Svanholm is a prosperous and highly functional commune. (pp. 94-7) Most members live in small “home groups” in this enormous 1749 manor house.

In summer, the entire community has a big picnic in front of the manor house.

Meal prep for nearly 150 people, as well as processing food grown on site, makes for a bustling kitchen.

Svanholm’s sharing economy, which includes a 400-acre farm and shared food shopping, cooking, and cleanup, makes for sumptuous low-cost meals.

Much of Svanholm’s dining room doubles as a play area for toddlers. Older children play upstairs in the mezzanine.

At Svanholm, self-governance and income sharing start at an early age.

Animals contribute fertility to Svanholm's farmland, but they also play a key role with the children.

Svanholm’s farms grow both crops and livestock. Sheep provide high-quality meat and wool for the community and local residents.

Svanholm enjoys fresh milk and yogurt every day from its herd of 100 dairy cows.

Like virtually everything at Svanholm, the cows are integrated into Svanholms’s rich social environment.

These pygmy ponies are more fit for babysitting than farm work.

Many residents of this child-centered ecovillage work on site. This wood-carver has a business building creative playgrounds at Danish schools and parks.

The trampoline, with all the attendant safety and fairness concerns, offers Svanholm's children the perfect arena for self-governance.

Although many residents are “allergic to spirituality,” their logo depicts two swans, black and white, facing each other like yin and yang to form a red heart. The green background highlights the community’s ecological focus.