Projects

The Green House (Current)

Wholly Human has begun a multi-stage project called the Green House–a vision of Just Transition actualized through simple, earth-reverent, rematriated living and community support. This decolonial (matriarchal, Black/Indigenous- and LGBTQ-centered) household economy is the living foundation for an organic process of personal, interpersonal, communal, ecological, and spiritual recovery.

The economy of the Green House is circular and tied to regenerative agriculture, a reciprocal relationship with the Earth, reparative justice, intentional community development, cultural preservation through art, education, and spiritual wellness.

The goals of the Green House include land and water protection, working with the conditions of the environment as opposed to “overcoming” or controlling them, supporting personal and widespread decolonization, knowledge-sharing and demonstrative living, medicine making and food distribution, and supporting the liberation of all beings.

The methods for meeting the above goals are guided by prioritizing the leadership and needs of those living along the intersections of Indigeneity, Blackness, Femininity, gender non-conformity, and disability; learning and modeling non-nuclear family structures; relying on Black and indigenous guidance for agricultural learning; utilizing alternative economies; rethinking and reprioritizing energy and “waste” systems; utilizing recycled and earthen materials appropriate for the local climate; practicing a reverent relationship with the Earth via mindfulness; slowing down/”de-growth”; creating and nurturing inter-community networks; and ultimately supporting Indigenous sovereignty.

The infrastructural plans for the Green House include a house (eco-structured or retrofitted), barn, nursery/greenhouse, garden, food forest, Earth chapel, eco-structures for events and visitors, processing kitchen, and closed-loop energy and waste systems (or as close as we can get to zero-waste).

Currently, this project is in its preparatory stage. This first stage includes starting fruit trees from seed, learning sustainable farming and householding methods, exploring community development and legal considerations, testing small-scale intentional community living, investigating land opportunities, networking, and fundraising.

Wholly Human’s biggest challenges in the Green House project are the rising cost of land under colonial control and a history of forced dispossession and exploitation. After centuries of land speculators seizing and carving the landscape, their descendants are still in the process of selling off and developing what’s left of the undeveloped land–precious Old Oak forests, marshes, scrubland, swamps, and beaches–while there’s still any left. Here in Seminole and Miccosukee Territories, the combination of rising sea levels, climate irregularity, tourism, and over a thousand new residents per day (spurred on by an unsustainable resort-culture) has added fuel to the fire. With obscene profits still on the horizon for large-scale land holders, it seems every parcel of undeveloped land in the “Sunshine State” is on borrowed time–most of it already marked for suburban, commercial, or industrial development, and therefore only accessible to those with the capital to spare. Land is central to Wholly Human’s ongoing work toward living in right relationship with a liberated Earth and rediscovering our basic place and purpose within that relationship. We believe we have no real enemies, but the destruction of the environment is certainly our biggest and most painful opposition.

Check out the #GreenHouse tag in our Project Updates at the bottom of the page for updates on the overall project, including information learned about the process of land acquisition, the history of Black farmers in the U.S., and legal challenges faced by intentional communities.

Research & Resources (Ongoing)

One of the obvious benefits of living in an intentional community is the sharing of resources, including the lessons and information learned through our unique experiences. Over time, we’re collecting and sharing the names and locations of communities and other projects; resource lists to aid in community healing and development; and the results of our own research into land, law, and empowerment.

If you’d like to check out these ongoing updates, check the #Resources tag in our Project Updates at the bottom of the page.

Project Updates from the Blog Archive