Cohousing Assn of the US: Green Living

Green Living

Anyone of a certain generation grew up with the three Rs of saving the planet. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Cohousing makes this formula easier and a lot more fun.

Like everything else in cohousing, we do the three Rs together. It’s amazing how much easier it is to share and avoid waste when the people you know best are also the ones who live next door and across the way. From clearing out the produce drawer before a vacation to finding a new home for that never-used kitchen gadget or making a trip to the recycling center for tricky items, collaboration increases efficiency and adds a friendly face and neighborly chat to the process. Win. Win. Win.

Reduce

The hardest of the three for mainstream Americans, reducing purchases is a breeze for cohousers who simply borrow those rarely needed items from neighbors.

Reuse

Cohousers demonstrate over and over again that one person’s trash is another’s treasure. Most communities have some sort of plan for finding new homes for the things we no longer need.

Recycle

Most of us have easy ways to recycle newspaper and soda cans these days, but what about styrofoam and batteries? When you are gathering from 20 households, it becomes worth the special trip.