Why do we work anyway?

Think about it.. All of us get up and go to work every morning for the same reason. We simply want enough money for:

1. A nice place to live
2. Food for ourselves and family
3. Electricity
4. Phone & Internet
5. An automobile
6. Insurance
7. A little entertainment
8. Security when we are older

Really not much to it, but imagine if we could achieve all of these things with less effort and in far less time. This is the goal of AFC - to explore new ways that we can organize and work together to achieve what we all need to live and be happy.

Life shouldn't be difficult

There are too many people working too hard in jobs that don't pay enough to support a family with dignity. Many jobs waste a great deal of time during the day: salesman waiting hours for the next sale - taxi drivers waiting for the next ride - mechanics waiting for the next job, etc. Some people make so little money they must work 12 hours a day or have two jobs to take care of their family or save a little money for future problems.

More accomplished in less time = More Fun Time!

Imagine if all this wasted and idle time in current jobs was put into important projects that would benefit ourselves and community members directly. We could then get more accomplished to assist with our basic needs in far less time and also have a lot more time to enjoy our families and have fun too!

Solve problems together

To find the answer to any problem we have to think differently. People mistakenly believe that if something has been done for a long time that it must be the best way. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If we see difficulties and hardship anywhere in the world, or in any family - it is nature’s way of telling us a problem exists that needs to be corrected. Whether we try to solve that problem depends on our level of compassion for others and willingness to act. It is important to remember that the only way to improve anything is through change.

Does Money = Happiness?

People have the mistaken belief that the more money they have, the happier they wil be. While having enough money for food and housing is necessary for all of us, having large amounts of money above and beyond basic needs doesn’t seem to improve the level of “happiness” one can achieve. In fact, as seen in interviews with people who have won large sums of money (as in the lottery), there are a number of instances where people have said the difficulties, and insincere relationships that followed their winnings, made them wish they had never won at all.

Best things in life really are free

The most important ingredient for happiness appears not to be how many toys or things one can accumulate, but instead, to simply have others around to talk to - to share ideas - to laugh - knowing someone is there when help is needed. Having just this in one’s life is a major step toward having what we truly need as human beings. In other words, having true friends is far more valuable than any amount of money.

Common Building for Everyone

This is where the concept of people coming together truly shines. The Community Building is a place where eveyone shares the benefits of the community’s efforts. As seen in the diagram above, the Community Building is located at the center. This is the first structure built on the property and all residents have equal access to the building. This is the location for the group kitchen for community meals, dining hall, daycare, school, game room and television/movie room. The community building can also be used as a sleeping area during construction of the community and prior to other living structures being completed.

Organic Garden and Community Meals Reduce Food Costs

Food costs can take up to 25% of a typical family income. By residents maintaining a quality organic food garden, food costs can be reduced by providing many vegetables and fruits. Along with this, preparing meals for large numbers of people at the same time is also more economical and efficient. For example, the time it takes to prepare a meal for ten people is not much more than it takes to prepare a meal for 2 people (since the majority of time is in the cooking process).

Better Laundry

A dedicated room for doing laundry will also be provided. Rather than each person doing laundry separately, residents drop off their laundry at the facility to have it done. We will purchase several high quality machines that can operate faster and more efficienty, thereby saving considerable time.

Common Sense Clothing

Next to the laundry room will be a special clothing room. While anyone can buy and keep their own clothes, we will also provide the option of a shared clothing facility. Clothes will be organized on racks and shelves according to size. People will be encouraged to pick the clothes they wish to have for one week. Clothing is then brought back to the laundry room for washing and returned back to the clothing room. This not only provides a wider variety of clothing choices for everyone, but saves a large sum of money for families with growing children who can outgrow clothing in a matter of months. Next to the clothing room will be a sewing facility where clothes can be mended or modified if needed.

Elderly Care Facility

One of the biggest concerns we all have as we become older is what will happen to us when we can no longer take care of ourselves independently - perhaps need a little help with basic routines or have a serious illness - stroke, etc.

No person should have to worry about this and is why we will put in considerable time in creating a facility that wil accommodate anyone in need of assistance.

Located just outside the community building will be the adult care facility for taking care of those who need special assistance. Creating and maintaining a high quality care facility is a high prioirty for the community since all residents know that someday they will also need those services.

Onsite School Included

A private school for grades pre-kindergarten through Grade 8 will be provided for all families. The school will be overseen by experienced teachers who have a track record for providing high quality education for children. One of our original AFC planners holds a Masters Degree in Special Education and has been a teacher in Florida for 10 years He has also been a lecturer at school districts in the U.S. and China on strategies for improving education.

The AFC school will also be one of our income generating ventures as residents outside the community can pay a fee to attend our classes.

Outdoor Fun

With the additional leisure time that will be available, we will need a place to have fun. A high quality soccer field will be mainitained to give adults a place to do just that!

Can’t Forget the Children

Children love to have fun too! To encourage social interaction - exercise and just have fun, it is a priority to have a high quality playground which will include swings, sand boxes, slides, a safe climbing structure and more!

Generating Income

From light bulbs to toilet paper, there are many things needed by all of us that we can’t make ourselves and will require purchasing. This is why some jobs will be involved in generating income. Examples of this include organizing and charging a fee for visitiors at our campsite - making furniture to sell at a Farmers Market, or any other ideas we can come up with. Just a little income goes a long way at AFC since many functions in the community are self-sustaining.

Vehicle Expense Savings

Transportation is one of the the most wasteful use of finances in society today. Monthly expenses for a car can add up quickly - $300 for the car - $50-$100 for insurance - $100 for gasoline and an average of at least $50 per month for maintenance. At FCP there is no reason to own your own personal vehicle - several cars will be available for check-out and use. We will also have a large van that can transport up to 15 people at a time. Mechanics will maintain the vehicles and repair as needed.

Housing

The central Community House will be built for all of us and every member can use it whenever they would like. This is why it should be built with creativity and enviable amenities including a high quality kitchen for group meal preparation, dining hall, game-room, television/movie room, offices, exercise room, music room and more! Because of its many features, people will most likely choose to spend much of their time here. This allows us to build family homes of smaller size and features, thereby saving considerable money and time in family home construction.

Start at LEVEL 1 Housing

You’ll see four LEVELS of housing in our community diagram. Level 1 housing is where people who are considering joining can stay for their first visit. This will supply basic living needs and be of smaller size. After two weeks, each person returns home and the person (and group) then decide if they would be a good fit for the community.

Housing LEVELS 2 - 3 - 4

If someone is accepted into the community, the individual is contacted and offered a spot in LEVEL 2 housing. This will be larger and include more amenities. If someone continues to be a contributing member for one year they can then advance to LEVEL 3 housing (which will be larger and nicer than LEVEL 2). After another year, the individual will be given the option to move to LEVEL 4 housing, again with nicer amenities and conveniences.

100% Employment

People are allowed to stay and benefit from AFC as long as each resident contributes 40 hours per week in community projects. As is being done currently in another similar community with 100 members in Louisa, Virgina (called Twin Oaks), residents choose from a list of jobs that are ongoing and must put in 42 hours per week. Jobs include meal preparation, home construction, maintaining the organic garden, child and elderly care, school education, general repairs, care of lifestock and jobs designated for income generation.

Choose a Location

Choosing a good location for the project is extremely important. The AFC Project is also an excellent opportunity during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Along with Mr. Pressinger's experience in math, science, and teaching reading, he has studied Environmental Health and Toxicology at the University of South Florida. He has done extensive research on immune system involvement that explains why some people develop serious Covid-19 illnesses and others do not. For example, the National Institutes of Health and other major universities have published studies showing air pollution from gasoline and diesel vehicles contains nitrogen dioxide and other particulates that severely impair lung function, which increases the rates of coronavirus infection among people who spend a lot of time near the roads. Therefore, finding a location away from vehicular traffic would be an attractive feature that could be used to attract new members as well as a base for future business opportunities. .

Electric Power Options

Dramatic changes in generating and storing electricity have occured in just the past few years. This opens up the door for people living far away from power lines to have ample electricity at their homes. For example, in 2008, an average 6,000 watt hour solar system could cost more than $50,000. In 2018, the price ranged from $16,200 to $21,400. In 2020, the cost for the same system is now under $10,000. This would provide enough power for lighting, a refrigerator, and basic electronics such as televion, computers, etc.

Health Education Building

One of our original AFC developers was involved in Public Health Education and Research at the University of South Florida. The past 30 years has shown a tremendous increase in obesity, diabetes, immune system problems and neurological problems in adults and children. During this time, there has also been a large increase in medical studies documenting environmental factors as being a major reason for these increases. For example, just living within 300 feet of a major roadway has been shown by a number of universities to increase the rates of autism, asthma, diabetes and Alzheimers Disease. This occurs from highly toxic chemicals identified in vehicle exhaust including nitrogen dioxide, benzene, and dioxin. This is just one of hundreds of environmental examples now identified as worsening the human health condition. Unfortunately, these studies are not being discussed on major television networks which is why it is essential to educate on a local level. For example, the medical studies from doctors and scientists that have made these findings could be placed on walls along with enlarged titles and photographs related to the topic. Having a separate health education building would be an attractive feature for visitors, the media, and for children involved in schooling on the premises.