Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Re-post: Sustainable Living Guidelines sought

[Mac Thomson (macthomson]

Here at Heartwood Cohousing, we value environmental responsibility, but 
recognize that there are many ways to approach that and allow individual 
members discretion in how to approach it. That being said, we do have 
architectural standards requiring passive solar, energy efficient homes and we 
have installed many HOA (community) assets, such as solar PV systems.

Here are a couple excerpts from our agreements:


From our Vision & Values Agreement 
(https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/vision--values.html 
<https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/vision--values.html>):
> Stewardship
> We live gently on the Earth. We are thankful for Nature’s resources being 
> conscious to take good care of them and use them efficiently.


From our Core Identity Agreement 
(https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/core-identity.html):
> We share with each other the value of sustainable interactions with the 
> planet, though our individual efforts and choices may vary.  We steward our 
> land to maintain or improve its viability and vitality over the long haul.


-- 
Mac Thomson

Heartwood Cohousing
Southwest Colorado
http://www.heartwoodcohousing.com


"We work to become, not to acquire."
          - Elbert Hubbard
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> On Nov 30, 2021, at 8:02 PM, Lisa Wolf <tigerlisa [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I posted the question below, about ten days ago, and got only one response.
> Perhaps it was bad timing, being too close to Thanksgiving? I am posting
> again in the hopes of getting some ideas about sustainability in cohousing,
> from other, more-established groups. I apologize if this topic has already
> been discussed, and I missed it. (If so, could someone tell me
> approximately when, so I can try to find the old discussion thread?) I am
> grateful for any ideas you share!
> Lisa
> 
> As move-in date looms ever closer, Bay State Commons Cohousing's Eco
> Committee is working on developing a set of practical guidelines for
> sustainable, eco-conscious living, and we would love to have ideas and
> recommendations from other communities who have already developed their
> own. We have a draft list of ideas, which at this point includes
> community-wide composting, buying in bulk to reduce packaging waste, buying
> organic and locally-produced food as much as possible, recycling as much as
> possible, and filtering washing machine greywater to reduce microfibers in
> our waste stream.
> 
> Do you have a set of [sustainability] principles and practices that your
> members have agreed to?
> What is working well in your community in this area?
> Is there anything [in the area of sustainability/eco-consciousness] you
> wish you had gotten community agreement about from the start?
> What other questions should I have asked?
> 
> Thank you in advance!
> 
> Lisa Wolf
> *Pronouns: she/her/hers*
> Bay State Commons Cohousing,
> currently being built in Malden, MA
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