Earth: the final frontier

by John D. Gunther

Since I was a small child, I have always known that there is a better way for us to live. What I didn’t know at that age was exactly what that meant. Fast forward to now, and as a 41-year-old computer geek of 30 years and a computer store owner of 15 years, I can tell you that I now know exactly what that means, and it has nothing to do with computers. It means for us to start living in harmony and cooperation by starting an off-grid, durable and self-sustaining living community. One focused on the greater good of all wanting to live in cooperation not only with each other, but the Earth as well. This project will be started on 80 acres of land I own in northwestern Nevada (Humboldt County, northwest of Winnemucca). I have two, 80-acre parcels in the same valley. I am looking to move there this summer, but between now and then I am reaching out for input and ideas of how to not only get this started, but promote it as well. I am not looking for personal financial rewards. I am interested in connecting with teachers, students, and anyone interested in participating in creating a new and durable way of living. This will become an Eco-friendly and egalitarian community of people who know that making small changes on a personal and local level in a harmonious group full of cooperation will create a pinwheel effect that will turn that small and personal change into a global experience for all to experience.

I am open to hosting off-grid hands-on classes, possibly being taught by instructors as wise and helpful as Prof. Guy McPherson. I am also looking for those who are looking to be an integral part of the community. All I ask of those interested in becoming a part of the community is to be a working part of the community. This would mean building our community literally from the ground up. At first we will just have ourselves, but from the unity created we can build anything.

The idea is to create an egalitarian community of souls ready to be a part of something bigger than each one of us. I’ll be honest, I am doing this entirely by faith (not the religious type). This is a calling for me, and I am listening. It tells me to build it and they will come, so I am reaching out to everyone I can to make this a reality. There are many ready not only to hear this message, but also ready to live it. I have the land, and I am offering it to the world to re-create from — a blank canvas, if you will, for those Eco-artists ready to paint a better world.

I am starting with 160 acres of land and one committed friend named Al who travels around in an RV ready. I am working on selling my computer service business of 15 years and relocating to the land this summer. Of course it would be wonderful to find others who are like-minded who maybe have things like money, ideas, and permaculture experience or skills that could round out the community body. However, I will be happy with inspired, hard-working people who want to make a difference locally that starts a chain reaction to make a difference globally.

I envision a community with all the grandeur anyone’s imagination could conjure (there are no limits to the possibilities we could have). All the while, we’ll live in harmony with our surroundings. We can create for ourselves all that we could ever need to survive, thereby leaving us to just live: to live happy and free. We would not have to abandon the luxuries of some of the wonderful new technologies available to us. We will instead choose to use them not to better ourselves individually, but collectively. Working together as a community can only give us all a greater sense of ourselves as we are all just mirrors of each other. What do you want to see in the mirror?

Thank you for so kindly reading my rants, and I welcome any input or ideas you may have for me to get this project started. I also would like to mention that I envision the video documentation of this project from start to finish turning into something that could inspire thousands and maybe more. I can think of nothing more wonderful to go viral than a project like this.

I understand that starting from nothing there are immediate concerns like water, some sort of power source, waste treatment, and so on. For one person, this could be a bit much, but for the right group this could be a dream come true.

My name is John D. Gunther. I currently live in Jacksonville, Florida with a computer repair center in Lake City, Florida named Onyx Systems. I can be reached at the email or mailing address below. I welcome you to join me in this adventure.

zameil@gmail.com

http://www.zameil.com (website started for off-grid community)

John D. Gunther
757 SW SR 247
Suite 108
Lake City, FL 32025

I welcome phone calls upon email request.