Operation Self-Reliance™ off-grid communities

"Operation Self-Reliance" is a cooperative initiative to help families and individuals gracefully extract themselves from the dependencies of city life and move to a country culture of self-reliance surrounded by like-minded neighbors and remaining debt-free. This initiative includes the creation of five off-grid garden-farming communities along the Rocky Mountains. Currently, two communities have been started:

1. Riverbed Ranch, Utah, was built by the Utah OSR Land Cooperative, a non-profit agricultural co-op organized under Utah law by OSR Green, LLC. Riverbed Ranch has over 140 residents on 1,245 acres with 2,854 acre-feet of water rights. Currently, the community is not accepting any new residents:

• A fully-trained volunteer fire department with 2 trucks,
• A concrete plant that can deliver the NEXT day!,
• Spring and Fall festivals with activities for the kids,
• A co-op store that sells gasoline and diesel.
• About 60 new wells dug (with not one dry hole!),
• A homeschool co-op with over 30 kids attending,
• A Welcome Center to receive visitors and host events, and
• Bulk-buying opportunities for building & gardening supplies.

2. Coslor Cove, Arizona, is being established by OSR Green, LLC. The plan is for Coslor Cove to become home to 200 households on 1,300 acres East of Snowflake/Taylor, AZ. Once sufficient residents build out their homesteads there, the land will be deeded over to the Arizona OSR Land Cooperative and will be managed by a board consisting of residents elected to it. Currently, the following are available at Coslor Cove:

• Access to the co-op's tool and equipment rentals (so you don't have to buy tools you'll rarely use),
• Use of a "casita" on the property while you build, if needed (and if available),
• Use of the co-op greenhouse until yours is finished,
• Co-ownership of all 1,298 acres (once your homestead is finished),
• Ability to sell your surplus produce through our co-op store,
• Opportunity to use some of the additional acreage for agricultural projects of your choosing.
• Group purchases of products and services needed to build your garden-farm
• Eventually, you get what no other Arizona community can offer! 199 neighbors who are producing all their own food, water and power.

In both cases, every household will be able to sell their surplus produce (if they so choose) through their respective co-ops, as well as work in one of many secondary co-ops and/or in their own home-based business. Each resident agrees upon joining to build a passive-solar home, barn or shop, and a greenhouse. You'll also want to build a septic system, solar power system, and a water well with storage tanks.

We currently offer tours of Coslor Cove, AZ, on various Saturdays, and the Academy offers bi-weekly classes on homesteading at the Red Rock library in Mesa Arizona. See the schedule below. Be sure to read the driving directions -- very important.

One partner organization, the educational non-profit, Academy of Self-Reliance, offers a self-guided training program called “The Path to Self-Reliance” which includes a series of webinars, homework assignments, and hands-on projects that will assist you in creating your Path out of city life and into your own ideal modern homestead.