Membership Process

We are open to new members, however we are also in a bit of a tricky position right now. We have had 6 people join us in the past year and a majority of our energy goes to integrating them into the community. We know that there is a limit to how many new people we can handle at a time. We also are short on housing and have decided to put all energy for the next several years into the new common house. Which means new people must find creative housing. As we get closer to full we are looking more closely at keeping a diversity of people here and want to have enough children to maintain a strong kid scene. We have learned from the past to not be closed to new members but we want people inquiring to understand some of the constraints at this time. We hope you will come meet us and that we can start to build a relationship as we sort out these issues.

Eventually we would like to have about 9 households. We have a formal membership process that takes at least a year to complete. The first step is generally a letter of introduction followed by a couple of short visits to meet each other. After that, we can invite you for a longer visit of about a month during which time we all get a feeling for what it would be like to live together. Assuming all goes well, you may then enter the first “gateway” to become a Prospective Member. During this time you participate fully in the community’s day-to-day work and decision-making, pay a monthly land use fee (currently $100) and attend Land Council meetings as an observer. After six months of residence, there is an evaluation by the Land Council and you may be asked to become a Trial Member. Trial Members are active in the Land Council although they may not “block” a consensus decision. They pay an additional monthly Land Council fee (currently $50) which goes towards land taxes and organizational costs. At the end of another six months you may be invited to become a Full Member, with the same rights and privileges as all other long-term members. At this point there is a one-time membership fee of $10,000.

If you are interested in membership in Emerald Earth, please send us a letter of introduction by mail or email. In a couple of pages, tell us a little about yourself, your experience, and your dreams for community. Also see the information on visiting us.

COST OF LIVING AT EMERALD EARTH

MONTHLY:
Land use fee (all residents) $100
Land Council fee (members) $50
Food, consumables and utilities (approximate, per adult) $185
(phone bills, gas, and car maintenance not included)

ONE TIME MEMBERSHIP FEE
At the time of becoming a full member: $10,000
Suggested payment schedule:
$5000 at time of membership
$1000/year for 5 years