Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Re:Supreme Court Decision

[Collaborative Housing Society (cohosoc]

As Buzz sez, Times they are a changin'.  One example:  not only is
collecting water from downspouts and pouring it on your garden no longer
illegal here, but we now have government sponsored programs to help people
do it.

Called the Green-Up program, they are administered locally (municipally) and
include a visit from a team who can assess your dwelling/lifestyle and point
out ways you can be more environmentally friendly - including cutting off
your downspouts and putting a barrel underneath.

One of the reasons this aspect of Green-up became more acceptable was
because the City of Toronto was proposing a $60 million tunnel across the
foot of the city (We're on the shores of Lake Ontario) to catch storm water
run off for treatment before it had a chance to further pollute our water
supply.

This engineering (*Scientific*) solution has since been scrapped.  Too
expensive, and fading political support did it in.  But the after effect is
renewed support for initiatives like the Green-up program, planting trees in
parking lots, etc.

So, one reason the times are a changin' is because money talks - show the
regulators a more cost-effective way of dealing with a problem, that just
happens to be more sane and healthy, and maybe they'll listen.

I'll generate a contact list of local Green-up programs for anyone who's
interested - email me at cohosoc [at] web.apc.org

By the way, Ontario scrapped the "unrelated individuals living together"
laws a while back - four or five years ago - but some municipalities (not to
mention banks) are still finding ways of preserving the "wholesomeness"
(note: to be read dripping with sarcasm) of nuclear family life.  We're
working on it. . .

Russell Mawby
CoHoSoc - Toronto