Page 5 - C.A.L.L. #35 - Fall 2012

Milagro Cohousing, Tucson, Arizona

Twelve minutes from downtown Tucson, Arizona,
Milagro is a co-housing community with 28
passive-solar, energy-efficient adobe homes on
43 acres. Set against the Tucson mountains,
Milagro is simply a community of people who
want to live a green lifestyle, surrounded by
like-minded neighbors. Each resident has access
to 35 acres of undeveloped open space, as well
as the 3,600-square-foot Common House, which
has meeting and dining space, a library, a
playroom and storage space. Gardens,
workshops and a solar-heated swimming pool
make it even more enticing.

Finca Bellavista Treehouse Community, Costa Rica

If you’ve ever watched Star Wars and wished that you could live with the Ewoks in
their magical tree house community, take heed:
such a thing actually exists. And it’s in Costa
Rica. Finca Bellavista is a network of rustic,
hand-built tree houses in the mountainous
South Pacific coastal region of this Central
American nation, surrounded by a jungle that is
brimming with life. The off-grid, carbon-
neutral tree houses are connected by aerial
walkways and include a central community center with a dining area, barbecue and
lounge. Gardens, ziplines and hiking trails make it even more of a tropical paradise.
Prospective community members can design and build their own tree houses.
Additionally, some of the tree house owners rent out their homes, and there are
visitor accommodations available.

Tamera Peace Research Village, Portugal

Aiming to be a totally self-sufficient
community, the Tamera Peace Research Village
is in the Alentejo region of southwestern
Portugal and is home to 250 coworkers and
students who study how humans can live
peacefully in sustainable communities, in
harmony with nature. It includes a non-profit
peace foundation, a “SolarVillage” test site, a
permaculture project with an edible landscape, and a sanctuary for horses.

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