NoiseLand

NoiseLand

This page is for collaboratively buying a large parcel of land in the northern half of California, to be collaboratively and collectively owned and cultivated for sustainable living and farming and generating energy by members of Noisebridge and their ilk.

Because Noisebridge-style openness draws many people from different directions and styles, a collectively owned property would have to be large so that people don't chafe on one another. Nobody is suggesting getting a house in the city and letting anyone come crash there, although maybe someone could.

Land worth buying will have sufficient LEVEL property, sufficient WATER supply (from a well; it is not permitted to draw from a stream) and reasonable ACCESS by road. Hunting is a good way to secure food, and many areas have lots of deer in the winter. Hunting Concessions are covenants signed by property owners permitting people to hunt on their property in exchange for the right to do the same.

Much land in northern California is at high altitudes. While there is more sunlight at much higher altitudes, it's also much colder and nobody likes that.

Because of the state of the US Economy, now is a good time to buy land [citation needed]

Proposed Sharing process of NoiseLand

Noisebridge operates on NoiseRule, which is "Be Excellent to Each Other" which is an excellent rule because it is infinitely flexible and adjustable by consensus. Other guidelines will have to be formed in the process of people expressing interest in this idea. There will be other rules at NoiseLand out of necessity, but rather than behavioral rules these will likely be things like Dont Light Big Fires Next To Buildings. Practical things. Black Bear Ranch (a similar land project) and Hellarity House (a collective house in Oakland) are referenced below as resources on where to learn how this stuff actually hashes out.

Buying process of NoiseLand

From a financial and practical sense, buying land will be somewhat similar to Noisebridge renting a building in La Mission. A large amount of cash will have to be paid as a down payment, and then a chunk of cash every month will need to be paid, for 15 or 30 years (or somehow just paying it off, or the previous owner donating the land). Obviously it can't be NoiseLand if it is owned by an individual or small group of individuals, because that would color everything.

After the loan is secured and cash starts flowing, those who supplied portions of the down payment can begin garnishing the income to pay the back according to agreements made before the process started.

NoiseBus

Owning land means we can get a Bus, used to shuttle people back and forth from the city. It can also have bunks in it so people can sleep during the ride, or when the bus is parked at the land it serves as a few bunks and a room.

Resources and further study:

Black Bear Ranch as a commune was founded in 1968 by a group of people who wanted to go back to the land, get out of the city and start a new life together in the mountains.
http://blackbearranch.org/

Bid4Assets.com is how California (and other states) auctions off parcels whose taxes are delinquent, county by county.
The following pages have links to descriptions of each property, starting bids, and also an Excel spreadsheet of all the parcels.
Sutter County Starts: December 3, 2011
Mono County Starts: December 10, 2011

In the same way that Realtors escort you through the house-buying process in the city, Realtors will meet you at giant land parcels for sale, walk around the place with you (and they carry GPS) and help you understand things you may not have thought about in those situations. There are many large parcels on the market right now for which a Realtor could arrange a tour.

Hellarity House is a house in Oakland where people have lived collectively, paying NO rent, for the past 13 years. Bills get paid by voluntary contributions. There are rules but the house operates on Consensus. Visiting or talking to people from this house is a good way to learn about a situation where people live together without the hierarchy of ownership simplifying everything. To learn about Hellarity house, visit the internet or talk to Jake (spaz) who is at noisebridge a lot and posts to the discuss list.

Bolo'bolo is a book written in the '80s about how people would live together "within ten years" all over the Earth. It is anti-copyrighted yet somehow I CANNOT FIND A COPY OF IT TO DOWNLOAD how can this happen?