Is there a future

In 2023, society faces crises of climate, war, poverty, and mental illness, while family and community ties weaken. My documentary project follows those who moved to intentional communities around the world to live with like-minded people, reject consumer

It’s 2023 and our society is facing lots of challenges: from climate crisis, wars to discrimination, over-consumption, political polarization and social justice. What will our future look like in 50 years? Can we make changes in our lives to deal with these problems and live happily and peacefully on this planet?

In 2022 I first came to the community project called ZEGG near Berlin in Germany. 100 members that think differently, live together for more than 30 years. These people quitted their daily routine and fully committed themselves to live according to their values. 

Together they work on creating a perfect society with sustainable living, leaderless structures and a life free of stigma — from celibacy to polyamory. ZEGG aims to govern themselves, make decisions together, and collectively own resources in order to create a more sustainable and equitable future.

Next community I visited in 2023 was Gaia Terra – opposite to Zegg, a small community of 7 residents, based in Latisana region in Italy.  This project is an community center advocating zero-waste lifestyles through eco-friendly construction, environmental rejuvenation, and community-building, where volunteers engage in activities ranging from gardening and bio-construction to waste recycling and the production of biodegradable products.

Communities like ZEGG and Gaia Terra offer a way of living that's good for the planet and emphasizes working together. They can help us learn how to take care of the environment and work out problems as a group, while also promoting social and environmental responsibility. They serve as a beacon of hope and a catalyst for change in a world facing numerous challenges. I strongly believe that completing and publishing this project as soon as possible is necessary, given the modern problems we face as a society.

For example, the climate crisis. 50% to 80% of the world's land, water, materials, and greenhouse gas emissions that cause environmental damage come from the things we use in our homes. Members of intentional communities prioritize composting, renewable energy use, and low-impact transportation, which helps to reduce the harmful impact of household consumption on the environment. Furthermore, intentional communities are models for sustainable living, inspiring others to adopt similar practices and reduce their own ecological footprint.

In addition, living in a community can help people feel like they belong and have a place where they fit in. Being surrounded by others has a positive impact on one's mental health, as it fosters a supportive social network and gives a sense of direction and meaning to life. This is especially important after the isolation and loneliness that many people have experienced during the pandemic. Even during my brief stay at ZEGG, I could feel the effect on myself: the time there was very intense, but I was doing lots of garden work, eating healthy food from the garden and having deep conversations every day. This experience left me feeling much more fulfilled and content than my normal life in the bustling Berlin. 

There are more than 7500 community projects around the world (according to GEN Europe*) and the number keeps growing. Intentional communities are like people - while you can categorize them based on certain characteristics, no two are identical. During the project I will visit six diverse communities, interviewing community members, finding out their motivations, challenges, and life stories.

These six communities are:

1) Zegg (already visited) – an international community near Berlin of 100 members that has existed for more than 30 years. 

2) Gaia Terra (already visited) – Small community of 7 residence, located close to Venice in Italy

3) Stapleton Colony –  is a Christian pacifist and anarchist community, and the only remaining colony of the Brotherhood Church. By 2016 the population of the colony had declined to four residents.

4) Sekem – big community of 68 members founded in 1977 in the Egyption desert with community school, medical center, a college and research center

5) Project Abundance – an establishing project in Bulgaria that aims to combine ideas from Earthship, Self-Sustainable Projects and Zero Net Construction to build the community

6) Neve Shalom – is a cooperative village in Israel, jointly founded by Israeli Jews and Arabs in an attempt to show that the two peoples can live side by side peacefully, as well as to conduct educational work for peace, equality and understanding between the two peoples.

It’s important for me to include not only Central Europe but also the Middle East and Balkans to move beyond our western paradigms and see how community projects work in more traditional and conservative societies. I will take interviews and give community members a voice, approach the project with an open mind and be willing to learn from community members, rather than imposing preconceived ideas or stereotypes. I will travel by train when possible, as one of the topics of the project itself is sustainability.

Intentional communities, like many minority groups, often face stigmatization from society and the media. The popular image of these communities is that of hippies who refuse to work, which stems from the communities that emerged in the 1960s around sexual liberation, born-again Christianity, and other movements. But what do intentional communities look like in 2023? Through my project, I will visit these communities and showcase how their values and lifestyles have evolved. I want to highlight that each member has a unique life story, but they share a common purpose and are willing to work together to achieve it.