Page 32 - C.A.L.L. #46 - Summer 2020

Newberry Place Co-housing, USA

We have stopped cooking common meals, stopped having meetings in person, continued to
have outdoor work days with social distancing, started to have Zoom meetings, had an
uninterrupted series of outdoor Happy Hours at 6 PM on the greenway, and we don't let
anyone who is not in the community use the common house for gatherings anymore (except
for the delivery folks who still have access to the bathroom). Instead of indoor common
meals we have started to cook for the community in our houses and distributed the food as a
take-out meal so every household doesn't have to cook for itself every single night.

Interestingly, the people who come out for Happy Hour most evenings are those who have
been the most engaged in the community for the longest. The newer members are not coming

out, even though they are invited and they know about it. And those who don't show up
anyway for anything are obviously not coming out. So it is mostly the core group of founders
and longer time residents who persistently come out to stand around in our masks and share
the day's news. The second generation kids (now in their 20s) organized a Fashion Week,
encouraging people to dress to a different sartorial theme each day. Participation was high.

GreenRise Intentional Community, USA

There has been stress. Our community has 30 members. About a fourth think we need very
disciplined health safety measures, about a fourth think there is no need for them to be

extreme, and about half more or less are inclined to to have more safety procedures than
not but they're rather relaxed about it. Those estimates may not be completely accurate but
they do represent a difference in opinion. This all came to the fore when some from the
"more minimum safety procedures" people wanted to create an exercise room (something to
which we have never really given much thought). This horrified the the "maximum safety
people." In our last community meeting, the issue was not really resolved but the gym people
pushed forward, many think in a very heavy handed way, and went ahead and created the
gym. The coronavirus situation, therefore, occasioned a discord that probably would have
never surfaced without. First, interest in the gym was largely driven by the "shelter in place"
orders and second opposition was strong because it was seen as a risky practice. The good

news is that there now is a general agreement that our community should objectify its
decision-making process and make it much more clear by putting it in writing. There was
never much motivation to do this in the past due to some unique conditions in our community.
The fracture making this necessary has appeared precisely because of matters related
directly to the virus.

The Vale, USA

The community play set is cleaned before each use. Monthly meetings are done on Zoom.
Birthdays are celebrated by doing a parade - each person is 6 feet apart, we sing happy
birthday, drop cards in a basket. We are not restricting visitors unless they’re planning on

using the play set (must get permission). Checking in on each other often.

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