Its the people, their ideas... and their passion for sharing

The 2009 National Cohousing Conference in Seattle June 24-28 at the University of Washington is less than 2 weeks away. Now is your last chance to claim your seat and join Cohousing movers and shakers from all over the world in beautiful Seattle. Register Now to access valuable coho-information available from the most knowledgeable Cohousing professionals and activists. Come harvest the information you need to realize your cohousing dreams and to help your community thrive.

This final email broadcast presents some of these remarkable people you will meet and learn with at the conference. This conference is about learning and connections. Even if you can't attend (this year), read on to learn about these people and their good works.

Our Featured Speakers

Jan Gudmand Hoyer is widely known as the founder of the Danish Cohousing Movement. We were fortunate to obtain and publish this new interview. It is one of the few pieces about him available in English. Gudmand Hoyer is giving the Conference Keynote on Friday, June 26 (which is open to non-conference attendees for $20). Come learn about the history and future of cohousing.

Mark Lakeman is a noted architect and the founder of the Portland City Repair project. This influential program has been copied by groups all over the United States, as they've sought to build more community on a city-wide level. The intriguing title of Mark's plenary address, Love, Home, Village, Earth denotes Mark's dynamism as a speaker. He brings his ideas home with compelling visuals that will leave you deeply moved.

Robert Gilman is an influential thinker, author, and speaker. He co-founded In Context magazine. In a seminal 1991 article, Robert clearly articulates the concept of Ecovillage. He has been a key leader in the Ecovillage Movement. At the conference, he'll share about Cohousing's role in the great transformation.

Cohousing Authors

Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant are the authors of the Cohousing book that introduced Cohousing to the United States. Durrett recently authored the second edition of Senior Cohousing. Their work has influenced many. While Katie's career broadened to include Cohousing Development, Chuck continues to focus primarily on Cohousing architecture and Senior Cohousing.

Chris and Kelly ScottHanson coauthored The Cohousing Handbook, which many groups have used as the "How To" guide to help make their Cohousing dreams real. Chris recently wrote this great article entitled Budgeting for Development: Finding the Balance between Hope and Caution.

Diana Leafe Christian authored both Creating a Life Together and Finding Community. She is editor of Ecovillage News and was the editor of Communities magazine for 14 years. She is widely sought as a community consultant, by established cohousing communities, by forming groups, and by other types of intentional communities.

Featured Developers

Jim Leach founded Wonderland Hill Development Company, and has served as developer for more cohousing communities than any other in the United States. His innovative partnership models align the interests of individual cohousing group members, the group itself, and the businesses involved to share in the potential risks and rewards. Jim is a strong voice for the cohousing movement.

Ann Zabaldo and Jack Wilbern are principals in the Cohousing Collaborative. One of their contributions is to "productize" the Timeline Game. A tool created by Cohousing Architect Bruce Coldham to help groups interactively develop an understanding of the complex nature of creating a cohousing community. Playing "the game" brings home just how vital it is to simultaneously (a) build community, (b) design and (c) develop real estate, and address both (d) legal and (e) financial issues to succeed with your cohousing project.

Featured Process Consultants

Laird Schaub, the general secretary of the Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC), is a widely known communitarian, intentional community activist, and facilitation consultant. Laird is the founder of Sandhill Farm, a small income-sharing community which, along with Twin Oaks, has been the FIC "headquarters" for many years. Laird is a remarkable man that you won't soon forget.

Tree Bressen has been an influential West Coast facilitation trainer. She has a wide range of community experience and offers a website with a variety of carefully selected and reviewed resources for facilitators. Tree is preparing to take a sabbatical to focus on developing a Pattern Language of group conversation. Her presentations at the conference later this month may be some of the last available from her for a while.

Eris Weaver is an active cohouser at FrogSong, a cohousing community in Cotati, California. FrogSong is well known as a vibrant community with a special zeal and energy. Her rapidly growing facilitation practice bulids on this base of a strong Cohousing experience. Eris also serves as Program Chair for the 2009 Conference and a member of the Coho/US Board. She is uniquely qualified to help people connect... at the conference and beyond.

Featured Architects (does not include those listed above)

Bryan Bowen is a principal at Bryan Bowen Architects and a cohouser at a Wild Sage Cohousing in Boulder, Colorado - a vibrant, coho-rich city. He's been involved in numerous cohousing projects, including Silver Sage Village, one of the few Senior Cohousing communities in the United States. Bryan is a dynamic speaker who is fascinated by green technologies and ways to create more sustainable housing.

Laura Fitch is a principal with Kraus-Fitch Architects, based in Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Amherst, MA. This mature community has numerous innovative features, including "home offices" in a separate, semi-commercial building. Kraus-Fitch has been the architect for many cohousing communities and common houses all over the country.

Grace Kim, of Schemata Workshop, is the cohousing architect for Daybreak Cohousing in Portland. As the chair for both the 2009 Conference and International Summit, she has been key to the success of the upcoming event. Grace is also an active Coho/US board member and is quite involved in the broad architectural community.

The 2009 National Cohousing Conference, in Seattle June 24-28 at the University of Washington, is the ideal place to network and learn with these accomplished people. To learn more about their ideas, explore the Pre-Conference Workshops and Main Conference Program to explore the many workshops and breakout sessions being offered.

Time to Act

Whether you've been reading about the upcoming 2009 conference for several months or are just learning about it, you now have just a few days to decide and take action. Invest in your future and join us at the conference. We invite you to help pull with us as we build a more sustainable world, one neighorhood at a time.

Register Now