Sustainability
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The Journey to 90 Percent Recycling at Quayside Village
Brian Burke, Quayside, North Vancouver, British Columbia
The Quayside community recently won the annual Environmental Stewardship Award given by the City of North Vancouver. Says Brian, “Seizing the opportunity to impress the city council with Quayside’s efforts toward Zero Waste, the Quayside kids took bags of what we recycle—and what the city at present does not, such as three kinds of Styrofoam and meat bones—along to receive the award at City Hall. We struck up a chorus to the tune of ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ with the words ‘Zero waste we say, in thirty different ways, reduce, reuse, recycle, rejoice, you can start today.’” –DLW
What happens when an aging hippie who got arrested protecting the last of the Canadian rain forest meets an irrepressibly positive grandmother and former shop steward? Well, for one thing, you’ve got a recycling problem!
Preserving Open Space—and My Sense of Humor
Edee Gail, Harmony Village, Golden, Colorado
Come see Harmony Village’s little “pocket park,” landscaped with native species; hike a nearby mountain trail; or maybe play a round of golf on the adjacent golf course. You may see and hear coyotes and meadowlarks, and you’ll certainly see lots of fat bunnies, whose population somehow stays ahead of both the coyotes and the resident mountain lion, who was recently seen peering in a neighbor’s living room window!
D. L. W.
I grew up on an island in Michigan seeing ships from all over the world cruise right past our house. I loved looking across the vastness of the Detroit River and Lake Erie, and from an early age, I learned the sanctity of open spaces.
If Not Us, Who?
PattyMara Gourley, Tierra Nueva, Oceano, California
When we citizens feel like we’re up against a brick wall in the form of bureaucracy or corporate domination, we sometimes lose our sense of empowerment. Not so at Tierra Nueva, whose members drilled an exit hole in the brick wall and marched full speed ahead.
—D. L. W.
Tierra Nueva Cohousing holds the distinction of being one of the first cohousing groups in the nation. Our founding members formed our group in San Luis Obispo County, California, in 1988. As pioneers in the new cohousing movement, we were faced with high-risk financial challenges, land-title complications, and the task of convincing our county planners and fearful neighbors that cohousing was the wave of the future. But we didn’t know in those early years that our biggest challenge still lay ahead of us.
How Does Cohousing Create Sustainability?
Graham Meltzer, Ph.D., Cohousing Scholar
This piece answers the question “Why is cohousing sustainable?” very thoroughly. For more of Graham Meltzer’s observations about cohousing, read his book Sustainable Community: Learning from the Cohousing Model, available at www.trafford.com.
—D. L. W.
In the Fall of 1996, I undertook a grand tour of North American cohousing by visiting all of the established cohousing communities in New England, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, and California. I spent three to five days in each of eighteen communities and made short visits to four or five more. The primary purpose of the trip was to research the ecological advantages of community life. The fieldwork included a ninety-question survey of 350 households, extensive interviews, and an evaluation of site planning and architecture.
Part One: Chapter Three: Creating Sustainable Neighborhoods
Forgive me if I sometimes seem to equate the pioneers of cohousing with the pioneers who resettled America. I know it seems like a gross exaggeration, but you have to admit, there are similarities. In both cases, pioneers work within given conditions—sometimes harsh—to try to create a safe, equitable, livable world. In our times, the given conditions include things such as traffic congestion, overconsumption, and global warming—as harsh as they come. However, I believe that the best measure of a successful civilization—or community—is how well it can absorb disruption and keep going. A sustainable community produces less stress and more support for its inhabitants and puts less stress on the environment by conserving resources such as energy, water, and soil.
Journey Toward Creating a Regenerative Life Together
Saturday 4:30 – 5:30 pm
This participatory workshop using a ‘mind map mandala’ to collectively create
a personal plan for living more sustainably in community. Includes an introductory short
film, and series of video clips and slides from cohousing and other sustainable communities
visited around the US, as well as leaders in the movement such as Chuck Durrett, Raines
Cohen, Betsy Morris, Diana Leafe Christian and others. Participants will also be invited to join in the creation of the Within Reach documentary film project.
Ecovillages : Where They Are, What They’re Doing, Why They’re Important
Saturday 1:30 – 3:00 pm
The presentation features the ecological, economic, and social/cultural/spiritual aspects of
sustainability in ecovillages, with over 400 photos of 30+ ecovillage projects worldwide. Shows
permaculture design, natural building, off-grid power, alternative technology, sustainable
agriculture, Earth restoration projects, international peace activism, service to people in need,
local currencies, on-site cottage industries, participatory decision-making, conflict resolution,
and process and communication skills for bonding and connecting, and much more. Features
three kinds of ecovillages: (1) intentional communities (including ecovillages using the
cohousing model), (2) ecologically aware traditional indigenous villages, and (3) sustainability
education centers. Featuring ecovillages in North America, Europe (Italy, Germany, Denmark,
Russia, Iceland), Africa (Senegal, South Africa), Asia (Japan, India, Thailand), and Latin
Geothermal Energy HVAC Systems - Benefits, Costs & Values.
Saturday 3:15 – 4:15 pm
This session will explore geothermal heating, ventilation, and cooling systems and the details of
what they do, how they work, where & why they are most efficient and economic, when to
include in project planning, and the relevant short term and long term cost factors &
sustainability characteristics.
AUDIENCE: Forming groups;Building groups;Existing communities;Professionals
PRESENTER: Tom Lofft
Growing our Sustainability
This track offers four breakout sessions.
Designing super eco-cohousing, start to finish
Half Day Workshop: Fri 1:30 – 5:00
Price: $60, includes lower carbon footprint
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