Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Why a website for low-cost housing

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

And one more clarification — the name includes “sustainable” because when I 
started looking for names while listening in the background to what is 
happening to Australia (1/3 of the island is now singed or completely burned), 
I began thinking about what our housing costs us as a culture. And how 
unsustainable it is. And what climate change will mean.

In Australia one reason for the fires is that the streams have been dry for 
years. The ground has been steadily drying. The soil is also changing to a new 
state—no idea how this happens but it is apparently related to climate change 
and drought. Vegetation that naturally stockpiled water, like succulents, are 
dying out or gone. Succulents have been reintroduced around housing in the 
Southwest and have proven to protect the houses. But for succulents to help, 
they have to build up their water stores before the fire. Surrounded by ocean, 
Australia has apparently lost ground water in large parts of the continent. 
With military forces enlisted from other countries, they are literally at war.

"Sustainable" includes lower environmental foot-print housing as a practical 
solution for land use. Regardless of income, many people have other goals in 
life than owning impressive housing.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org