[Greenbuilding] re What makes it Green? / cohousing

[Lois Arkin]

For lots of information on the variety of intentional communities out 
there already manifesting the changes that most people will have to come 
to eventually, whether voluntary or regulated, see the following:

www.cohousing.org
www.ic.org
www.ecovillage.org
http://nica.ic.org/

I sit on a Community Advisory Committee for our local redevelopment 
agency and have been on it since 1994.  The committee is made up of 
mostly very mainstream business people who rolled their eyeballs every 
time I opened my mouth for my first dozen years on the committee. 
Mostly I serve as a resource for the committee now, since they have come 
to saying many of the things they used to roll their eyeballs about.
Awareness is speeding up.

Cheers,

Lois Arkin
CRSP Institute for Urban Ecovillages
    at Los Angeles Eco-Ecovillage

Don Eyermann wrote:
> I went to Google Maps and looked at the satellite photo of the community. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
> [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Racheli Gai
> Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 2:22 PM
> To: "Greenbuilding" REPP
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] re What makes it Green? / cohousing
> 
> Hi Corwyn,
> They certainly are neighborhoods, but they do have some special
> features:
> While people own their own houses, we own a fair amount of land in common,
> which includes a community garden (and some common chickens :)),  a common
> house (that, in the case of Sonora cohousing includes a place for common
> cooking/dining; a common guest room; crafts room; exercise/teen room; common
> laundry facilities; kids room; workshop; pool, hot-tub; common lawn, and a
> fairly extensive landscaping.
> While our site is less than 5 acres, the place seems spacious because we
> don't have roads running through:
> the parking lots are on the periphery, and the rest is car-free.  It's
> amazing the kind of different feel this creates, and how much land it frees
> for better purposes.
> 
> Community decisions are made at community meetings, and we use consensus as
> our decision-making process.
> 
> Racheli.
> 
> 
> On Feb 16, 2009, at 2:06 PM, Corwyn wrote:
> 
>>
>> David Bergman wrote:
>>> I talk about co-housing communities in my CEU lectures, and often get 
>>> a rolling eyes response.
>> We used to call them neighborhoods.
>> Thank You Kindly,
>>
>> Corwyn
>>
>> --
>> Topher Belknap
>> Green Fret Consulting
>> Kermit didn't know the half of it...
>> http://www.greenfret.com/
>> topher at greenfret.com
>> (207) 882-7652
>>
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Greenbuilding email list
>      Environmentally-preferable design, construction, building elements
> List info: http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.org
> List email: Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Managed by BuildingGreen, Inc. http://www.buildinggreen.com
>       publisher of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec
> Hosted and archived by REPP / CREST http://www.crest.org
> To get on the list:
>   http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.org
>   or mailto:greenbuilding-request at listserv.repp.org?subject=unsubscribe
> To get off the list:
>   http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.org
>   or mailto:greenbuilding-request at listserv.repp.org?subject=unsubscribe
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
> Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.10.23/1953 - Release Date: 02/14/09 18:01:00
>