Reference Implementations
Real communities that use RCOS and share how it goes, including what doesn't work.
A standard is only worth something if it holds up in real life. This page is for communities that use RCOS, fully or in part, and are willing to show how: what they adopted, what they changed, and where it broke.
Communities using RCOS
- EcoHubs, online. The community behind RCOS, applying the standard to itself. Its site publishes its RCOS documents, decision records and proposals, including the ones that were turned down.
- Fruit Haven, Gualaquiza, Ecuador. A vegan ecovillage and permaculture fruit farm on the edge of the Amazon, at the foot of the Andes, founded in 2016.
RCOS v0.1 is new, and more groups are starting to work with it. If yours is one of them, we'd like to hear from you.
What a listing shows
A listing is not a showcase. It shows how a community actually uses RCOS, including the parts that don't fit:
- The community: its name or a pseudonym, region, size, and setting, such as rural, urban, co-housing or online-first.
- What it adopted: the RCOS version, which layers it has answered, which it hasn't yet and why, and since when.
- Its documents: links to the answers it has written down, such as its purpose charter, membership rules and decision processes. Sensitive details can be left out, as long as the structure stays visible.
- Where it differs: rules it doesn't follow, exceptions it's trying out, and tensions it hasn't resolved. Being open about these is the most useful part.
- What it learned (optional): stress tests it went through, what held, what didn't, and what it changed afterwards.
Being listed is not a certificate. It doesn't mean the community is compliant, successful or endorsed, and it says nothing about its values or culture.
Get listed
Communities at any stage are welcome, including early and partial ones. Email rcos@ecohubs.community with the subject “RCOS Reference Implementation” and include:
- your community's name or a pseudonym;
- links to any documents you can share;
- which layers you have in place so far;
- how openly you'd like to share: publicly, semi-publicly, or anonymized.
If privacy or safety is a concern, we can publish an anonymized or simplified listing.
Why it matters
Real communities shape the standard. Their experience shows where RCOS is unclear, where it asks too much, and where it misses something, so the next version can fix it and the next community doesn't have to repeat the same mistakes.