Page 2 RAIN June 1982 Rain Magazine Editors: Mark Roseland John Ferrell Contributing Editors: Laura Stuchinsky Gail Katz Graphic Design: Linnea Gilson RAIN COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER Staff: Nancy Cosper Steve Johnson Steve Rudman Comptroller: Lee Lancaster Interns: Ann Borquist Bruce Borquist RAIN: Journal of Appropriate Technology Volume Vlll, Number 8 June 1982 Printing: Times-Litho Typesetting: Em Space Cover Photograph: Karen Gottstein RAIN Magazine publishes information which can help people lead more simple and satisfying lives, make their communities and regions more economically self- reliant, and build a society that is durable, just, and ecologically sound. RAIN is published 10 times a year by the Rain Umbrella, Inc., a non-profit corporation located at 2270 NW Irving, Portland, Oregon 97210, telephone 503/227-5110. Subscriptions are $25/yr. for institutions, $15/yr. for individuals ($9.50 for persons with incomes under $5000 a year). Copyright © 1982 Rain Umbrella, Inc. No part may be reprinted without written permission. The movement rents. Not everyone, but far too many of us are renters. In the cities and in the countryside, renting makes us vulnerable, it makes us weak. For some it may be unavoidable, but for many the limiting factors are psychological and technical, factors which can be overcome. "Over half the total national wealth of the United States is tied up in real estate, and over 25 percent of all real- estate value in America is in land. After equipment and structures, land is the largest single component of national wealth. Three percent of the population owns about 55 percent of all American land and 95 percent of the private acreage, most of it in ranches, farms, and forests. This includes ownership by fewer than six hundred companies and corporations of about 11 percent of the nation's land area, and some 23 percent of all private land in America." (from Wolf's Land in America, reviewed on page 15). Life comes from the land. And so the land must be cared for. The government and the big corporations have made it clear that they are not going to care for the land, an affront both to the land and to us. It is therefore apparent that if we are indeed committed to creating a society that is durable, just, and ecologically sound, we need to take the land back. And we need to care for it — properly — with respect, kindness, intelligence and love. That's what this special issue is all about — rernhabit- ing the land. We begin with a history of what- tums-out-to-be-not-so-new thinking about land, then explore various models for getting ahold of land — urban as well as rural. These include land trusts, intentional communities, and communal ownership. Further on we take a look at rural economics, information access for country people, building codes and owner-builders, and ways to make (or avoid making) a living. We've tried, as always, to be useful as well as stimulating, to provide you with the tools and resources you need to bring your dreams to life. This issue is inspired by my own experience, in recent months, of buying land communally (see how on page 12) and preparing to make a hands-on go of it this summer — housebuilding, fish farming, tree crops, ducks, you-name-it, practicing what I preach and trying to make it work. I'm also starting up a nonprofit research and educational center. The Matrix Institute (PO Box 240, Applegate, OR 97530 — put us on your mailing list!), to carry on the work I've been doing for the last several years in education, appropriate technology, social ecology, information access, attunement, and half a dozen other buzzwords. Consequently, I'll be cycling out of RAIN, for a while at least, but you'll continue to see my contributions along with those of Carlotta, who has gone back to school to finish up her degree, and Steve Rudman, who is heading off across the waters for a sabbatical year in Europe. (People don't actually leave RAIN — they just go through "life changes." Steve Johnson, one of RAIN's founders, and former editor Tom Bender are both contributors to this issue.) We're leaving the ship in good hands, so don't you worry. 'Til next time, smooth sailing and happy landings! —Mark Roseland
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