LaLa Gardens Cooperative

LaLa Gardens site plan rendering

LaLa Gardens is a one-acre home and garden demonstration of permaculture and natural farming in the exurbs of Fort Collins, Colorado. The garden features regenerative farming and gardening courses, and is a pilot project for community ownership, governance, economy and culture that is based on a Declaration of Interdependence and in part, utilizes a global regenerative currency and ecosystem. It is reflective of hyperlocalsystems of Partnerism, membership, gifting, trade and other forms of mutual support. It is developing models for applying NFTs to regenerative real estate, education, marketplaces, art, culture and re-sci as a model for any neighborhood.

Mission, Values, Vision

All is in the Small

Mission

To establish the garden as an entity with rights and recognitions as a successive garden through regenerative functions that are described in a document based on Natural Farming as mentored by Rei Yoon (South Korean Natural Farmer) and others.

Vision

• To put the land into a protected status under Cooperatively owned Stewardship, by which ownership is redefined to be that of stewardship.
• To have the economy built from the function of the garden as regenerative collaborations that are of a sharing nature, so sharing-economy and also function as sanctuary for a few on site members and visitors for learning and immersion experiences.
• To have the garden be a replicable model for regenerative living.

Video Overview

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Community Ownership

LaLa Gardens is transferring property ownership to a cooperative with its own community currency/token. See Return Land to Common Stewardship in the SEEDS Regenerative Civics program.

Property Values
Asset	Value
Land and buildings	$700,000
Solar array	$95,000
Tenant improvements	$35,000
Total	$830,000

Property Details
Remaining land/buildings mortgage balance
Remaining solar array balance
Monthly payments	$3200
Final payment year

Regenerative Features

As an established permaculture designed project, both as a site and social design. This is a Natural Farm utilizing indigenous technologies to restore the ecosystem as well as cultivate nutrient dense foods and medicines while preserving the garden into it's natural succession. We utilize inter-species systems and IMO (Indigenous Micro Organisms) technologies to build soil and increase diversity. We have water systems through catchment to hold and store water. We are a membership model open to a small number of artists residencies and short term immersion courses. We have community outreach through ignition of 'Trade Routes.' The industries that emerge through the function of an increasingly diverse and robust garden are utilizing a point system towards skill acquisition and shared economy. We are feet in the Soil, head in the Cloud (so offer a rooted model (sandbox) for web3 projects aligned with regenerative systems to keep things 'grounded' in real place and time, seasonal and living data responsive).

Profile

• Representative Christina Trout, Steward, on the deed and holder of mortgages.
• Location Fort Collins, Colorado
• Is the property/land associated with this project currently owned privately, publicly or cooperatively? Owned privately
• What is the long-term ownership intention of this property/land: private, public, cooperative, fractional? To be a cooperatively owned trust.
• What is your legal structure? What type of or combination of legal entities will your project use to protect the land and the members? LaLa Gardens is an LLC that includes the land as a direct beneficiary and participant. The aim is to liberate this one acre showcase garden from all financial burdens, past, present, and future, while establishing agency for the land itself, with its stewards serving as legal representatives in human affairs. Our vision for a principle based 'garden-governance' model is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xzhfFLhV1XT6EH1i7BEA9nh_ZrsBuWo7C-7dzkJNzbY/edit?usp=sharing Other models contemplated and possible are sociocracy or holocracy. Also proposed: A membership model that is hands-on immersion experiences with a POAP badge system that leads into micro-equity or other Stewardship models.
• How many acres/hectares is this project? One acre
• How are you integrating with the local community in your area? Deeply rooted locally, and through the various 'Trade-Routes' as we are referring to them. Communities that are in active participation and communication in NM, CO, WY, SD, WI, Northern CA and OR.
• How many people does your project need to maintain or run the property, and are there limits to growth or how many people can live on the land? How many people are currently involved in your project? 5 people on site to maintain the property is ideal, with room for 2-3 guests. Currently have 5 residents, 1 primary steward, 1 retired elder, 3 artists in residence. We also host and attend public work day events with our fellow permaculture guild and local farmers. It would make sense that as we grow, we secure additional housing nearby, and at other sites along the trade route, for both worker housing and hospitality. Here are modules we offer and communities we are directly involved with:

Modules and Templates:

• • Poop is Poetry (closing the poop loop)
  • Natural Farming: Immersions(short and long term), Consultations, Products, Spa events, Mini-Festivals and Online Curriculum.
  • Community Cleanse
  • Our Marketplace (feeding 20 families)
    • Communities serviced:
      • Dragonfly Earth Medicine (DemPure Certification)
      • Bloom Network
      • NoCo Permaculture Guild
      • Natural Farming and Permaculture Communities in WY, NM, CO, SD, WI, OR and BC, Canada. (S. Korea and Uganda via Rei Yoon, Hawaii, and elsewhere)
      • Residents of LaLa Gardens including 81 year old mother, 2 artists in residence, local neighbors and an ever increasing diversity of creatures.
      • Communities of Crestone, MOM DHO, SEEDS, Kernel.
      • PermaTours  
      • Rebel Earth, Red Cloud and Re-Member (WY/SD Native Am. founded or servicing)
  • LaLa Gardens LLC: Producing templates and models to be practiced and shared. Repeated and scaled.
  • Potential Web3 alignments: • Bloom Network • Orgo.Earth • Hypha Tools • Harmony • Many within Kernel…
• Have you addressed zoning, building codes, and taxes? https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/my-drive
• What kind of funding are you looking for and what are you looking to do with it? to be discussed.
• What level of experience do you have budgeting for and actualizing a place-based/regenerative development? Do you need support designing plans and / or itemizing costs? Our local permaculture guild is quite skillful and resourceful. We created the following proposal for a festival client: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10nuE2dcRQt6vZENP710G1Mnt_wTzRyGOh7ENhjmZKiA/edit?usp=sharing Always open to feedback and assistance. Generally start small, simple, and with what is in abundance. Would be open to assistance in creating budgets for hospitality, education, traveling events, and the integration of web3 tools into our model.

Resources

• Website: lalagardens.com
• Notion page
• Video overview