I would like to study an intentional community that is open to both visitors and new members. This gives off the intention of openness and a lack of exclusivity which I believe to be an important quality within a community. One of my main interests when studying a particular community would be their sustainability methods. This could range from their dietary habits and food producing methods to their energy sources and technologies. There are some communities that run strictly on renewable energy sources while others are strictly producing their own food and cutting out the negative impacts of importing foods. These aspects are especially interesting when observing what methods of renewable resources are used and how the production of food can bring the community closer while also producing a naturally functioning environment. I think it would also be interesting to study an egalitarian society where everyone is seen as equals, with no one person in charge of another. It would be very interesting to see how members of this type of society deals with conflict and making decisions on a daily basis. I believe that the study of an egalitarian community that practices different methods of sustainability would prove to be very interesting and give an insight into how people living outside these communities could live in a more environmentally and socially conscious way. I would hope to achieve this study by either visiting a community or interviewing members of the community. Being able to visit this kind of community would help to better understand how they function on a daily basis and what methods they use to do so. Being able to converse with members of the community would allow us to understand the mindsets of the people who live within them. Understanding what aspects drew these people in and what they like most about living in it.
For the longest time I had always assumed that intentional communities all consisted of generally the same thing. However, upon further research it has become clear that each community is unique with its varying interests and ways of life. There are some communities that live in rural areas while some can be found in the heart of cities. Many of these communities have varying interests that attract their members such as sustainability, religion, government systems, and overall ways of life. Each community has its own ideas of a preferred way of life that allows its members to be apart of that vision.
-Maureen