Try to learn what you can about Slab City. What you find on the internet will deceive you, look for accounts from people who have lived there. I'm telling you about it because it's a good example of how not to do this, however there are still some valuable positive lessons to be learned from there as well. It's the only commune that I know of that operates on a scavenger economy, it's just... different. I can't properly explain the difference but if you study other voluntary communities you'll see what I mean right away. I consider it significant because the people in the Slab approach the problem of a collapsing civilization head-on. Like I said, it's different.