Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Community and Environmentalism

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

Eric Hart  Minneapolis, MN  harte [at] freenet.msp.mn.us
is the author of the message below but due
to a listserv problem it was posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop (Fred).
****************  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS *********************

    About a week ago I read Graham's post on the possibility that 
people who choose to live in cohousing are in some way being more 
environmentally conscious than those who choose not to be in 
cohousing.  My experience with cohousing groups and reports I have 
heard from other groups would tend to support your advisor's view that 
there is no hard evidence to support that view. 
        I think that just because a group of people chooses cohousing 
that they will be more environmentally conscious than the average 
citizen, doesn't play out in practice.  A group has to make their 
environmentalism explicit at the 
beginning that they are going to make environmentally sensitive choices 
above and beyond the benefits of cohousing clustering and sharing of 
items.  That is the only way that the group can be any different than the 
average condominium owner in suburbia.  Believe me if you try to be 
environmentally conscious by basically following the status quo, you 
aren't making much of an impact.  *Everything* needs to be 
rethought when you start to act in an environmentally conscious manner.  
It's not easy and is out of many people's comfort zone.  Even groups that do 
have a strong environmental ethic tend to become divided over how to carry 
out that ethic in practice.  They find that their members are at various 
stages in the journey toward a sustainable lifestyle, so one size does 
not fit all.  Consequently they tend to set their standards at the lowest 
level that feels comfortable for all.  When I was at the Eco-design 
confernce in Eugene, I talked to a man who was part of a small Belgian 
cohousing community and a member of the Green Party.  He said he would 
like his group to be very 'green' and do things that he were more aligned 
with his values.  He said that hasn't happened though, since members of 
the group were at various levels of environmental consciousness and it 
was very hard to convince them that they should make those kind of 
changes.  I guess you could try to start an 'eco-freak' cohousing 
community, but my guess is that it would be impossible to find the 
critical mass of people who would be commited to both these ideals! I 
guess if 
you want to live in cohousing you have to make some comprimises if you 
are more environmentally sensitive than the average person.
        One really doesn't have to be in cohousing to share things and to 
live in an environmentally conscious way.  I live in a fairly efficient 
apartment building which is in the city and close to public 
transportation, bike routes, and convenient shopping.  If I chose to live 
in a cohousing community in a suburb I would almost have to buy a car, 
drive to shop, perhaps live in a less efficient housing unit and generally 
lead a less efficient and environmentally sensitive life.  I already 
share a garden space and tools with some people on my block and  I 
already benefit by there only being one lawnmower for the 16 units my 
building comprises of.  Anyway even the environmental benefits of 
cohousing aren't only found in cohousing and can be replicated in many 
other situations.  I think that cohousing's social benefits are the most 
tangible at the moment. There is certainly the *potential* for cohousing 
communities (or any group of people) to act cooperatively in a ecological 
manner that will make more of an impact than a similar number of isolated 
individuals.  

Eric Hart
Minneapolis, MN
harte [at] freenet.msp.mn.us