Oran Mor Community

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Oran Mor CommunitySquires, Missouri, United States

Mission Statement

We live harmoniously with the land, loving and respecting all its inhabitants.

Community Description

Currently Seeking: Interns and Apprentices with knowledge of Natural Building and Permaculture or a willingness to learn!

We are a small egalitarian community and organic farm established in June of 2003 and situated on 113 acres in the hills of Ozark County, MO. The terrain is rocky with several creeks and we enjoy four distinctly, beautiful seasons.

We raise dairy goats, egg chickens & ducks, geese, guineas, dogs n cats, and various vegetables using local organic inputs and no-till design. We work to put the principles of Permaculture into daily practice, using clean energy resources and recycling our waste as best we can. We are stiving to minimize our reliance on fossil fuels and electricity as much as possible.

Our commitment to living simply translates to many lifestyle choices here. Our main communal building runs on solar power and has very few ammenities. We have a trailer connected to the grid that we are currently working on phasing out. The only things running on the grid are our laptops and one freezer. We do all of our cooking on woodfires year round, which means cooking in our outdoor kitchen in the warmer months. Our laundry is done by hand and dried on clothes lines. Our dishes are done by hand using rain water heated on our woodfire. These are some central differences to what most folks are used to. It is a commitment of time and effort, and we feel it is rewarding and pays off. We love life and we have fun with our commitments.

We offer a wide range of skilled and unskilled work experiences in gardening, cooking, canning, fermentation, sustainable construction, milking, cheesemaking, forestry, salvage, maintenance, and more. We have an ongoing need for alternative, ecologically aware construction, organic permaculture style gardening, home and land improvement, and hard workers with thoughtful conversations.

Length of stay is entirely negotiable. We are accepting new members. Meals are communal. WWOOFers will be expected to attend daily priority meetings and to take an active part in chores and projects. Opportunities are available year ’round. Very limited transportation is available. Children and pets are welcome with prior approval.

Alcohol is enjoyed on holidays and special occasions.

We respect tobacco as a very energy intensive indulgence, but also respect the bodily sovereinty of our members who do smoke. Tobacco is not used as a social habit and smokers are asked to step away when they do smoke.

Please read our website – www.oranmorcommunity.org

Housing

• Status: We have land we have developed on
  

• Area: 113 acres
  

• Current Residence Types: Room(s) in a house or building, Yurt, tee-pee, dome, treehouse, or tent, Lots to build on
  

• Current Number of Residences: 4
  

• Planned number of residences: 9
  

• Planned Residence Types: Multi-family homes, Tiny house, Yurt, tee-pee, dome, treehouse, or tent, Natural built structues
  

• Housing Provided: Work-exchange, Included in Membership
  

• Land owned by: The entire community membership
  

• Additional Comments:
  Approximately 75% of our land is forested. We share two communal buildings, each with two bedrooms plus extra sleeping space for visitors. One building is home to our communal kitchen and the other one houses our extensive library. We also have two tipis being lived in on the hill. We are in the process of cleaning up the second floor of our barn so we can put some cots up there for visitors. This is a big year for development here and we have lots of ideas and plans for more housing this year!!
  
  

Membership

• Adult Members: 5
  

• Child Members: 1
  

• Percent Women: 21-30%
  

• Percent Men: 71-80%
  

• Visitors accepted: Yes
  

• Visitor Process:
  Contact us by email or telephone a week in advance of your visit. We do lots of things with human power and use very little fossil fuelsbon the farm so we work hard!
  
  

• Open to new Members: Yes
  

• Membership Process:
  We ask that you fill our a questionnaire before your visit so that we can learn a little about you. From that point, just come on out and we will get to know eachother over the first moon cycle of your stay. If we are all harmonizing well, then you would become a provisional member for one year. Full membership occurs after one year of provisional membership.
  
  

• Additional Comments:
  A certain reverence for the earth is essential, but no formal creed is necessary. All who value love, kindness, and non-violence are welcome.
  
  

Government

• Decision Making: Consensus (everyone agrees)
  

• Identified Leader: No
  

• Leadership Core Group: Yes
  

• Additional Comments:
  Our primary leadership is comprised of full membership with heavy influence from provisional members.
  
  

Economics

• Dues, Fees, or Shared Expenses: No
  

• Shared Income: All or close to all
  

• Required Labor Contribution per Week: 0
  

• Open to members with existing debt: Yes
  

Sustainability Practices

• Energy Infrastructure: We use both systems.
  

• Current renewable energy generation: 50-75%
  

• Energy sources: Solar, Wind
  

• Planned renewable energy generation: 100%
  

• Current food produced: Up to 25%
  

• Planned food produced: From 50-75%
  

• Food produced locally: From 50-75%
  

Lifestyle

• Common Facilities: Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Outdoor Kitchen, Fire pit, Waterfront access, Internet, Outhouse
  

• Internet Available: Yes, both the community and individuals provide it
  

• Internet Fast?: Yes, it’s fine.
  

• Cell Phone Service: Not good for most people.
  

• Shared meals: Approximately all meals
  

• Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (plants and animals), Local (food sourced within 150 miles), Organic (no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers), GMO Free (only non-genetically modified organisms), Vegetarian Only (no animal meat; dairy and eggs okay) – Please check this only if you are 100% Vegetarian, Mostly Vegetarian, Opportunivore (dumpster diving, nature harvesting, etc.), Gluten-Free
  

• Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Somewhat – there are some dietary restrictions or customs.
  

• Special Diets OK: Sometimes
  

• Alcohol Use: Yes, used occasionally.
  

• Tobacco Use: Yes, used seldomly, or ceremoniously.
  

• Additional Diet Comments:
  We eat what we have consensus to grow and buy, mostly utilizing what’s local and in season.
  We’re omnivorous but frugal, and emphasize food we’ve grown ourselves or traded with neighbors. We only eat meat that was raised ethically or wild, and almost always butcher it ourselves.
  We generally use alcohol on special occasions like our lunar holidays or for medicinal purposes. We wish to keep tobacco smoking to a minimum, and ideally be growing the tobacco here on the property, but we also respect the decisions of our members and visitors and we have a regular tobacco user who we love dearly residing with us.
  
  

• Common Spiritual Practice(s): Ecumenical (accepts all religions or spiritual practices), Eclectic (integrates multiple religious or spiritual beliefs), Native American, Paganism or Earth Religions
  

• Education Style(s): Home Schooling
  

• Expected Healthcare Practices:
  We primarily use herbal and holistic medicine including dietary recommendations. Some of use pharmaceuticals but we all have a desire to use natural methods as much as possible.
  
  

• Healthcare Options: Up to each family or individual
  

Source:https://www.ic.org/directory/oran-mor/