Author of Finding Community and Creating a Life Together
Diana's 2008 Workshops and Appearances
Diana giving 'Cohousing in Japan' slide show at the Annual Cohousing Conference, Boston, 2008.
To be notified when Diana is appearing in your area, send your name, city, and state or province to
January 31, 2008 • Ecovillage Slide Show
Ashland, OR. Unitarian Center. 7:30–9:00 pm. "Ecovillages: Where They Are, What They're Doing, Why They're Important." With over 200 photos, this hour-long presentation shows the ecological, economic, and social/cultural/spiritual aspects of sustainability in ecovillage projects worldwide, and how they utilize permaculture design, natural building, off-grid power, alternative technology, sustainable agriculture, local currencies, on-site cottage industries, participatory decision-making, conflict resolution, communication and process skills for bonding and connection, and much more. Details. Sponsored by Sacred Lifeboats. Contact Bill or Zoe: 541‑535‑2462;
February 1–3, 2008 • Community Building Symposium
Ashland, OR. Sponsored by Sacred Lifeboats; held at Transformation Pathways (1345 Toman Creek Road, Ashland). Participants can attend one, two, or three days.
An overview of field-tested methods for starting successful intentional communities and ecovillages, both non-residential and land-based. Bill or Zoe: 541‑535‑2462;
February 1–3, 2008 • Community Building Symposium
Ashland, OR. Sponsored by Sacred Lifeboats; held at Transformation Pathways (1345 Toman Creek Road, Ashland). Participants can attend one, two, or three days.
An overview of field-tested methods for starting successful intentional communities and ecovillages, both non-residential and land-based. Bill or Zoe: 541‑535‑2462;
February 9, 2008 • Los Angeles Eco-Village
Los Angeles, CA. Ecovillage slide show. Details. Reservations required: 213-738-1254 or
February 12, 2008 • Friendly Favors Events Walnut Creek, CA. Ecovillage slide show. Details. Website: favors.org (Click "Events" and scroll to February 12th.)
February 16–17, 2008 • Windsong Cohousing Langley, BC. Consultation/workshop for Windsong Cohousing members.
February 21, 2008 • Yarrow Ecovillage Chilliwack, BC. Consultation/workshop for Yarrow Ecovillage members.
February 23, 2008 • Roberts Creek Cohousing Roberts Creek, BC. Consultation/workshop for Roberts Creek Cohousing members.
March 1–2, 2008 • Pacific Gardens Cohousing Nanaimo, BC. Consultation/workshop for Pacific Gardens Cohousing members.
March 11, 2008 • Du-Ma Community Eugene, Oregon. Consultation/workshop for Du-Ma community members.
March 20, 2008 • Silver City Eco-Community Cohousing Silver City, NM. Consultation for core group members of forming Silver City Eco-Community.
March 20, 2008 • Ecovillage Slide Show Silver City, NM. "Ecovillages: Where They Are, What They're Doing, Why They're Important." See January 31, above.
March 22, 2008 • Mimbres Hot Springs Ranch Silver City, NM. Consultation/workshop for Mimbres Hot Springs Ranch members.
March 29–30, 2008 • Workshop: “Antidotes to Five Common Sources of Community Conflict” Norman, OK. Oklahoma Sustainability Network Conference: “Red Dirt – Green Culture: Growing Healthy Communities.”
Website: oksustainability.org;
May 31, 2008 • Ecovillage Slide Show
Asheville, NC. Ashevillage Institute. Evening event for members of Patricia Allison’s Asheville Permaculture Course.
June 12, 2008 • Half-day Workshop: “Antidotes to Five Common Sources of Community Conflict” Waltham, MA. Pre-Conference Workshop, 2008 Cohousing National Conference. Lively presentation, experiential exercises, musical skits, and role-plays to address common conflicts with effective, field-tested remedies. These include (1) the "structural conflict" that arises when a group has not put crucial organizational structures in place, (2) the distrust and hurt feelings that can result from differing communication styles, (3) the resentment and demoralization that can occur when some don't keep the group's agreements, (4) minor conflicts looming larger than they otherwise would because the group hasn't yet built a strong sense of trust and connection, and (5) the presence of someone so challenging that some people leave the group (or want to!).
Website: cohousing.org/2008/overview; voice mail: 314-754-5822;
(See June 14-15, below, for Diana’s breakout-session workshops at Conference.)
June 14–15, 2008 • “Find Your Ideal Cohousing Home” Workshop, 2008 Cohousing National Conference Waltham, MA. Breakout workshop during 2008 National Cohousing Conference.Website: cohousing.org/2008/overview; voice mail: 314-754-5822;
(See Pre-conference Workshop, above, and “Cohousing in Japan” Presentation, below.)
June 14–15, 2008 • “Cohousing in Japan” Presentation, 2008 Cohousing National Conference Waltham, MA. Breakout workshop during 2008 National Cohousing Conference.Website: cohousing.org/2008/overview; voice mail: 314-754-5822;
(See Pre-conference Workshop, June 12, above, and “Find Your Ideal Cohousing Home” Presentation, above.)
June 28–29, 2008 • Starting a Successful Ecovillage or Intentional Community
New York, NY. Consultation-Workshop for three forming-community groups seeking to create rural or town-based communities in upstate New York: More Gardens!, NYC; Watershed, NYC; Common Fire Foundation, Tivoli, New York.
July 18–23, 2008 • Ecovillage Design Course/Permaculture Practicum Summertown, TN. Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm Community. Diana will be a guest instructor on starting new ecovillages in Permaculture Design Certificate Course, Part II, Practicum. Albert Bates, Director. www.thefarm.org; 931-964-4324;
July 25, 2008 • "Finding Community" Community Seekers' Fair
Portland, OR. Northwest Intentional Communities Association (NICA). Diana will give a presentation for community seekers about how to research communities thoroughly, visit enjoyably, evaluate wisely, and join gracefully, before participants meet people from Pacific Northwest-area communities seeking new members at their exhibit tables around the room. See community seekers' fairs. ic.org/nica.
July 26–27, 2008 • Annual NICA Conference
Columbia Ecovillage, Portland, OR. Northwest Intentional Communities Association (NICA), sponsor. Diana will give short workshops (including Ecovillage Slide Show) and be a resource person at this annual weekend NICA conference for experienced community veterans, community founders, and community seekers in the Pacific Northwest. ic.org/nica.
July 27, 2008 • Ecovillage Slide Show
Portland, OR. Ecovillage Slide Show, “Ecovillages: Where They Are, What They’re Doing, Why They’re Important,” at McMenamin’s Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave., Portland. 7:30 pm. $5-$10 sliding scale. Co-sponsored by NICA (Northwest Intentional Communities Association) and Portland City Repair. For more information, .
July 28–30, 2008 • Ecovillages Workshop at Lost Valley
Lost Valley Educational Center, near Eugene, OR. Two and a half-day workshop for participants of Lost Valley’s EPCP (Ecovillage and Permaculture Certification Course). lostvalley.org/EPI/Courses/EPCP;
August 9, 2008 • Antidotes for “Structural Conflict” and Interpersonal Conflict in an Ecovillage or Intentional Community
Columbia Ecovillage, Portland, OR. Consultation-Workshop for Columbia Ecovillage.
August 17, 2008 • Sol Fest – "Starting a Successful Ecovillage or Intentional Community"
Hopland, CA. Sol Fest at Real Goods Solar Living Center. Breakout workshop: Brief Overview: time-frames, costs, preventing “structural conflict,” finding and financing land, legal entities. http://www.solarliving.org/display.asp?catid=17.
August 23-24, 2008 • Starting a Successful Ecovillage or Intentional Community
Berkeley, CA. How people can work well together to co-create a thriving community, with methods for communicating well and dealing effectively with “structural conflict” as well as interpersonal conflict; finding and financing land, zoning issues, legal entities. $225; $200 early registration price before Aug 1st. Location: Common House at Berkeley Cohousing, 2222 Sacramento St., Berkeley. Sponsored by New Paradigm Communities. Details and registration information . Email
September 4, 2008 • Ecovillage Slide Show
Asheville, NC. Ecovillage Slide Show, “Ecovillages: Where They Are, What They’re Doing, Why They’re Important,” at Jubilee in downtown Asheville. 7:30 pm. Sponsored by Asheville Communities Network. Email Joshua Canter at .
September 6–7, 2008 • Consensus and Facilitation Workshop at Earthaven Ecovillage
Earthaven, Black Mountain, North Carolina. Lively two-day workshop with co-facilitator Lee Warren on the basics of the consensus decision-making process and the meeting-facilitation process, with short musical skits, a stand-up-and-move board game, “A Proposal’s Progress,” and participatory facilitation exercises on stacking, summarizing, responding to unexpected meeting situations, and dealing with challenging meeting behaviors.
September 13, 2008 • Diana’s In-Depth Tour of Earthaven Ecovillage
Earthaven, Black Mountain, North Carolina. See outstanding projects at Earthaven—with demonstrations of permaculture design in each—from Gateway Field (featured on the TV show “Invention Nation” and in From the Wilderness e-zine), to Yellowroot Farm CSA, Village Terraces Neighborhood, Useful Plants Nursery, Forest Children’s Program, natural-built and green-built passive-solar homes, off-grid power, constructed wetlands, and much more, with descriptions of each by the inspired, visionary Earthaven members behind each project. You’ll see living demonstrations of ecological sustainability—why people start an ecovillage; economic sustainability—how people maintain their ecovillage and help it thrive; and social, cultural, and spiritual sustainability—also crucial for maintaining an ecovillage and helping it thrive. Details. 828-669-9702;
September 26–27, 2008 • Koinonia Community
Americus, Georgia. Consultation-Workshop for Koinonia community members.
