'What do we get...?'

Someone asked us the other day, "What is included in the one time buy-in payment mentioned?"

So today while redoing our IC.org notice, I decided to try and clarify it a bit. What we offer is this:

- A beautiful 870 sq ft organic living area - cut stone walls, bamboo ceilings - with tiled bathroom and kitchen, large studio/2nd bedroom, 17' south-facing all glass opening onto patio looking to a 90' water lily fish pond 'a la Monet'...

- An equal share of the main kitchen, large dining/ patio/ community center area, storerooms, etc...

- Infrastructure which includes solar: hot water, PV panels for power, green houses for aquaponics and in-ground food production, food dehydrators, protected well for clean water source w/ pumps and storage tanks...

- An equal share of the over 5 acres of land, which includes 200 yards of fish ponds in a park-like area...

All of this is included in a one-time buy-in price; very low cost of living payments will be your only on-going expense - until we can figure out such things as TP, etc.

Several people have said to us, "You can't include the living unit, all the infrastructure, land, etc. in your price - $75K is not enough."

We think we can.

Ideal folks to join with us would be substance, pet, drama/baggage free and seriously interested in living sustainably in community. The number of 'refugees from the north' that are finding their way here these days testifies to how untrue the mainstream media's take on Mexico is. The great majority who visit here fall in love and start making plans for how they can return and live here.

...Aquaponics / Fish Farming = Sustainability ...

Aquaponics has been an exciting development for us. We are thinking in terms of close to 100% sustainability by solar pumping the nutrient-laden water from our 200 yards of fish ponds up to our major growing area and gravity feeding the clean aerated water back to the fishpond. The protected south-facing bank of growing trays will have the water circulating through them, allowing the plants to grow twice as fast as normal - lettuce in one month rather than two! We have the possibility of achieving a very high level of sustainability, while doing away with many of the major drawbacks of gardening in general. A recycle win-win situation.

With the solar pump and panel paid for, the whole system runs itself at little cost to us - a nice step in a sustainable direction.

People that have put this system to work on their land have found they can grow ten times the produce that a normal garden area will produce with almost no labour except for planting - at waist height - no bending, stooping, crawling on hands and knees, weeding, etc.

Nice to know that we will have clean fish to add to our diet also.

...the Essence of Community...

We all want to think positive about the future - and we believe that sustainable community does indeed offer us a better way of living. But as Eckhart Tolle says in his book, "The New Earth," without higher awareness of the realities, we will never be able to create that New Earth, nor will we simply inherit it.

We believe Tolle is correct when he says: "The meek are the egoless. They are those who have awakened to their essential true nature as consciousness and recognize that essence in all 'others', all life-forms. They live in the surrendered state and so feel their oneness with the whole and the Source. They embody the awakened consciousness that is changing all aspects of life on our planet..."

We believe that awakened higher consciousness will prove to be an important element of the essence of community.

...laSenda - the 'path' or the 'way'...

Mild climate and high solar hours, a year-round supply of fresh water, and ample area to grow food are the most important factors for sustainable community.

The 6000' high central Mexican plateau at 21-degree latitude offers a mild year-round growing climate for organic food and very high solar hours (about 325 days per year of 8 hours or more usually).

LaSenda Ecovilla is located along the banks of the Rio Laja in Canyon de Allende, where it widens out into a pleasant valley. The popular city of San Miguel de Allende is only 20 minutes away.

With 6 acres of beautiful gently sloping land, complete with 220 yards of underground-fed ponds with clear flowing water, a lush bamboo forest along the edge of the river, and expansive flat land perfect for growing organic vegetables and fruit trees, this land is prime for the integration of sustainable living units that can develop into a fully functional ecovillage.

…LaSenda Ecovilla - the vision...

This scale drawing of laSenda shows three different elevations: the road that skirts the top of the land; the large flat area just below will have organic gardens and fruit trees, the Community Center/Dining Terrace, Kitchen and the 6 Living Units: the lower portion of the land with additional food growing area, and the aquaculture ponds, which are on the same level as the river.

The rise to the road level from the ponds is about 25 ft, meaning that water solar pumped from the pond level to tanks near the road can gravity feed all the buildings and the growing areas. This will enable us to easily recycle all the grey and black waters.

...the 'Heart' of laSenda...

This is how the 'Heart' of laSenda is developing... The fish/lily pond is 30'x90', the digesters will feed into the two constructed wetlands and then into the fish pond. From there, the water will be circulated through the greenhouse, the aquaponics trays, and shade-cloth intensive growing areas. Since the intensive growing area is south facing and will be protected, we will also be experimenting with papaya and other tropicals, which we have found do quite well in our micro-climate.

...the interior of the living unit...

This floor plan shows the interior of the living unit. The exterior walls are of cut stone.

The king-size bed rolls into the bottom 16" of the closet in the daytime to create a comfortable living room sofa. This makes that area both a nice daytime relaxing space as well as a very pleasant bedroom at night.

The bathroom is to the left with closet area on the same side as the shower, allowing the dressing room to front onto the main linen and clothes closet.

The large room on the north end can function as an art studio (it has northern exposure), an ample workroom, or it can be divided into multiple bedrooms.

...Roofs going on..

All of laSenda's ceilings will be organic bamboo on natural round vigas (beams). The bamboo grows on our land along the river. This particular section of the roofs has the high south-facing windows, which allow light and air into the kitchen.

The south-facing portion of the roof is at 22 degrees slope and will hold our 10 Photovoltaic solar panels. These panels will produce electrical power that can be 'net metered,' as Mexico now has a law allowing excess electricity produced to be sent to the grid in the daytime and used by the producers at night. We will have a near-zero cost of power, provided that our usage is equal to the excess that we produce. In effect, the grid functions as our battery bank, saving us the high cost and relatively short life of batteries at this time.

...Solar-passive design at work...

By facing the front of the whole complex to the south, a lot of solar 'gain' is achieved, as can be seen in this late afternoon photo. Notice the shadow cast on the wall by the front beam and how far into the living room the sun penetrates - all the way back into the kitchen area. With dark tiles on the living room floor and the patio, there will also be substantial heat gain in the winter time.

...the Structure of the Community...

A $75,000 USD investment in laSenda equals a full share, which includes a living unit and an equal share of the common areas, green houses, and the land. Before buying in to laSenda, potential members are asked to live in the community for six months as renters. If their application is accepted by the community, they will then be invited to buy in.

Once part of the community, a member's block of shares can be sold to someone else, but to protect the community, it must be offered to qualified persons, who must live in the community for at least six months.

Members may own more than one living unit, but they have only one vote per person as owners. Community decision-making entails establishing the facts, and then using consultation among all owners, with all decisions based on either a unanimous conclusion or a majority vote.

If this vision captures your imagination and you would like to be involved in sustainable living at laSenda, please contact us at ric9welland@gmail.com.

...the first LaSenda...

Fifteen years ago, Rick designed and built the first LaSenda, which incorporated most of the important permaculture concepts. All water was recycled with grey water diverted to the garden areas and black water to a methane digester with constructed wetlands. Solar heaters supplied the living units with hot water. A solar-powered pump supplied water for the roof tanks, which then gravity-fed through the complex.

Although there was much creative energy over the years, the right combination of 'fit' and the ability to 'buy-in' didn't happen. When the opportunity came to sell the condos, he decided to keep 6 acres by the river for later development as an ecovillage, and spent the next year visiting intentional communities in various parts of the world.

Rick found that one of the biggest problems in most of the communities he visited was their structure. He came to realize that how to live together as a community was indeed an essential part of humanity's development toward sustainable living in the future.

...San Miguel de Allende…

Founded over 400 years ago, the picturesque city of San Miguel de Allende has historical charm and a vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere. After becoming a World Heritage Site in 2008, the city was named the fourth most popular tourist destination in North America.

In terms of art and culture, it's hard to beat with music festivals, good theater, a vibrant community of artists, and over 100 NGO service organizations at last count. There's something for just about everybody, including fireworks, parades, excellent restaurants, and lots of fiestas.

Within a day’s drive from southern Texas and with an international airport just over an hour away (Leon/Bajio), the city is relatively easy to get to. Mexico City is a few hours to the south by excellent first-class bus service, with its marvelous museums, ancient pyramids, and other wonders of the old and modern world.

Thousands of us in the expat community, who choose to make Mexico our home, can testify to the loving and welcoming spirit of the Mexican people.