Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: request to post the following about fire elements in cohousing developments

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Hello all —

Wood burning fireplaces are prohibited in DC.  I don’t know about wood burning 
stoves.

We have a gas burning fireplace in the CH.  Many units have gas burning 
fireplaces in their homes.  In the event of a power outage … they still have 
heat.  Gas usage is included in our HOA dues so those homes w/out fireplaces 
subsidize — to a small extent — the units that do have fireplaces.  Gas is 
cheap right now so it’s a small amount.

Back in our development stage — before we found out that wood burning 
fireplaces were prohibited —  we did have a lively discussion about the 
advantages and benefits of a gas vs. wood burning fire.  There were concerns 
about the environmental hazards of burning wood.  I don’t remember that 
“allergies” raised its head.

My personal concern about private homes having gas fireplaces that are not 
separately metered is that people are simply unaware of how much gas they are 
using.  So if we say we want to be environmentally concerned but have no way of 
measuring this … how do we know what we don’t know?  BUT this is my PERSONAL 
concern which is not shared by others — especially those w/ fireplaces. :-)

BTW — I think handling allergies in community is a particularly difficult, 
knotty issue.  One of our members is allergic to anything that blooms.  What 
does a community on the East coast do about that?  EVERYTHING blooms here 
practically nine months a year.   It’s hard for her to live here — so hard 
she’s moving out West where things that bloom there don’t bother her.   Or 
bother her as much.   It’s hard for her to live here and it’s hard for us to 
say good bye.  

Looking forward to hearing how the wood burning stove/fireplace conversation 
works out.

Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church, VA
202.546.4654

My password is the last 5 digits of Pi …


> On Feb 27, 2016, at 2:51 PM, JOAN OLECK <joanoleck [at] optimum.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Dear Cohousers:
> 
> I'm part of a cohousing community, Village Hill, being developed in
> 
> Northampton, MA. We're doing some research on fire elements, as one of our
> 
> community members, is seriously allergic to wood particulates. So I'm hoping
> 
> you might post this on your blog for us to gather input from other
> 
> communities. Our questions include:
> 
> Do other communities allow wood stoves? In both individual units AND the
> 
> common house or just one or the other?
> 
> If so, have individuals in these communities suffered any ill effects?
> 
> If woodstoves are not allowed, are stoves with eco friendly fuels (pellets)
> 
> allowed as an alternate?
> 
> What about back-up heat in general (should the electricity go out/the solar
> 
> panels fail, etc.)? Are communities putting in generators with propane, or
> 
> backing off from that too, as a fossil fuel?
> 
> Please email me privately, at: joanoleck [at] optimum.net
> 
> We'll be very, very grateful from any guidance other communities offer.
> 
> Thanks so much! -- Joan Oleck, (based in Brooklyn, NY, for now)
> my email: joanoleck [at] optimum.net
> 
> 
>