Yoko taught me more than anything else I have done. These are the lessons I carry from it.
Owning land should not be only for the wealthy.
High returns for investors rarely fit with the heart of a community.
Real connection can't be built just by buying lots or meeting once a year at a festival.
Through thousands of conversations, I learned that what people really want is belonging. Not just a house in nature, but a circle of people they know and trust.
I learned how hard it is to run a large development, from paying for roads, water and power to dividing hundreds of acres into hundreds of plots. I would never take on that kind of project again.
I learned that competing for land is not my way.
I learned how important it is to be on good terms with neighbours, and to build only where locals welcome you.
A community is built by a community, not by one person, a CEO and their team. Everyone should lead. There are good models of shared leadership for eco-villages.
Most important, forcing many people into one big community doesn't work. We are all different. People should first connect, get to know and trust each other, and only then invest together. Buying in as part of a deal, without knowing your neighbours, is a big mistake, and it's happening in eco-villages around the world. Choosing your neighbours before you buy is the key.