LIVING IN AWE
AWE Communities is committed to building high quality, environmentally conscious,, healthy and inspiring regenerative communities. Using regenerative, whole-systems and permaculture principles, designs and technologies, AWE Communities will provide a built environment that is energy efficient, regenerative and in harmony with nature. In addition to a consciously designed and constructed built environment (i.e., homes, apartments, commercial, retail, lite industrial, health, entrepreneurial, innovation, recreational, and community), AWE Communities provides a social fabric to elevate abundance, wellness and empowerment.
This will be accomplished through AWE's community resource sharing, regenerative design, environmental activities, and personal health and development programs. By implementing and adopting these programs, community members gain a higher standard of living for less money and time than in current urban and suburban communities.
By employing shared resources, collaboration, new paradigm technologies, automation and evolved communication skills, AWE Communities anticipates lowering the average work week from 40 hours per week to 25 hours per week. We anticipate that it may take some adjustment for residents to learn to share and collaborate as they shift from a "me culture" to a "we culture."
There are numerous examples of sharing that we currently engage in everyday in our "capitalist society." These include sharing the expenses of schools, fire, police, community centers, roads, water and sewers, to name a few, through payment of property taxes. Many of us, who live in "communities," pay Homeowners Association ("HOA") fees to maintain common areas. Tenants that lease commercial or industrial space often pay Common Area Maintenance (CAM) charges as part of their rent. Many of us also work out at health clubs and have access to a cornucopia of professional high-grade equipment in exchange for a membership fee. We do not need to own, maintain or clean the equipment. Sharing creates economies of scale and allows for increased quality and variety of amenities while lowering our cost, maintenance efforts and ecological impact.
By engaging in a model of community, collaboration and shared use rather than individual ownership, community members can leverage economies of scale and more easily afford a higher quality of life and quantity of amenities for less effort, time and money. The amenities include fresh picked organic food from the community's farm, affordable high-quality regenerative housing, renewable energy, integrated healthcare, AWE’s optimal wellness center, education, day care, a science and technology center, a media and arts center and many other community amenities, such as the community library, kitchen, restaurant, transportation, sporting goods, music equipment, art supplies, IT infrastructure and support ("Amenities").
There are several different ways to live in, and contribute to, AWE Communities, as follows:
Home Ownership. Purchasing a home, townhouse or apartment in AWE Communities will provide purchasers with community benefits. Prior to purchasing a home in an AWE Community, the individual will be required to participate in an immersive course entitled "Living in AWE" where the philosophy, principles, values and agreements of the community are clearly articulated and where the potential homeowner and community have an opportunity to interface with each other to ensure mutual alignment.
Homeowners’ Equity & Association Fees. The community contribution of homeowners will primarily come from homeowners' association ("HOA") fees. AWE Communities HOA fees cover amenities such as organic food and nutrients, preventative healthcare, fitness membership, group health insurance, childcare, transportation, arts and crafts and education (see above). Because of the great additional value and benefits provided over and above traditional communities, the HOA fees may be higher than usual HOA fees for traditional "communities," that only generally cover common area and facility maintenance. Due to the economies of scale, the value received for these fees will be quite compelling. Also, unlike most other communities, a portion of the HOA fees will be put into an investment pool and as community businesses thrive, those that pay HOA fees will receive distributions of profits. We intend that the distributions from the investment pool will far exceed HOA fees and give homeowners returns on their HOA investments.
Community Services Members. Another alternative way to live in AWE is to become a community services member, in which case, the member is provided with community room and board as well as access to the community amenities and benefits in exchange for services. Community Services Members provide needed community services such as farming, construction, technology, hospitality, education, health services, administration or maintenance. These positions are necessary to support the community and its profit centers and can be used to offset HOA and other monetary contributions.
Community services may also be used for exchange in the form of barter, cash or increased reputation rewards. Homeowners can also to become Community Services Members to offset their HOA fees.
AWE Business Owners and Entrepreneurs. Business owners, operators and entrepreneurs will also be key contributors to maintaining the Amenities and fostering a healthy economy for the community. Similar to a business license or CAM charge, businesses and entrepreneurs will contribute a percentage of their income to the ongoing maintenance and improvement of the Amenities and community. Alternatives to a percentage of income include trade credits from needed services provided to the community and its members. Businesses and revenue centers that support the community include farming, technology & science innovation, media & communications, the entrepreneurial center, education/certification courses, community events, resort & hospitality, property management, building design & construction, investment & finance and homeowners' fees. These revenue centers will pay for the overhead required to run the community operations and provide the Amenities, while also providing the business owners and entrepreneurs with substantial support in their lives and businesses.
Visiting Members, Students, Guests and Contributors to AWE Institute. Time-share owners, students, guests and significant contributors to AWE Institute, a 501(c)(3), through their patronage and contributions, provide support to the community and the ongoing maintenance of its programs and Amenities. This group of contributors will be accorded substantial privileges and access to the community's Amenities, but will not be given full access to all privileges and Amenities of the community, unless and until they achieve a specified level of certification or contribution (see Living in AWE Education, Certification and Trial Period).
Living in AWE Education, Certification and Trial Period. In accordance with its philosophical core, the community must live and grow within its ability to sustain and support itself. Once the resources and land within a specific AWE Community have reached their sustainable limit, no new members will be invited to participate until an existing member leaves the community. Therefore, it is important that community members be carefully selected for their ability to provide high value and contribution to the community and for the community to capably exchange synergistic value with its members.
At such time as each community reaches its sustainable saturation, it is anticipated that a new community will be started. Those persons who have achieved certifications or an approved level of expertise in community building, will be given the opportunity to start the new communities. Furthermore, as many of the community children grow into adulthood, it is anticipated that they will have the skills and capabilities to develop new and even better communities.
AWE Communities are not for everyone and it is important for the community that its participants be valuable, dynamic, needed and contributing members to the community. In order to become a Community Services Member (as opposed to a homeowner, visiting member or guest), there will be a 6-month trial period. In this trial period the potential new member's skills, energy, being and personality must be shown to be cohesive and valuable to the community. There will be several programs and processes available to inspire and help potential community members evolve. This will also give the community and the potential members an opportunity to determine the appropriateness and desirability of community membership. Visiting members, students and guests who graduate with an AWE Certificate will be extended full privileges and may be considered for full membership.