I found this from another forum about a sustainable community forming in Italy, quite interesting: [quote:0a1d7e41d6] I recently came across this website:
Damanhur Spiritual Community It is about the community of Damanhur, a self-sustaining eco-socieity in Northern Italy in a valley of the lower Alps. It has its own form of leadership who is elected by the people there. They are hoping to be an example for the rest of the world in the coming years, and they are! Thousands of people visit the place every year. Damanhur numbers 20 small communities, each community having approximately twenty members. In total the communities occupy more than 50 houses. Another 400 supporters live nearby and participate regularly in its activities. They are contributing to the creation of a new social model based upon solidarity, volunteering, a respect for the environment and the sharing of ethical and spiritual values. The territories comprise approximately 400 hectares of woodland; residential development and farming land and another 100 privately owned buildings, artistic workshops, studios, companies and farms. Damanhur has centers in Italy, Europe and Japan and maintains contact with spiritual groups worldwide. They have a huge temple complex underground that they have been digging for over 10+ years, and they are going to start expanding it very soon.
http://www.damanhur.org/temple/ There are several housing 'complexes' that house around 20 people each and everyone in each complex are dedicated to a different area of research, some examples are free-energy study, meditation study, and the study of plants/our connection with nature. Damanhurian society is structured so that spiritual research is interwoven into everyday life. All Damanhurians can participate in research groups called ‘The Ways’, which are best described as socio-spiritual corporations. The Way of Art and Word, the Way of the Oracle, The Way of Health, the Way of the Monks and Esoteric Couples and the Way of the Knights, all carry out specific branches of research. Music, dance, healing, ritual and teaching are just some of the many fields of spiritual and practical endeavor that are explored within the Ways. Damanhur has its own construction company that constructs homes for people in the valley that are made entirely out of natural products, and I think I read that right now the whole valley is operating on 50%+ renewable energy and they plan to reach 100% soon. Health is looked at in a spiritual way, they practice Pranatherapy to prevent disease and when someone is ill, instead of treating the sickness, they treat that person spiritually, realizing that they are out of balance in some form and empowering them in a way to bring back the balance to cure the illness in non-invasive ways. Damanahur also has its own University, the courses are all Spiritual in nature,
http://www.olamidamanhur.com/html/home.asp The Damanhur Constitution: Damanhur is a school of thought founded by Oberto Airaudi and inspired by his teachings: it is expressed through four bodies: ‘Meditation’, ‘Game of Life’,‘Social’ and 'Tecnarcato'. They respectively represent ritual tradition; experimentation and dynamics, its social realization and individual inner refinement. The aims of Damanhur are: the freedom and re-awakening of the Human Being as a divine, spiritual and material principle; the creation of a self-sustaining model of life based on ethical principles of good communal living and love; harmonic integration and co-operation with all the Forces linked to the evolution of Humankind. The Constitution is the fundamental Charter regulating the Social Body, formed by Damanhur’s citizens. Damanhurian citizens dedicate their life to the application of the principles and aims indicated in the Constitution, and they make a commitment to respect and apply all its norms. The act of becoming a citizen takes different forms, depending on the choice and commitment of the individual. The Communities represent the ideal form of union and communal living. They are inspired by the principles of solidarity and sharing. The Communities as a whole are organized as a Federation. Communities belonging to different schools of thought may affiliate with the Federation, even though they do not originate from Damanhur’s school of thought, as long as they are inspired by the same aims. Out of the creation of a Tradition, a Culture, a History and Common Ethics, a People is born. 1. Citizens are brothers and sisters who help one another through reciprocal trust, respect, clarity, acceptance, solidarity and continuous inner transformation. Everyone is committed to always giving others the opportunity to aim higher. 2. Each citizen makes a commitment to spread positive and harmonious thoughts and to direct every thought and action towards spiritual growth. Each person is socially and spiritually responsible for every action they take, in the awareness that every act is multiplied and reflected through the Synchronic Lines all over the world. 3. Through community life, Damanhur aims to develop individuals whose reciprocal relations are regulated by Knowledge and Consciousness. The fundamental rules of life are common sense, thinking well of others and the welcoming and exaltation of diversity. 4. Work has spiritual value and is understood as a gift of oneself to others. Through it everyone takes part in the material and spiritual progress of the people, carrying out assignments, as they become necessary. Each citizen offers a proportion of his or her work in activities of common interest. Every task is precious and carries the same dignity. 5. Those who take on roles of social responsibility carry out their tasks in a spirit of service, without looking for personal advantage or serving the private interests of others. Only Citizens residing in the Communities may be elected or nominated for positions of social responsibility. 6. Spirituality, research and ecology inspire all relationships with the environment, through the use of appropriate technologies, useful in improving the quality of life. Every Citizen lives in communion with nature and the subtle forces which inhabit it. Everyone is committed to respect and preserve resources and avoid as far as possible forms of pollution and waste. 7. Each Citizen respects his or her own body, takes care of it and nourishes it harmoniously, refraining from any form of substance abuse. Citizens put into practice rules of life suitable for harmonious physical, mental and spiritual development; they ensure the orderliness and cleanliness of their environment. Each individual is expected to be capable of self-control, of making mature choices and of manifesting purity in thought and action. 8. Damanhur promotes and supports research both in science and art; it fosters and encourages continual experimentation of both the physical and the non-physical, as long as it is expressed in a harmonious form. All Citizens constantly improve their education and widen and deepen their knowledge in the fields of research, art, work and leisure activities.[/quote:0a1d7e41d6]