Remarkable Story ( was Re: Cohousing Anthology (Finally) On the Way!)
From: ABWWR Peace Network (abwwrpeaceyahoo.com)
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 15:21:35 -0800 (PST)
Hello Dave,

Your project sounds very admirable.  Your book Superbia is one which I have 
been meaning to read.  I'm not sure if the story of our group is the type of 
remarkable story that you are interested in, but perhaps it is so I will share 
it.   

The name of our group is A Better World Is Within Reach P.E.A.C.E. Network.  
PEACE is an acronym for People's Empowerment And Collective Exchange 
(P.E.A.C.E.) Network.

The actual physical structure of the cohousing model that we are working on is 
similar to Emeryville cohousing.   http://www.emeryville-cohousing.org

Emeryville, as you know, was a warehouse converted into 10 large homes and a 
common room.

Site data of turning a warehouse into 10 housing units:
http://www.grahammeltzer.com/cohousing/Data/doyle_st1.htm

Site plans of turning a warehouse into 10 housing units:
http://www.grahammeltzer.com/cohousing/Siteplans/doyle_st.htm

Site photos of turning a warehouse into 10 housing units:
http://www.grahammeltzer.com/cohousing/Cohousing%20Pics/doyle.htm

Instead of creating 10 large homes within the renovated warehouse, we intend to 
create 5 large homes, 5 small homes and 5 'Networking for Peace' rooms.  By 
creating 5 smaller homes it also increases the possibility of affordability for 
people of many classes.   The five small rooms will be devoted to the five 
areas:

1. International Podcast radio station
2. International Independent Media Center
3. National Alternative Currency Operations (the PeaceNote)
4. International Alternative Media Distribution
5. International Public Access Accounting.

Because we are a cohousing group, access to these rooms will be available to 
our residents 24 hours per day, every day and all major holidays.  Our 
intention is to create a community that is capable of working anytime, 24 hours 
a day for a better, peaceful world. 

In this way, we can form a real community that is not only concerned about one 
another's lives, but also concerned that we do not add to the crisis of over 
priced real estate and lack of jobs.

You mentioned a story about Senior Citizens.  Our group is not only 
multigenerational, but a multiracial, multi-class, multicultural group with 
differently abled individuals.  We have African-American, Asian-American, 
Rastafarian and other races and cultures present.

Our desire is not simply to add to our surrounding neighborhoods and community 
through our cohousing existence, but also to be there to support people in 
their time of need.  Recently, a corporate group tried to evict an entire 
family of men, women and children from a farm.  Our group was there to make 
certain the crisis received maximum media attention and with our efforts 
combined with the National community the eviction was stopped!

You can read about it here: 
http://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/abwwrpeace/2005-03/msg00000.html

Also, recently, a member of our group received a great deal of media attention 
for her battle which led to the Supreme Court reversing an unjust law.  You can 
read about it here:
http://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/abwwrpeace/2005-03/msg00002.html

If this sounds remarkable to you, please contact me off of the list.

Even if this story is not what you are looking for, please keep up the great 
work.  Building real communities is a goal which will take all of our efforts.

Love for the people,

T

A Better World Is Within Reach P.E.A.C.E. Network.


P.S.
If you go to our website, at the bottom you will find a 4 page publication 
titled "The Peace & The Press" that you can print out which tells about us.

Below you will read more about us in our upcoming meeting announcement.

The following multicultural, network of peace communities, Cohousing, 
Intentional Community, Alternative Housing meeting will be: 
Time: 4pm 
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2005 
Location: New Seasons, 5320 NE 33rd Ave. Inside at the table and chairs area. 
Light Refreshments served free of charge. 

Wednesday, March 30th, 2005: Portland, 4 p.m. Live And Work For Peace! Would 
you like to live, work and promote peace among people who are working for 
peace? Would you like to network in ways that form real community? permanent 
housing? In ways that form a level of solidarity that hasn't been seen in 
Portland since the days when teepees were the only skyscrapers against 
unpolluted blue skies and swaying emerald fields? Learn how! The Portland 
Chapter of A Better World Is Within Reach P.E.A.C.E. Network will present a 
free multicultural, public workshop concerning an independent group of 
individuals creating sustainable villages, based on cohousing and intentional 
communities. The action community, the people's community: Communities 
networking for Peace! The way to ensure that people are empowered to work for 
peace in permanent affordable housing! Free vegan Refreshments. New Seasons, 
5320 NE 33rd Ave., Meet at the table and chair area. Portland. 
ABWWRPeaceNetwork-Portland.
 503-973-1VOL, http://www.abwwrpeace.org, e-mail: abwwrpeace [at] resist.ca 



Message: 4
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 11:04:11 -0700
From: "Dave Wann" 
Subject: [C-L]_ Cohousing Anthology (Finally) On the Way!
To: 
Message-ID: 
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


Hello fellow cohousers,

The book written by cohousers that has been evolving for the last few years
and that was delayed in publication is now firmly on the publisher's
schedule for fall, 2005. You know it's real when they start talking about
putting it in the catalog.

The remaining month or so before they need the new & improved final
manuscript gives us an opportunity to collect a few more remarkable photos
and maybe even a few stories. (If there's a great story about the experience
of building a senior cohousing community, that would be interesting.) Has
anyone taken some great photographs in the past year that I haven't seen?

Still looking for a good, catchy title. "Reinventing Community: Stories from
Cohousing" seems a bit dry, but says what it means. I like a slightly more
askew title like "Neighborhoods on Purpose: Stories from Cohousing," and
find the idea of "We Did it Ourselves: Stories from Cohousing" appealing,
because pre-occupancy involvement is one of the elements that really makes
cohousing unique. Someone suggested a more colorful title that I also like:
"Yes, We Have Our Own Kitchens: Stroes from Cohousing," but is this too much
of an inside joke? Please let me know what you think. I'd like this book to
be "of the people, by the people, and for the people." (I think Abe Lincoln
may have thought cohousing is a good idea).

Thanks to the contributors for your patience. Some of the stories have
already appeared in Communities, in webzines and elsewhere, but this will be
the full, unadulterated collection, complete with editorial
traffic-directing by me. I hope it helps us explain what cohousing is and
why it's definitely worth the work!

Cheers,
Dave Wann,
also coauthor of "Superbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods",
and "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic"




                
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