[Nicholai]

Just thought I would give some more information as time rolls along.

I'll be leaving to Quebec in the beginning of September. I've found two places of interest that I will be visiting. The first is L'ecovillage du Mont Radar that I have discussed extensively. The second is a former hippy community in northern Quebec. It has around 30 people at the moment and has several large community gardens and has been in existence for around 40 years (I believe it is the oldest in Canada)!

The benefits of this community are: It has evolved and changed, unlike most intentional communities which are quite new and tend to collapse quite easily. It sells land MUCH cheaper than the other ecovillages to those who have lived with them for a year or so and are deemed "part of the group". It is in an area with a VERY small population (about 7 people per square mile or 2 people per square kilometer). There is a beautiful fjord right next to the community, lots of fresh water, lots of rolling hills....I'll keep everyone posted.

As for costs, things are insane! A backpack, tent and small sleeping bag cost me $700. I figured I'd get quality in case I need them longer than expected. Travel insurance, flights, rail passes.....it's hard to say if I'll even go to Europe. I really hope that I can just plop myself down at one of these communities and build myself up for a few years before oil hits $200 a barrel. Anyways, I'll keep posting as time goes by.

Questions, comments, concerns?

[mos6507]

Consider recent developments. I was darn near close to having an anxiety attack as the oil almost tipped $150, but it retracted, in some part due to a sea change in driving patterns and a mass exodus from SUVs. This has given me some hope that we won't really start to feel the full brunt of peak oil inflation for another year at least. Remember that we would have peaked far sooner had the OPEC embargo not occured. So don't underestimate the potential of conservation to prolong the plateau and smooth out the down slope a little bit.

You have to take as much advantage of the time between knowing about peak oil and TSHTF. There is far too much to gain by staying engaged in the system as long as possible: saving up money, researching, buying tools, etc.... $10,000 is just not a big nest-egg to start out with. So you can plan your lifeboat, maybe even built it in your spare time, but I wouldn't actually move in until right before the zombies start waking up.

[Nicholai]

The community takes people on tours to visit fjords etc. in the area and makes a bit of money off that. I figure I could work while I set myself up and add to the savings. I just don't want to jump into an ecovillage when oil hits $200 a barrel and watch as they cut all the "newbies".

If I have a few years to supplant myself, I should get there ASAP and learn as much as possible (gardening, basic construction, cooking with staple foods etc.)

The $10,000 is just there to give me options. I could use the money to build a Cob house and buy a stove, utensils, some shovels etc. Maybe the eco-community is a corny group of unrealistic hippies and I leave after only a few days...I just made sure to save up enough that I had some leeway.

I'm growing more and more suspicious of intentional communities but I see pictures of their massive gardens and primitive houses and I can't help but visit.

[Bytesmiths]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Nicholai', 'I')'ll be leaving to Quebec in the beginning of September. I've found two places of interest... It sells land MUCH cheaper than the other ecovillages... in an area with a VERY small population...

[Nicholai]

I have seen people post pictures of their gardens on this forum a few times. They're usually around 0.2 of an acre at most. Theres are MUCH larger.

I called the residence and the fellow told me that each household has it's own garden along with a larger community garden. The region is actually a Level 3 climate since it is on the Saguenay River and farther south than Chicoutimi.

You're definitely right in not plopping myself down too quickly. I want to make sure that the place I choose is as optimal as possible. I want a community that doesn't speak English. I can talk in a Quebecois accent almost to a 'T'. I even got a prize for it when I was in Jonquiere. Something with lots of land, good fertile soil, a committed community, a similar climate to the one I am already used to and something far away from any major population center.
So far, so good.

Here are some pictures of the near by town so you can have a look at what I'm talking about:



The fjord: