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Attend this workshop on:  “Making it Happen” in Senior Cohousing Facilitation / Development!

• In Nevada City, CA
•  April 16-20, 2012
• Advanced Registration and Discount Deadline:  March 15, 2012
• Program Flyer:  Click For Link to PDF

- WHO SHOULD ATTEND: You might be a builder, developer, an executive of a senior organization, an individual engaged in senior healthcare issues, a public housing leader or someone interested in living in a community you helped to create - - MAKING IT HAPPEN! A workshop for those interested in learning how to start, facilitate and develop a senior cohousing community.  
The workshop is intended for anyone who is excited about creating a senior cohousing community to live in or for others, and wants to take a leadership role. This workshop and the discussions bring more seniors into cohousing than any other means. - - WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: Five days of instruction 
from Chuck Durrett, Jim Leach, Katie McCamant and others. The workshop is highly experiential. Mornings will be spent exploring many of the issues faced by seniors who are contemplating the life changes that come with aging — and doing so in a healthy, supportive, safe and comfortable environment (i.e. aging successfully). Afternoons will be spent on development projects. Topics include:

• aging in community
• creating a supportive environment through cooperation
• combining the skills and talents of individuals
• co-care and assistance in community
• the risks and rewards of cohousing, and
• the logistics of developing a senior cohousing (group formation, finding a site, financing, and the development timeline).

- -

IKEA, with its sleek, smart, and affordable designs, has invaded our living rooms and our country.  The Swedish company selling $2.50 meatballs along with bedroom sets has certainly acquired a loyal following.  But is it loyal enough to fill in an entire town, if IKEA builds it?  It appears IKEA is proposing to build an entire neighborhood in East London, built around ideas of social interaction and reduced automobile use.  Take a look!

 

Posted by: Rebecca Disbrow
Cohousing Collaborative, LLC  Blog Editor 

From Care2.org article on Clean Energy Business Competition

Just heard about this competition … we wanted to get this out to you immediately as the competition deadline is February 29, 2012.

From the Care2.org website:

–begin–
Led by CalTech, a public-private consortium called First Look West (FLoW) is looking for entrepreneurial-minded university students from all disciplines to apply to win $200,000 in prize money by submitting their idea for a clean energy business. The effort is part of Startup America, the Obama Administration’s campaign to inspire and promote entrepreneurship.

Even more important than the prize money, FLoW offers experienced mentors, legal start-up packages and the opportunity to pitch to investors ready to take action and work with student entrepreneurs. Winning teams from six regions across the country also get the chance to participate in the National Competition in Washington D.C., June 2012.

“FLoW will provide students with the lifelong skills needed to start new ventures now or in the future and transform promising energy technologies into innovative energy products that will create jobs, boost American competitiveness, and strengthen the economy,” said Krisztina Holly, Vice Provost for Innovation at USC, as well as a member of the National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

If you’ve been sitting on a great idea for a clean tech company or product, now might be the time to put it down on paper. Finalists will be automatically accepted into the Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy (GTEA), offered by the Child Family Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, at UC Davis, June 25 – 27, 2012.

These are once in a lifetime opportunities but you’ve got to act fast: Applications are due by February 28, 2012. Students from California, Alaska, Idaho, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, American Samoa and Guam are invited to enter. Applications can be submitted online at the FLoW website, www.flow.caltech.edu. Experienced business leaders interested in mentoring can sign up there as well.

Read more.

–end–

Related articles

• Competition Offers University Students $200,000 and the Chance to Start a Clean Energy Business (prnewswire.com)
• Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011 Kicks Off in 123 Countries Engaging More Than 10 Million Current and Aspiring Entrepreneurs Worldwide (kauffman.org)
• Funding Our Future (forbes.com)

This is the last installment of the Monday Morning Cohousing Facts Series.    Today we ask, do you know your neighbor ['s number of degrees]?   Cohousing is impressive in lots of ways.  Here is another…

• 80% of  adults in cohousing have a college degree (compared to 30% of the entire population).  In fact 50% have a doctorate or other graduate degree.

(Reminder, this information is coming from a study done by the Cohousing Association of the United States, and is accessible in its entirety here.)

Happy Monday (& rest of the week!)

Posted by:  Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

I just stumbled across an article from last fall in the NYTimes called The Company You Keep.  I am always pleased to see cohousing painted as a viable alternative, and here it is discussed as a retirement option and in terms of its strongest asset: social capital.  The ability to live among friends is one more reason cohousing is gaining popularity:

ONE of the biggest challenges of relocating after retirement is making new acquaintances.  “I couldn’t imagine going to a location where I didn’t know anyone,” said Karen McGuire, 61, who along with her husband, Brian Hughes, just bought a house to which they plan eventually to retire, a stone’s throw from longtime friends on Cape Cod. Read more here…

 

Posted by: Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative LLC, blog editor

 

Have you ever thought about “volunteering” and how de-valued it is in our current system?  We, as a globe, increasingly use money as our only reward system – and the majority of productive acts we do for someone else either earns us money or is considered “volunteering”.  Very few people engage regularly in a system that rewards them in other, perhaps more humane, ways.  There needs to be something, whether social approval or the security of reciprocation that encourages people to give to their community.  Cohousing, I believe, is one system that does value human labor, or better put “human caring”, in a way outside the capitalist monetary system.  I think there are a few reasons why cohousing is effective at this, which I will explore later in a later post, but first: how I started thinking about this.

A couple of months ago I was introduced to the Beacon Hill Village – a not for profit organization based in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston.  The “village” is an organization set up to provide services from within the community to the community.  It heavily supports aging in place, offering human labor for services as varied as driving an elderly neighbor to the doctor or hiring a handyman.  It also checks out and recommends good business in the area, sometimes at a special discount.  It is membership based and not only practical in getting many more services to residents. but also increases the relationships, human contact, and social capital in the neighborhood.

The Beacon Hill Village sparked a series of these villages all around the country – over 60 of them now.  They are linked virtually through the Village-to-Village Network.  These Villages can be seen as variations on Time Banking, and idea that is slightly broader but similar in spirit.  Time banking is a practice of valuing human labor as a currency with the literal idea of putting your “time” spent working in the community into a bank, and taking out someone else’s time later, when you need it.   Some entire cities, such as Ithaca NY, have embraced the idea fully – even offering IthacaHours as a legitimate form of payment in some area businesses.  You volunteer and in exchange get either goods, services, or the security of services later on.  It is such a cool idea!!

Here is a recent article from the New York Times New Old Age Blog on one such network:  A Community Time Bank

I love this idea for several reasons:

• It works within our system rather than against it, which means it can function and even flourish NOW
• It gives value to caring.  It is capitalism in it’s best, softest possible form.
• It supports aging in place
• It increases social capital and relationships in a neighborhood
• It helps freelance, unemployed, or self-employed folks who are good citizens find loyal work
• It keeps money in the community
• It provides human contact, especially to the elderly, that is so important in maintaining mental health

What do you think?? Posted by: Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC   Blog Editor

Have you noticed how many Unitarians there are in cohousing?  Quite a few!  Some UU churches have initiated cohousing communities for their membership.

Why does cohousing appeal so much to this particular group of people?

Jack Wilbern, Cohousing Collaborative and Ann Zabaldo,  Mid Atlantic Cohousing, will explore the themes that are common to both cohousing and to the UU Church’s seven guiding principles.  It will be held Sunday, Feb. 26th, 3-5 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church Arlington, 4444 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, Virginia 22204.  FREE but you must register through the church’s website.  You do NOT have to sign up as a member to register for this event but do sign up.  Space is very limited so do this as soon as possible.

The Unitarian Universalist Church has seven principles:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Jack and Ann will look at how living in cohousing fulfills many of these seven principles.  There will be ample time for Q&A.  You’ll learn what’s going on in cohousing in the Washington, DC area.  Come meet other folks interested in living in community and specifically interested in cohousing.

REGISTRATION

Scroll down until you see the title:

Cohousing:  What’s So UU About It Really?

Then just fill in the blanks!  You’ll be sent a confirmation via email.

Hope to see you there!

Submitted by:  Ann Zabaldo, Mid Atlantic Cohousing

This is the fourth installment of the Monday Morning Cohousing Facts Series.    This one is about cohousing communities and inclusiveness.  Do most communities turn inward, enjoying the community they created or also welcome the outside in?  Of course you know the answer…

• 91% of communities either frequently (47%) or occasionally (44%) engage in hosting events to benefit the larger community

(Reminder, this information is coming from a study done by the Cohousing Association of the United States, and is accessible in its entirety here.)

Happy Monday (& rest of the week!)

Posted by:  Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

What makes a person truly happy?

Happiness.  Is it as elusive as it seems?  How do we know when we are truly happy?

February 11, 2012 is World Happiness Day.  All over the world, thousands of people will be viewing and talking about an innovative film, Happy, that looks at what makes people truly happy.  From the slums of Mumbai to the bayou in Louisiana to ocean beaches, mountain retreats to a hospice, on urban streets and country roads, the film makers try to suss out what the central core elements are that combine to give a person a feeling of happiness whether a person is living at subsistence or Wall Street levels.

What makes a person “happy?”  The film makers conclude two qualities are present:  connection and community.  This is as true for the Dalai Lama as it is for the hospice worker — both of whom are interviewed in the film.

In this film you will see many different people and many different communities including a cohousing community.  Connection and community are two qualities that cohousers have known from the beginning that make living in these kinds of neighborhoods desirable.  Connection and community are basic to cohousing.  These are THE reasons that cohousing exists in the world.

No one comes to cohousing because they want a “house.”  You can get that faster, cheaper and with far, far, far fewer meetings.  But if you seek to know  your neighbors, for them to know you, a sense of belonging and a sense of place then the cohousing process, while harder, is so much richer.  And far more sustainable over time.

Three Groves Ecovillage

Three Groves EcoVillage in Pennsylvania will be showing the Happy movie on World Happiness Day.

Saturday, February 11 4:30-6:30 p.m. Dansko, 33 Federal Rd, West Grove PA (map) Bring a snack to share and see the Happy Movie. Brought to you by Dansko and TGE, timing. Find a screening near you. LINKS: The Happy Movie World Happy Day — find a screening Three Groves EcoVillage — attend their screening Submitted by:  Ann Zabaldo, Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC What makes you happy? What kind of community do you live in?  Does living there make you happy?

 

 

Some light-hearted, unrelated entertainment from your horse-loving blog editor:

In the UK, a woman moves her horse into her home after disputes with neighbors over where to keep her pony:  Link to Article

In the US, “Vermin Supreme” a long-time candidate for various public offices is running as a democrat against President Obama.  His campaign is founded on compulsory dental hygiene and kidney donation, as well as a federally subsidized pony for every American.  His solution to the oil crisis?  Use all that methane from horse dung to power America!!  (I’m not making this up, I’m not that funny:  Read the article here )

 

Posted by:  Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

[Resending because an earlier version of this post contained the wrong link, sorry.]

Hi All,

Just wanted to share a website that was recommended to me for this blog:  www.betterafter50.com.  It is a sort of online, interactive magazine for women over 50 – sharing hilarious articles, heartfelt conversations, and informative information.  Browse and you will find articles including:

My Married Crush

Embracing Your Inner Angel

[Just One Of] My Crazy Menopause Moments (Share Yours)!

Oh How I Love Thee, But Get Thee Back to College

The articles are classified into:  Body, Mind, Relationships, Purpose, Work, Homes and more.  Just as an example, the categories under “Relationships” include:  With Myself,  Single Again, Married, Married Again, Divorced – as well as Aging Parents, Adult Children, Same-Sex, Friends, Pets, Etc.  Specific and humorous!

It’s really a great website, at once both cheeky and intelligent.  Like a best girlfriend … times it’s several hundred readers, all around the world, and responsive to all of your inner-most musings.  Check it out!

Posted by:  Rebecca Disbrow Blog Editor, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

This is the third installment of the Monday Morning Cohousing Facts Series, and today its all about the children!  (Reminder, this information is coming from a study done by the Cohousing Association of the United States, and is accessible in its entirety here.)

Did you know…

• 83% of communities engage either frequently (44%) or occasionally (39%) in carpooling

Annnd another reason cohousing is practical and just simply makes your life… better.

Happy Monday (& rest of the week!)

Posted by: Rebecca Disbrow
Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

Checkout this article, on momentumplanet.com, listing the best cycling destinations in North America.  Using the following criteria they determined a top 10 list, plus notable mentions:

• the percentage of commuters
• the presence of online bike resources and advocacy groups
• the level of support for cycling at the municipal level
• the quality of their public bike share system
• The prevalence of bicycle-friendly businesses, including hotels with loaner bike services
• A high number of group rides and events
• The amount of things to see and do by bike

Portland, San Francisco, and Minneapolis topped the list…

Portland, OR

Portland has the highest percentage of commuters and kids that ride to school. A 12-mile trail connects the airport to the city. Cyclists can get discounts from businesses, loaner bikes from local hotels and information about everything bicycle-related from BikePortland.org.

Read more here…

Posted by: Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

This is the second installment of the Monday Morning Cohousing Facts Series, and today its all about the children!  (Reminder, this information is coming from a study done by the Cohousing Association of the United States, and is accessible in its entirety here.)

Did you know…

• 84% of cohousing communities engage either  frequently (53%) or occasionally (31%) in childcare exchange or cooperative.

??  Pretty cool, eh?  Yet another reason cohousing is practical and just simply makes your life… better.

Happy Monday (& rest of the week!)

Posted by:  Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

Across the country, cities are searching for a solution to a nation-wide urban housing crisis.  Many major cities, both DC, Boston, New York, even Vancouver and other international cities – are lacking affordable housing options for singles, young professionals, and empty nesters.  Cities are struggling to retain talented young people and looking for innovative solutions to draw and keep innovators, entrepreneurs, etc in the city center.  Boston’s Mayor Menino recently reduced the minimum rentable unit to 375 square feet from 425, at the same time calling for developers to meet this need for smaller, affordable housing.

The cool part, though, is some of these solutions trade private space for communal space, providing shared work spaces, kitchens, and living rooms.  In New York, these types of buildings are taking up some old SRO’s (Single Room Occupancies, usually provided through social services) and were the topic of a recent conference, organized by the Citizens Housing and Planning Council.  In Vancouver they are “microlofts”, similarly in a renovated SRO in the Gastown district.  These units are still not renting cheaply ($800-$1500 in Boston, NYC, and Vancouver) – but they ARE meeting a need for cheapER housing that fosters a sense of community among demographics often lacking this opportunity.

Cohousing is still cooler, but for those without resources to buy and requiring little private space, these are pretty nifty little spaces!

For further reading:

Article on New York SRO conversion and innovative housing:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/arts/design/jonathan-kirschenfeld-reimagines-the-sro-in-the-bronx.html?scp=3&sq=sro&st=cse

Boston, Mayor Menino Calls for Mico-Units:  http://bostonglobe.com/business/2011/12/13/menino-pushes-micro-units-lure-young-waterfront/Qye00OdXNMV3Dl5NESi50K/story.html#share-nav

Vancouver Living Small in Gastown:  http://www.theprovince.com/news/Living+small+West+Hastings/5881000/story.html

Posted by:  Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

Solar Panels (Care2.com)

Tuesday night, President Obama spoke about his commitment to renewable, clean energy sources.

Sunlight is one of the renewable sources of energy we can all have access to every day.  BUT we need some technology to convert the sun’s energy to a power source we can use.

Even today solar panels are often too expensive for the average homeowner to buy.  It’s an especially difficult problem when so many homeowners are concerned about the market and their home’s resale value.  And, when you’re worried about having money to pay your current bills why would you take out a loan to install solar panels?  Even if your energy costs are reduced significantly there is a payback period before your gains in savings equal and exceed your capital outlay in expenses when buying a solar array for your individual home or for you cohousing community.

Why would you BUY?

An article by Beth Buczynski just appeared in the Care2.com daily newsletter with an answer to the problem cohousing communities face when dealing with keeping their communities affordable while still going green.  Happily, this solution applies to built communities as well!

LEASE your solar panels.

Here are the top nine questions Buczynski suggests asking when thinking about installing solar panels.  This is from the Care2.com newsletter for January 24, 2012.

–begin–

1. Lease versus own? An average home-solar installation can cost $25,000 or more. The easier alternative is to have a licensed contractor install the system and offer lease financing for little or no money up front. The installer owns and maintains the system, not to mention handles securing permits and managing the many other small details leading up to turning on the system.  Solar leasing is affordable for many homeowners because they immediately see savings from lower electric bills and someone else worries about the system’s maintenance.

2. Net metering? When a rooftop solar system produces more energy than needed for a home, the excess is supplied to the local electric utility. Homeowners can see some of their greatest monthly cost reductions when their rooftop solar panels are providing energy back into the system.

3. Rebates? Since a leased solar panel system is “owned” by the installer, rebates will go to the company. This enables the installer to further reduce the overall price of the solar project, which in turn lowers the lease payment. Rebates will vary by region. It also is important to know that some rebates are currently scheduled to expire in a few years.

4. In-house service vs. outsourcing? Does a solar installer have all staff and services – from customer representatives, to installers, to ongoing maintenance and financing – within their company? Or, do they provide some or all of these services through third-party entities? The “continuum of care” is usually more guaranteed by an installer providing these services by their own employees.

5. Home values? Several current studies show that a home’s value increases when it contains the best available energy efficiency devices. Why? Because a home’s overall “operating cost” decreases as it uses less water, gas and electricity. Rooftop solar is becoming a standard feature on new homes for this reason.

6. What if I move? Typically, a homeowner can assign a solar lease to the purchaser (following a simple credit check of the new owner). Studies show an increase in the percentage of prospective homebuyers actively seeking residences with multiple “green” features, such as solar.

7. Remain energy efficient? With solar panels on the roof, it is tempting to crank up the air conditioning, keep lights on throughout the house or otherwise revert to energy wasting habits. Since some power must still come from an electric utility, being energy efficient ensures the lowest monthly costs – even as solar dramatically reduces the amount of utility-supplied power purchased on a monthly basis.

8. Appearance? Some state laws prohibit homeowner associations, municipalities and other organizations from enforcing rules that would prevent a homeowner from installing rooftop solar. But, you also don’t want to upset your neighbor. After determining a home has enough roof space for solar, an installer will usually create a custom design to ensure a solar panel “array” will blend into the roof as much as possible.

9. New technologies? The rate at which solar cells convert sunlight into electricity has increased since the first cells were made. While gains continue to be made, they are at small incremental rates. Therefore, the panels bought today should continue to be very efficient for their 20- to 30-year life. As solar becomes more popular, companies also are developing new solar technologies and cell designs. However, until these designs are incorporated into mass production, these more “exotic” solar panels may be too expensive for the typical homeowner.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/9-questions-to-ask-before-buying-solar-panels.html#ixzz1kUFC3X6S –end– Posted by Ann Zabaldo, Principal Partner, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

Vertical Forest Milan, Italy

Act locally  … think vertically!  Here’s the second vertical forest we’ve come across.  This one sent to us via Matt LeGrant who found it as a Facebook posting.

By the way … it’s not the first reforestation project of this sort as the Facebook posting suggests.  Last October 2011,we reported on this architectural phenomenon already happening in Japan.

Here’s what Matt’s email had to say:

–begin–

From a recent Facebook post:

A fascinating new pair of residential towers called Bosco Verticale is being constructed at Milan, Italy. Designed by architect Stefano Boeri, Bosco Verticale is being construed as a project for metropolitan reforestation that contributes to the regeneration of the environment and urban biodiversity without the implication of expanding the city upon the territory. Towering over the city’s skyline the world’s first forest in the sky will be a sight to behold. The 27 storied building will accommodate nearly one hectare of forest trees as tall as oak and amelanchiers in its cleverly designed balconies. The 365 and 260 foot emerald twin towers will house an astonishing 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 ground cover plants.
This is a concept illustration of how Bosco Verticale will look like when completed.
In summer, the trees will provide shade and filter the city‚s dust; in winter, sunlight will shrine through the bare branches. Bosco Verticale’s greenery will absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, while protecting the building from wind and penetrating sunlight. Boeri claims that the inclusion of trees adds just 5 percent to construction costs, and is a necessary response to the sprawl of the modern city. If the units were individual houses, it would require 50,000 sq m of land, and 10,000 sq m of woodland.

–end–

What do you think about this architecture? Has anyone else encountered a sustainable project like this?  We’d love to include a post about any other project that includes such a tremendous amount of reforestation so cleverly done as the one in Japan and this one in Italy. Truly a innovative design concept that forwards green and sustainable living. Please either post a note below and include a link or photo or send an email to:

abigail@cohousingcollaborative.com

Posted by:  Ann Zabaldo, Principal Partner, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

 

 

If you haven’t gotten a chance to read through the full “Report on Survey of Cohousing Communities 2011″, produced by the Cohousing Association of the United States, I wanted to share some of my favorite facts from it with you.  I’m going to post one of these facts each Monday for the next five weeks, so check back in before you settle into the office (or wherever you happen to be Monday mornings if you’re lucky enough to not be in an office!)

Todays Fact:  Cohousing is Financially Stable and Predictable:

• In the survey, only 13% of communities reported any of their units in foreclosure – indicating exceptional financial stability of cohousing communities

• Nearly 90% indicated their cohousing property is valued higher (43%) or about the same (46%) as local real estate.  Here is what that bell curve looks like:

Pull that one out at your next information session!!

Happy Monday Morning!

Posted by:  Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

Have you visited Sperling’s “Best Places” website?  (www.bestplaces.net)  If not, check it out.  Its got loads of cool categories, ranking cities in terms of greenness, best places to live, most difficult to navigate, etc.  Check out your closest city and see how it stacks up.  Here is how DC tallied:

Ranked #1 Best Cities for Teleworking – Extra Large Metro Areas
Ranked #2 Healthiest Cities
Ranked #2 Most Difficult Cities to Navigate
Ranked #3 Most Irritation Prone Cities
Ranked #3 America’s Riskiest Online Cities
Ranked #4 Best Airports to Make a Connection
Ranked #4 The Most (and Least) Gender Imbalanced Cities
Ranked #5 2005 High Gas Prices
Ranked #5 Sleep in the City Study Examines Relationship Between Sleep and Happiness
Ranked #5 Most Secure Places to Live 2011 (Large Metros)
Ranked #6 America’s Least Manly Cities
Ranked #7 Cities on the Edge of Greatness
Ranked #9 Most Secure Places to Live in the U.S. (Large Metro Areas)
Ranked #9 Second Annual “America’s Manliest Cities” Rankings
Ranked #9 America’s Most Playful Cities

If you play around much on the site, beware of the criteria used to rank them.  For example “on the Edge of Greatness” is great for men to live in and includes such random measures as music, hometown sports, and interest in BMX games.  Still, many of them are legitimately useful!

If you’re from the DC area, do you agree with these rankings?

Posted by: Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

As we announced earlier, California Governor Jerry Brown recently awarded Wolf Creek Lodge his Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, signaling a support for Cohousing as a sustainable way of living.

In accordance with his [rather astute] observation, this years Cohousing Conference theme will be:

Creating Sustainable Neighborhoods; Learning from the Cohousing Experience

The 2012 conference will be Oakland, CA, from June 13th – 17th.  It’s six months away, but that is exactly the right about of time to begin getting excited!  Visit the conference website to learn more:  conference.cohousing.org

Posted by:  Rebecca Disbrow Cohousing Collaborative, LLC