The Not for Profit Association 

The Proposed Articles of Incorporation, for a not for profit association, a work in progress.

1. Organization: The name of the not for profit association shall be The Eden Ecovillage Project. The association may at its leisure by a ¾ vote of the Board of Directors change its name, and any of the articles herein, at any time.

2. Purposes: The association is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, ecological, and spiritual, purposes, and for all such purposes, as the making of distributions, to organizations that qualify as tax exempt organizations. We uphold that the Earth belongs to itself, and is meant to be stewarded with care.

The Eden Project has been created to support The Web of Life which extends throughout the Earth's biosphere and beyond, including all species as one whole being. We believe we are meant to take care of the Web of Life, and that we are here to save, and to create, and to extend life’s many habitats. We recognize the inherent link between our Creator and the paradise world that has been bestowed upon us to help life to further manifest in ever more diverse and complex forms, absorbing and transforming the environment in order to create and maintain a Web of Life throughout the Universe.

We celebrate the inborn, inherent, and immanent Divinity of Nature. As Stewards, it is our path and purpose, to nurture the unfolding of the plan, to save the Earth, by establishing sacred sanctuaries for life affirming traditions, consecrated ground, holy havens, wild life refuges, and genetic preserves, and parks for every kind of flora and fauna, tree temples, sacred groves, eco-villages and arks for nature, where we might reclaim, replant, restore, and regenerate the Web of Life.

The following are the purposes for which this organization has been organized: to provide an environment where members of the Community can congregate for spiritual purposes, free of harassment, persecution, or repercussion. To provide an Ecological Monastic Charitable and Spiritually Educational Retreat Center, for members of the community, and to share in the spiritual work, of taking care of the land, and to find some way to be of service to the local community. We have no intention of ever supporting any political candidates running for office.

3. Membership: Basic Membership in this organization shall be open to all who meet the criteria, and adhere to the basic principles. Stewardship in this organization shall be open to all who have pledged, to do their part, in support of the Whole Community.

4. Voting: At all meetings except the election of officers and members, all votes shall be by voice. At any regular or special meeting, if a three quarters majority so requires, any question may be voted upon in the manner and style provided for election of officers and directors.

5. Order of business for counsel board meetings: Roll call. Recall of what was talked about at the preceding meeting, Reports of committees, Reports of officers, Old and unfinished business, New business, Adjournments.

6. Board of Directors: The business of this organization shall be managed by a board of directors consisting of not less than 9 members, who will be needed to form a quorum. The directors to be chosen for the ensuing year shall be chosen at the end of the meeting of this organization, in the same manner, and style, as the officers of this organization, and they shall serve for as long as needed.

The board of directors shall have the control of the affair and business of this organization. Such board of directors shall only act in the name of the organization, when it shall be regularly convened, after due notice to all of the board members of such meeting.

7. Officers: The initial officers of the organization shall be as follows: Director, and members at large. The Director shall have the care and custody of all monies belonging to the organization and shall be solely responsible for such monies or securities of the organization. He or she shall operate at his or her discretion.

The Director is responsible for advising the board on all matters concerning the legality and fiscal soundness of all financial investments and expenditures. He or she must be one of the officers who shall sign checks or drafts of the organization.

Officers shall by virtue of their office be members of the board of directors. No officer shall for reason of his office be entitled to receive any salary or compensation, but nothing herein shall be construed to prevent an officer or director from receiving any compensation from the organization for duties other than as a board member.

The Secretary shall keep the minutes and records of the organization in appropriate books as well as to file any certificate required by any statute, of US Law. He or she shall be responsible to give and serve all notices to members of this organization. He or she shall be the official custodian of the records of this organization. He or she shall assist in the presentation to the membership at any meetings any communication addressed to him or her as secretary of the organization.

8. Salaries: The board of directors shall hire and fix the compensation of any and all employees, which they in their discretion may determine to be necessary for the conduct of the business of the organization.

9. Committees: All committees and councils of this organization shall be appointed and/or approved by the board of directors and their term of office shall be determined on a case-by-case basis as new committees and councils are created.

There shall be a clerical council that deals exclusively with the ritual and spiritual aspects of deeply rooted spiritual issues within the Community. The clerical council shall draft its own by-laws to be reviewed and approved by the board of directors at which time additional provisos shall be added.

10. Community Service and Maintenance Fees: Each member of this community will be expected to put in 4 – 8 hours of work per week of residence in the service of the general work that needs to be done in taking care of the grounds and in general community service work.

The maintenance fees of this organization shall be $50 per month of residence per person and shall become payable 30 days after the individual wishes to begin membership. Resident membership begins when the initial maintenance fees are received.

11. Dissolution: Upon dissolution of the association, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes or shall be distributed for an ecological public purpose to another not for profit, tax exempt association, that is organized under the auspices of Section 501 © 3.

12. Amendments: These by-laws may be altered, amended, repealed or added to by an affirmative vote of all of the existing board members.

13: Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from income tax under US law or the corresponding provision of any future tax code, or (b) by an association, contributions to which are tax deductible.

14. The Initial Director of The Eden Ecovillage Project will be T, who will appoint his successor from amongst the membership of the community. This will be subject to the approval of the Stewards Council.

15: The Land Stewards will be a group of people who serve the Spiritual Caretaking of the Land and in support of the general purposes of this community which are charitable, educational, religious and spiritual. The Stewards Council shall be set up as an advisory committee to serve the Board of Directors in making decisions that reflect the views of the most committed members.

The Main Circle shall be set up as a forum for the airing of ideas and opinions of a more general interest.

16. In the event that any of the Land Stewards are unable to fulfill their obligations and need to pull out of this community for any reason they may do so within the first 3 years of their Stewardship Contributions, provided that they have they given us notice within the first year, and will be allowed to transfer their Stewardship responsibilities to another prospective member, who will then begin to take over all responsibilities within or anytime before the 3rd year begins provided that the Stewards Council has approved such a members admittance to the community.

If so that new member of the Stewards Council will be expected to make some acceptable level of a Contribution Share to the Community above and beyond taking over the Contribution Pledge or monthly financial support associated with that Seat on The Stewards Council, and that will be subject to the approval of Council, but will basically be the same as it would normally be, to be starting over from the beginning at that point in time.

These Articles have been prepared by T, Director of The Eden Ecovillage Project. _________________________________________________________________

We do have to start taking full responsibility for being here of our own choosing without always losing.

We do have to teach the children to Do their Best and Forget the Rest which is what we expect from all who would come to Eden in Peace.

More than Enough and Some to Share is what we are all expected to bring to the table one way or another.

We work only with what the true Positives are and must reject all these lateral moves that serve no real purpose but to reinforce all the backwards moves we ever made in the past. That's why it is time to disengage.

There is no Freedom without Personal Responsibility.

There will be no easy answers given to those who have turned their backs on the many who have died and only a closer examination for those who will not take the trouble to try to digest what little has been given before asking for anything more.

Do show us at least that much respect for Eden and the work of T and then say Many Thanks To You and Good Bye To You, at least I would think as you would before leaving anyone's home, in peace and mutual respect instead of this deep disgrace, without a trace, as anything else would be almost completely unforgivable, among almost any of the native peoples of the Americas, which is where this project has taken root.

There is a give and take and there is a non-invasive language that we all must learn not to burn, that does not ever force the issue. Everything works when the people are ready to work within the natural orders of priority that can be seen throughout the natural world, which is where we have gotten all this inspiration to begin with, but not everybody can tap into that, so there will be a learning curve to fit each persons shape and size.

We will have to use the spirit of oneness and the process of deep consensus which is not to be seen as being just another personal campaign to sway the most ignorant and cowardly in the bunch, or to foment revolution among those who have the least grasp of the full depth and breath of the true nature of the Expanding Universe, or to cater down to the needs and greed of personal self interest based opinions, that may have become collectivized into a destructive force, through the power of numbers.

We do sometimes choose to take a little of the good with the bad. But not always. And we do know the difference in qualities and in quantities, and so we must remind people that Eden is not a public offering, or just a cohousing development, but is a real intentional community that you must join first.

This fresh new Spirit of Eden is just One Gift that is worthy of some great consideration and that is what we are here to share which is our natural Birth Right if we can pull this whole thing off with the style and grace that has become customary here among the people of Eden.