Cohousing-L Mailing List: multiple chemical sensitivity, fragrances

[james f. palmer (zooey]

Lynn shared with us her concerns with fragrances.  I think that it is 
very appropriate that some communities (e.g., EcoVillage apparently) 
be founded to create a more comfortable (and healthy) community for 
her (and others who have similar concerns). However, I do not see 
that this is furthered by wanting all cohousing communities to be 
fragrance free.  What am I to make of your request that we remove all 
gardenias from our presence--some of my fondest memories are of the 
gardenia bush by our front steps when I was a boy.  Must the world be 
sterilized of such joys because a few people object (or have a health 
reaction)?  While there are many fragrances that I find 
objectionable, I think that I would find a fragrance free environment 
even more so.  Is it not appropriate that they simply gather together 
to form fragrance free (in this case) communities rather than ask it 
of us all?  Or are gardenias endangering the health of us all (as 
cigarettes apparently do)?

Jim Palmer, Essex Junction, VT

Lynn Nadeau wrote:
> At the very least, it would be great if coho common spaces could all be
> fragrance free, in terms of incense, potpourri, smelly cleaning products,
> gardenias and stargazer lilies too.