Cohousing News from The Cohousing Network, v1n1 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Raines Cohen (rc2-coho-Lraines.com) | |
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 07:57:02 -0700 (MST) |
The Cohousing Network emailed this newsletter last month to people in its database; a new issue is in the works (send news from your community to editor [at] cohousing.org). I'm sharing it here because I realize that quite a few Coho-L'ers don't have current email addresses in TCN's database, and we want the news spread far and wide. If you didn't get this last month, and you want to get future issues in a timely fashion, please write to office [at] cohousing.org to join TCN or to make sure your email address is current in our files. Raines (TCN Comm team & board member) ---- Cohousing News February 20, 2003 The Cohousing Network Vol. 1, No. 1 http://www.cohousing.org Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Cohousing Network's e-newsletter covering cohousing news, trends and developments. Our goal in publishing this newsletter is to keep cohousers -- and those interested in cohousing -- updated on key issues affecting community. You'll read here the latest news from established and forming communities, how the media is covering the cohousing movement and the latest information from The Cohousing Network. This newsletter also gives you access to more in-depth information about cohousing by including links to more detailed pages on http://www.cohousing.org and other websites. Let us know what you think. Please send your comments and news about your cohousing activities in your area to editor [at] cohousing.org; please scroll to the bottom for information on how to easily subscribe, change your e-mail address, or share this with others. -- The editors * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * C O M M U N I T Y U P D A T E * "A rollercoaster ride" is how one member of Mosaic Commons described her feelings after on-again, off-again, on-again efforts to secure a site in Stowe, Mass., were left in limbo. The forming group thought they had secured a site last fall when they struck a deal to purchase a 50-acre parcel, 42 acres of which they planned to donate for land conservation. A group of neighbors, opposed to any development on the site, came up with an alternate plan for the town to buy the land to conserve it. On January 13, the town's voters overwhelmingly rejected the cohousing group's proposal. Then, just 10 days later, those same voters rejected a bond issue to raise funds to buy the property, but this week a national conservation trust stepped in to assume the town's right of first refusal. What happens next for the Mosaic Commons community remains to be seen; it is actively seeking a site in nearby towns. Mosaic Commons: http://www.mosaic-commons.org/ * Tucson, Ariz.'s third and largest cohousing community broke ground this month. Stone Curves Cohousing will include 48 units, a 5,000-ft. common house, pool, spa and community garden. The community will be constructed by the same builders who helped create sister community Sonora Cohousing, just a few blocks away. Wonderland Hill Development Co. is the developer for the community, which will consist of units from 680 to 1,680 square feet. Stone Curves: http://www.stonecurves.com/ Wonderland Hill: http://www.whdc.com/ * Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Amherst, Mass., came to the rescue of a local women's shelter that faces closure because of state budget cuts. On February 2, residents Janice Doyama and Flo Stern organized a fundraising concert and a brunch in the community's common house to benefit Grace House, a shelter for women with substance abuse problems. Pioneer Valley: http://www.cohousing.com/ * Here's a way to shore up your community's bottom line: Homes at Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood, a cohousing community in Ranui, New Zealand, were opened for public tours last Sunday afternoon but at a price. Admission was $5. There's no word yet on how much money was raised. Earthsong: http://www.cohousing.pl.net/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * C O H O U S I N G I N T H E M E D I A * The large size of typical American homes and the fact that a quarter of them are inhabited by a single occupant -- is a trend that's straining the world's resources, according to a study detailed in the January 30, 2003 (volume 421, pp. 530-533) issue of Nature magazine. In its front-page report on the study, which was conducted by Michigan State University and Stanford, a Boston Globe reporter interviewed physician and Green Party activist Jill Stein about possible solutions. Society needs to embrace novel solutions such as cohousing, Stein said, noting that cohousing is not only better for the environment, but also offers emotional advantages of a village-like atmosphere for young and old. Too often, she said, people fail to see the social benefits of living in closer quarters or enjoying communal spaces. Nature: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v421/n6922/ a bs/nature01359_fs.html (if link doesn't work, select the whole thing first or copy and paste onto one line in your browser) * "I can't ever imagine not living in cohousing," was the sentiment expressed by Pleasant Hill, Calif., cohouser Julie Hunn in a glowing article published recently by the Contra Costa Times about the advantages of living in community. Ms. Hunn and other residents cited joint child care, community meals, a family-like environment and a high degree of social interaction as some of the reasons they favor this 32-unit community completed in 2001 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 600-word article was titled "Collective approach to neighborhood offers alternative to increasingly impersonal suburbia." Pleasant Hill coho: http://members.aol.com/DancerBarb/ * For a retrospect story, a reporter from a Victoria, B.C., newspaper checked out Cardiff Place, a 17-unit cohousing community, eight years after it was completed to see if this "social experiment," as she calls it, was still working. In a recent 1,500-word article titled "No Ordinary Neighbours," the reporter found things working quite nicely, thank you. At Cardiff Place, life is every bit as idyllic and demanding as you might expect in an urban village, the reporter observed. "As with most families, Cardiff Place embraces all the yin and yang involved with relationships and living together -- the close bonds of friendship and the fights, the fulfillment and the frustrations," the author wrote. Canadian Cohousing Network: http://www.cohousing.ca/cohsng4/cardiff/ * "Cohousing" is officially defined in the 2000 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary! Check it out online. What does cohousing mean for you? Submit your alternative definitions to editor [at] cohousing.org. Cohousing defined: http://www.bartleby.com/61/44/C0464450.html * * * * * * * * * * * I N S I D E T C N * Is June 19-22 marked on your calendar yet? You won't want to miss the event of the Summer -- the 2003 North American Cohousing Conference at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Great for people new to cohousing as well as experienced members, the conference features three full days of workshops and tours of local communities. Visit our "doctor-is-in" booth, where you can ask experienced cohousers and industry professionals specific questions about any aspect of cohousing. The conference also includes an exciting auction, a bookstore, a banquet and a dance party. You'll find great opportunities for networking and return home with plenty of new ideas to enhance your cohousing experience. Children are welcome and you can now register online. More: http://www.cohousing.org/conf/co2003/ * The New Year brought a few changes to The Cohousing Network, including the installation of our new president, Shari Leach. Shari works as community building team leader for Wonderland Hill Development Co., the largest developer of cohousing in the United States. With a master's degree in facilitating community development, Shari says she plans to apply her experience and skills to help TCN evolve and expand the cohousing movement. Her priorities include providing more assistance to developing and completed communities, expanding membership and sponsoring a blowout conference in June. Shari's skills in facilitation and development also will come in handy at Wild Sage Cohousing in Boulder, Colo., where she plans to live once the community is completed. To reach Shari: shari [at] whdc.com * Another new face on the cohousing scene is Evangeline Welch, who just came on board as TCN's publications and website editor. Evangeline is a veteran journalist and communication professional who runs a freelance consulting business in Greenbrae, Calif. She also works as a graphic designer and seminar facilitator. A former newspaper reporter, she currently is writing a book titled "Intuitive Leaps," which features people making a difference in the world with an innovative idea or personal mission. Evangeline will edit TCN's publications and help upgrade TCN's website. To reach Evangeline: editor [at] cohousing.org * TCN's annual report and community directory is scheduled to go to press in March. The publication will include major highlights in cohousing during the last year and a comprehensive listing of completed communities in the U.S. Beginning in April, TCN will relaunch its flagship publication, Cohousing, and increase frequency from twice a year to four to six times a year. We will publish this e-newsletter in alternate months to keep you informed of timely events and issues. TCN also plans to enhance the cohousing news and resources available on our web site, http://www.cohousing.org . * TCN sponsored a bus tour of San Francisco Bay Area cohousing communities on March 1. The tour, led by experienced cohouser and TCN board member Joani Blank, visited Two Acre Wood (Sebastapol), Cotati Cohousing (under construction), Pleasant Hill Cohousing, Doyle St. Cohousing (Emeryville), Berkeley Cohousing and Swan's Market Cohousing (Oakland). Come back to the site soon or stay tuned for info on a Washington, D.C.-area tour organized by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of TCN, on May 17 -- part of "Cohousing Month" activities for you and your group! More: http://www.cohousing.org/news/index.html#tours * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Not yet a member of The Cohousing Network? Your membership supports the development of cohousing communities in the U.S Join: http://www.cohousing.org/tcn/join.html Cohousing News is published at least bimonthly by The Cohousing Network for TCN members and others interested in cohousing. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others. Send comments and news about your cohousing activities to editor [at] cohousing.org. For other questions related to the organization, contact Roy O'Shaughnessy, TCN executive director, at execdir [at] cohousing.org Copyright (c) 2003, The Cohousing Network. All rights reserved. Feel free to forward this message in its entirety (only to willing recipients; no spam, please!), or excerpt it with proper attribution and links to http://www.cohousing.org If this message was forwarded to you and you'd like to receive future issues, write to office [at] cohousing.org to subscribe, to join TCN, or to make sure your email address is current in our files. _______________________________________________ Cohousing-L mailing list Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org Unsubscribe and other info: http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L
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