Re: Community & environmentalism
From: ALBERT HARDY 286-6331 (HARDY002mc.duke.edu)
Date: Tue, 23 May 95 12:56 CDT
On Wed, 17 May 1995 16:42, g.meltzer [at] QUT.EDU.AU(Graham Meltzer) wrote:
>
> I have a beleif that living in community leads to a greater environmental
> conciousness. And I suppose that one reason for my being attracted to
> cohousing is that I see it as a means to raising that conciousness and
> ultimately, as a force for improved neighbourhoods and cities in terms of
> environmental quality. I am doing post-grad research which is attempting to
> establish this link.
..
> I beleive there is a link ... almost BY DEFINITION.  I don't want to get
> into semantics, but if you beleive that people live in intentional community
> for the interconnectedness and interdependence with others that it provides,
> then IMHO it's likely they will develop an awareness of the effect of their
> thoughts and actions upon those people. That awareness, if their attitudes
> are caring, translates into a conciousness of the quality of the shared
> environment ... a desire to keep things 'in order' for oneself AND ONES
> FELLOWS. The nature of that 'order' will vary of course, and whether those
> attitudes develope into a wider global conciousness is another matter.
 
I think there may be a weak link of the type you are discussing.
People who care about other people may also be more likely to care
about animals and nature in general.  And some people may be motivated
by religious belief to care for everything created by the Creator.
However, there are lots of counter examples in both case.  There are
many people who enjoy community or the company of others who don't
care a hoot about the environment.
 
I believe the relationship is stronger in the other direction, i.e.
many folks who believe in caring for the environment are investigating
cohousing because of its great potential for conserving natural areas
and reducing consumption of energy and other resources (through
sharing).  This has been a characteristic of many of those involved
in cohousing that I have met.  To weave in another current thread here,
let me underscore the fact that cohousing retrofitted into existing
neighborhoods is significantly more conserving of the environment than
new development.
 
A recent article in the latest issue of Carolina Planning, published
by the Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC Chapel Hill,
touches on some of these issues:  "Cohousing: A Model for Sustainable
Communities", by Allan Rosen.
 
I would be greatly interested in further discussion on this subject.
Albert Hardy
hardy002 [at] mc.duke.edu

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