Cohousing News from The Cohousing Network, v1n1
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.
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