Core Values

Milagro's first members began with a vision of building and living together in an earth-friendly cohousing community. 

That vision remains very much alive today.

We are a community mindful of our commitment to care for the Earth and each other.

That commitment is evident in the design of our community and in the ways we work, play, and live together. 

As our community continues to grow and change, we look forward to new people, ideas, and directions.

Although we are proud of what we have already achieved, we are excited about what we might still accomplish.

Our Mission

To learn, practice, and demonstrate skills in sustainable and harmonious community living; to work and socialize together; and to maintain the functionality, safety, and beauty of our environmentally sensitive infrastructure and surrounding desert.

Live Lightly On The Earth

Our Earth provides the essentials for all life, but even its abundance has limits. Therefore, it is imperative for all humans to live in a manner that preserves and protects the Earth. Milagro exemplifies sustainable living with its energy efficient adobe brick construction, water conservation, wastewater recycling system, permaculture design, and our use of both passive and active solar systems.

Build Community

Human beings are social animals. In fact, social living has been shown to confer both health and survival benefits. At Milagro, we embrace community, striving to support and care for each other and the wellbeing of our community. 

Work, Learn and Play Together

Working, learning, and playing together can help people develop a sense of connection and forge the bonds of true community. At Milagro, we offer opportunities for all three! For example... Participating in committees and task forces. Volunteering for cooking teams. Participating during community workdays. Attending meetings and presentations. Researching issues and proposals. Learning from our neighbors. Attending parties and celebrations. Watching movies together. Joining spontaneous gatherings in our grassy circle. Etc.

Develop Skills in Community and Ecological Living

Our understanding of community and ecological living is continually evolving. Good communication, consensus decision making, and meeting facilitation are described in our policies and regularly discussed in meetings and presentations. Ecological living is integral to our community design, described in our policies, and, also, regularly discussed in meetings and presentations.

Demonstrate Community and Ecological Living

Milagro has been recognized as an ecologically designed cohousing community. We provide tours for individuals and groups interested in cohousing, ecological living, permaculture, and living in Milagro. We hope to inspire others to build and live lightly on the Earth and compassionately with each other.

Our Values

• Best interest of the community: Do what’s best for the community now and for the future. Look beyond personal interests.

• Consensus decision-making: The principles of consensus decision-making include a willingness to support decisions that may not be one’s first choice and respecting minority opinions.

• Build community: Participate fully in community life through working and socializing together, caring for each other, and celebrating life events.

• Collaboration, cooperation, and compromise: Resolve differences and seek agreement on issues and plans through mutually beneficial solutions. Learn to disagree without being disagreeable or resorting to personal attacks. Utilize community resources or outside experts to mediate when unable to resolve an interpersonal conflict.

• Integrity, respect, and humility: Do what we say we’ll do, acknowledge what we’ve done, and strive for improvement through listening to others and self-reflection. Acknowledge and respect the accomplishments of others.

• Compassion, generosity, and appreciation: Demonstrate empathy, forgiveness, and generosity.

• Value the uniqueness of each member’s contributions to the community: Appreciate that we each bring different life experiences, knowledge, skills, interests, and motivations to the community that add to the richness of our lives and our community.

• Effectiveness and evaluation: Work through committees to make evidence-based decisions utilizing research and evaluation.

• Conservation of natural resources: Respect our environment and take active steps to improve our stewardship of all that nature has provided. Demonstrate vigilance in protecting and advocating for our desert environment.