New Campaign for Cohousing
Submitted by Cohousing Movement on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 10:00
Print this pageRick Mockler, former Coho/US board president & Cohousing Partners
Where does cohousing fit into our country’s agenda for change? Over the last several months, an informal group of burning souls has been raising this question. They believe that cohousing ought to be front and center of the conversation around taking responsibility, grassroots community building, a rejection of consumerism, and environmental sustainability. In short, they feel that cohousing embodies many of the values that the country is now moving towards, and that it is an opportunity to raise cohousing’s visibility.
A Campaign
The group is looking for like-minded cohousers who would like to be part of the effort - what does this mean? You can join in the dialog via email, participate in occasional conference calls, and help in whatever way interests you - for as much or as little commitment as you wish. Ways that we will act to drive the change we can believe in include local media outreach, blogging, political advocacy, building awareness with related organizations, and other activities. More information will be posted to this blog over the next few weeks and announced in Cohousing Now!. (we'll also edit this blog posting to place a link right here soon)
New Organizer Role
To help lead this effort, the group of burning souls is asking that Coho/US consider hiring a part-time campaign organizer. Our vision is that this person will facilitate and support volunteers from around the country. This position will receive a modest monthly stipend. If approved, the job will be listed in the Cohousing.org Classified Ads.
This is just a start….stay tuned as we kick off this campaign to build a better society, one neighborhood at a time.
Rick Mockler
P.S. Your comments are invited.
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a great concept
As I've participated in the political process over the last year, and on the Cohousing Association's board and Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) over the past decade, I've both seen cohousers connected to politics, and gotten inspired about ways that community organizing can serve cohousing. We have a lot to share, and a lot to learn. The more we can make our efforts visible and embrace aligned movements/organizations, the easier our path will be.
Raines Cohen, Cohousing Coach
Planning for Sustainable Communities
at Berkeley (CA) Cohousing
Dear Rick, I'm so glad to
Dear Rick,
I'm so glad to see this group is expanding it's reach nationally. It fits nicely in the progression and development of how we live on this earth. I've wondered about the best way to bring the cohousing concept to the attention of the new administration (beyond the regular mailings to our representatives and lobbying efforts). Perhaps we can find a few 'point people' in the federal government to carry the cohousing message to officials looking for innovative ways to solve the housing crunch?
Will this effort also include information about the small house movement as it applies to cohousing? As I see it, housing will need to be made available to many, many people very quickly that is less expensive than 'regular' homes. Smaller homes also are more energy efficient, 'green', and take less time to build.
My efforts to date to find a hand-hold within the cohousing structure haven't worked. Much of the discussion about building small home cohousing projects is taking place on other mailing lists not associated with your group. I think it would be to all our advantages to combine efforts when trying to influence the federal picture of cohousing. It would be equally important to know if this group decides NOT to include information about small house cohousing when making advocacy efforts. I realize many cohousers have a strong bias against small homes which could cause the small home advantages to be left behind during pitches to officials.
As we've painfully found out, many people who would like to own a home cannot afford to do so. Small homes in cohousing could be part of the solution to this problem, without people defaulting on loans. If people still need to spend $300,000 on a larger place, owning a small home for a few years could provide a financially safer path to a larger home. It's important to point out that many people who live in small houses CAN afford a larger home, but choose small homes to decrease their carbon footprint.
It's possible development of cohousing made either completely or partially from small homes would hold particular interest nationally right now. If we can combine our efforts, our message could be more powerful.
Cheers!
Marganne