Cohousing Now!
Climate Leading Communities
We hear advice on how to live "green" tossed around a lot these days.
 
" Sustainability" is equated with so many different products and actions, it's hard to wade through the noise to figure out what's most doable, and has an impact that truly matters in our communities. It can be a challenge to separate green-washing from the truth. We all desire to maximize the impact we can make with our own limited resources. The call to begin with local is growing stronger. Take the Cool City Challenge/Cool Block Program that's currently piloted in 20 California cities. Aiming to drive effective change using "the social support of neighbors." Same goes for the Green Bloc Program in Vancouver, BC, a "catalyst for creating more community resilience." Both programs are models cohousing already naturally emulates.
 
If we're to achieve our 2017 National Cohousing Conference goal of building resilient, sustainable communities, we need to dip into the foundation of collaboration, and learn from model cohousing neighborhoods in our midst.

We need a database of resilient and sustainable practices, a log of what works and how, to inspire future communities from coast to coast.  Will you help? Take 10 minutes to tell us what sets your community apart, and where you shine as climate-leading cohousing. We'll feature at the 2017 National Cohousing Conference .
 
 
Please share this link with others, including those in your own community. Thanks for your help!
Send questions to Jenny at jenny.godwin@cohousing-solutions.com
Conferences & Events
Join us in Nashville on May 19-21, 2017!
--> Early bird discount ends Feb 28th

Click on the video to learn about the Roseto Mystery and why Cohousing creates Healthy Communities... 
...and read Alan O'Hashi's blog about his conference intensive: 


Thank you to our Conference Sponsors:


       Community Sponsors       
SageHill Partners                    Village Hearth
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Join us as we share the joy of our collaborative neighborhoods. The  National Cohousing Open House Day inspires individuals and families to consider joining communities and sparks the creation of new groups.
Communities learn more here  We'd love to have you  sign up

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Southern Nevada Cohousing

Workshop led by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett. L imited to 30 participants and the slots are filling fast sign up now!
Cohousing Fostered Intellectual Curiosity and Prioritization of the Collective Good
Jessie McCamant Durrett, formerly of Nevada City Cohousing (Calif)
Jessie's graduate school essay profiles how cohousing affected her view of the world. Other children who grew up in cohousing have no doubt woven that experience into their college applications. Coho/US would welcome collecting: Please contact us. Per Jessie's mother, Katie McCamant, of the photo: "We've sent the four to the left off the college (Obelin, Swathmore, Occidential, and Pace in NYC), and the older ones kidssat the younger ones back in the day."

....... I largely attribute my intellectual curiosity and prioritization of the collective good to my upbringing in cohousing.....From an early age, I was participating in lively discussions about the Iraq War and cooking dinner for forty of my neighbors. Joining finance and landscaping committee meetings showed me the challenges and opportunities of building consensus and participatory decision-making. As a twelve-year-old, I advocated for community meal times that accommodated my athletic practice schedule and the needs of families with toddlers. My neighbors encouraged me to explore my interests, taught me about their careers, and invited me to their churches. Cohousing provided an exceptional venue for me to nurture my aspirations to effect positive change locally and globally.  Read more 
When to Use Consent and Consensus Decision-Making
Sharon Villines, Takoma Village (Washington DC)
In sociocracy, consent and consensus decision-making are only used for policy decisions. Policy decisions are those that govern actions and allocation of resources (budget, people, etc.). But this leaves questions for many people about when to use consent and consensus decision-making. It helps to look at policy decisions vs, operations decisions.
Operations decisions are the day-to-day moment-to-moment activities that implement policies. Operations decisions are normally made autocratically by the leader or by an individual who has been delegated a task. "Autocratic" doesn't mean a dictatorship, however. Leadership style is determined by those being lead as well as the leader.  read more  
Rob Sandelin: Insight and Humor Continue to Ripple 
Eris Weaver, FrogSong Cohousing (Cotati, CA) & Sharon Villines, Takoma Village (Washington DC)
We are saddened by the passing of Rob Sandelin, a member of Sharingwood for nearly 30 years. Rob influenced the development of communities throughout the U.S. with his wisdom. Below are two stories posted on the cohousing-l:

In 1999, our forming community brought Rob in to lead a consensus workshop for us. The work we did together was transformative for me personally and for our community. There are a lot of things I could say about Rob, but the most profound is this story that I now share with every consensus workshop I lead. Seventeen years later, I still tear up EVERY TIME I tell it. Read more...
Living in Community
Sharingwood Stories
Rob Sandelin, Sharingwood Cohousing (Snohomish, WA)
We pulled this from our archives. 
I was hunkered down underneath my car doing something oily and I could see down the street as one of my neighbors, Michelle, was trying to set out some metal light fixtures to spray paint. Every time she lined them up, her toddler would carry one off or otherwise disrupt the process. I was sort of tied up working on the car, so I couldn't help her, but I didn't need to. Rosemary, another neighbor, walked up to the toddler with a couple of little baskets and took her hand and diverted her into picking berries, while the mom gratefully arranged the lights and painted them without further interruption.... The thing that I did not realize until later reflection is that Michelle never had to ask for help. Her neighbors saw her needs and helped her in the sort of quiet, unspoken way that communities work.  Read more...
Coho/US Notes
What does it Cost to Live in Cohousing? 
Back in November, we announced that CRN and Coho/US are collaborating on a "cost of living in cohousing" research project. Since then, we've received useful and interesting responses from more than a dozen communities. Who knew, for instance, that annual per-unit dues could vary from one coho to another by a factor of five or more? Our intent is to continue collecting detailed information on community budget and finance, and make a report at the National Conference in May 2017, in Nashville. Here's how you can help....

Established Communities = 164
---Completed = 148
---Building = 16

Forming** = 133
**Thirty one forming groups have acquired land they plan to develop
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Senior Cohousing








Cohousing communities gain popularity, including here in Nashville  
Diana 
Sullivan told News 2 there is a waiting list of about 650 people who would like to move into Germantown Commons...
an additional 350 are interested in developing communities in other parts of Middle Tennessee.

Rocky Hill Cohousing in Northampton Mass was filmed to highlight how their intergenerational community strengthens social ties between aging seniors and their younger counterparts who are balancing work and family. 

This radio story profiles Capital Hill Urban Cohousing: a good example of urban development for families - in a city that is one of the most child-free in the U.S.
New Resources






New listings:

San Diego Urban Cohousing (Calif)