, gardens, or conservation land.
Role Models for Success
Twin Oaks Community (Virginia)
50+ years thriving with multiple worker-owned businesses. Self-sustaining through various community-owned businesses: tofu manufacturing, book indexing, and hammock production. This is an income-sharing intentional, egalitarian, sustainable community where members contribute labor in exchange for housing, food, healthcare, and community.
The Farm (USA) – The Original Hippie Commune That Evolved with Time
Founded in the 1970s by the countercultural "back-to-the-land" movement. Now a model for midwifery, alternative medicine, permaculture, and sustainability. Has a non-profit arm supporting indigenous communities, disaster relief, and sustainable development. Started communal shared economy, but transitioned into a community land trust model, with a decentralized structure where members own their homes but share resources collectively.
Changing Landscapes
Regreening the Desert
Proven permaculture restoring barren land into lush food forests. Keyline design, swales, and resilient water retention strategies. See what happened in Jordan:
Sekem Biodynamic Farm in the Desert
A regenerative farming project in Egypt turned into a thriving community. Uses permaculture, biodynamic agriculture, and solar desalination. Provides education, healthcare, employment for local Egyptians producing organic crops, medicinal herbs, and textiles.
For the Marginalized
Community First! (Texas)
A transformative, residential, ecovillage model specifically housing the formerly homeless providing communal support and services. Income-generating through blacksmithing, organic farming, and art house.
Kalikalos Holistic Community (Greece) – Healing & Educational Retreats
Focus on healing arts, wellness retreats, and holistic education. Program fees for accomodation and courses funds the community's operations. Hosts refugees and displaced individuals, helping them integrate into sustainable lifestyles. Uses permaculture design and regenerative farming.
American Parallel Cultures
Earthaven Ecovillage: Regenerative Living in the Appalachians
Focus on education, workshops, and ecological restoration. Has off-grid energy systems, passive solar homes, permaculture farms. Hosts programs for people with disabilities and marginalized communities interested in alternative living. Members are responsible for their own livelihoods.
Hope Meadows: Intergenerational Living for Foster Care & Elders
An nonprofit organization receiving grants, donations, and partnerships in Illinois. It's an intentional foster care ecovillage where elders, foster children, and adoptive parents live together. Elders provide mentoring and support for children while maintaining community ties. Reduces social isolation for seniors while providing foster children with extended family support.
Collective Healing Spaces:
Ganas Community (USA) – Cooperative Housing & Class-Harmony Community
Urban-based intentional community with 10 core owners and 70 tenants, with a focus on economic sharing and cooperative businesses. Open to people from varied backgrounds, providing affordable communal living. Uses consensus decision-making and social transparency as a foundation.
Los Portales (Spain) – Permaculture & Psychological Healing
A healing-focused ecovillage using permaculture to regenerate degraded land. Integrates art, meditation, and psychological well-being with sustainability. Created self-sufficient food systems in dry climates.
Most aesthetic example:
Krameterhof (Austria) – Sepp Holzer’s Alpine Permaculture Farm
Extreme high-altitude farming success with terraced landscapes. Has created microclimates that allow citrus and warm-weather crops to grow in the Alps. Used as a model for regenerative mountain farming.
Technology’s Role
Local, Accessible, and Open-Source Blueprints for Communities
3D Printing
Localized production reducing dependence on supply chains, making affordable DIY repairs.
AI-Powered Decentralized Knowledge
Self-reliance through instant access to tutorials, permaculture guides, and troubleshooting. Leverage AI and online tools to generate income.
Open-Source manufacturing
Marcin Jakubowski's Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) – Open-source blueprints for DIY farm and industrial equipment, making small-scale resilient manufacturing possible. Watch his Ted Talk here.
Resources for the Movement
Directories
IC.org – Find and join like-minded projects or start your own and list it in their directory.
WWOOF - Go travel the world while learning from different communities.
Global Ecovillage Network – Find ecovillages near you, follow the blueprints, explore funding, and see what is possible!
School of Intentioneering
Intentioneers.net – Founder Allen has 50+ years of experience in community living and published books and papers on the financial models and the history and current 'parallel cultures' of sharing and gifting economies. He hosts classes in West Denver where connections can be made!
Wheaton Labs founder Paul has podcasts, Youtube, books, and forums, as well as experiential opportunities in Missoula, Montana.
One Foot in the Old World, One Foot in the New
Remote Work & Decentralized Income
We don’t have to disconnect—just realign priorities. Create a business that allow you to spend your free time growing food and building community. Align your life with the highest values, especially in your vocation.
A Safety Net for the Future
We aim to thrive in both worlds, no matter what happens. Build compassionate businesses relevant to existing communities that can potentially scale to a remote business or an eco-retreat business such as a hospice, educational retreats, wellness retreats.
Our Plan for Summer 2025
Phase 1: Infrastructure Development Summer 2025
Fencing, irrigation, shading, vanlife infrastructure of bare bones communal shelter and workspaces.
Support our project in Colorado, USA. Please make a tax-deductible contribution through our nonprofit organization:
Donate
Phase 2: Food Forest Beginnings
Once we windbreak structures in place, we can start a plant nursery for native trees, shrubs. When our irrigation is in place, we can begin planting perennials. At any time, we can begin soil regeneration through digging swales and berms which help with water retention and more.
Phase 3: Livable Spaces
As the years go by, we will build eco-homes, platforms and yurts, and expand our infrastructure for welcoming guests. Some creative projects that can be done anytime are to build a meditative labyrinth.
Future Scaling
We plant to create a thriving, regenerative micro-community with multiple streams of income, some of them technology-based and some land-resource based. We are resilient and ready for whatever may come. We won't step out of society, we will be part of the evolution of it!
A New Model for Living
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." This is a movement, not just an idea. Let's make it happen.
Our journey through regenerative living is more than an alternative lifestyle—it's a fundamental reimagining of how humans can coexist with each other and the planet. By embracing principles of permaculture, decentralization, and community-driven sustainability, we're not just solving environmental challenges, we're creating a blueprint for a more resilient, compassionate future.
The path ahead requires courage, collaboration, and a willingness to step outside conventional thinking. Each of us has a role to play in this transformation, whether through small daily choices or larger systemic changes. Our ecovillage model demonstrates that another way of living is not only possible but already emerging around the globe.
We stand at a critical moment in human history. The choices we make today will ripple through generations. By supporting regenerative communities, developing sustainable technologies, and prioritizing collective well-being over individual gain, we can create a world that works for everyone.