While these characteristics aren't always true of every cohousing community, together they serve to distinguish cohousing from other types of collaborative housing:
Eco housing and intelligent environment management
This page will introduce you with many different practical new alternative way of living and help you to acheive a more fulfilled life and also will present you with a broad variety of solution aplicable right now to anybody willing to embrace that change that ahead of us.
Dome building
Introduction to the Monolithic Dome
The Monolithic Dome is a super-insulated, steel reinforced concrete structure used for homes, schools, gymnasiums, bulk storage facilities, churches, offices, and many other uses. David B. South, president of the Monolithic Dome Institute, and his brothers - Barry and Randy South - developed an efficient method for building a strong dome using a continuous spray-in-place process. In 1976, after years of planning and development they built the first Monolithic Dome in Shelley, Idaho. In 1979, the first patent was awarded for the Monolithic Dome construction process. And since 1976, Monolithic Domes have been constructed in 45 states and many foreign countries.
The Construction Process:
A Monolithic Dome starts as a concrete ring foundation, reinforced with steel rebar. For smaller domes, an integrated floor and ring foundation may be used. Vertical steel bars embedded in the ring beam footing are later attached to the steel reinforcing of the dome itself.
The Airform, fabricated to a proper shape and size, is attached to the concrete base. Using fans, the Airform is inflated - creating the shape of the dome. The Airform is both the form for construction of the dome and the outer roof membrane of the shell when it is finished. The inflator fans run throughout the construction of the dome shell. Approximately three inches of polyurethane foam insulation is applied to the interior surface of the Airform. Steel reinforcing bars, or rebar, is attached to the foam using special "hooks" embedded in the foam. The rebar is placed in a specially engineered layout of hoop (horizontal) and vertical steel rebar. Shotcrete, a special spray mix of concrete, is sprayed onto the interior surface of the polyurethane foam, embedding the rebar. After three inches of shotcrete is applied, the Monolithic Dome is a steel reinforced, concrete structure.
Benefits:
The Monolithic Dome is a permanent structure which is energy efficient, cost effective, disaster resistant and attractive. Monolithic Domes have real strength. They can withstand the force of a tornado, hurricane or earthquake. They cannot burn, rot or be eaten by bugs.
The Monolithic Dome is energy efficient. It will usually save fifty percent on heating and cooling costs compared to a comparable conventional building.
The Future:
In 1999, David was awarded the U.S. Patent for the Crenosphere, a breakthrough in large dome construction. It will allow concrete domes to be built from 300 feet to 1000 feet in diameter. These huge structures are ideal for indoor sports facilities and stadiums. We are moving toward a future where homes, stadiums, offices, schools, churches, and more will be Monolithic Domes.
For more information go to:
Cities that think ~ The venus project
It would be far easier and would require less energy to build new, efficient cities than to attempt to update and solve the problems of the old ones. The Venus Project proposes a city that would use the most sophisticated available resources and construction techniques. Its geometrically elegant and efficient circular arrangement will be designed to operate with the minimum expenditure of energy using the cleanest technology available in harmony with nature to obtain the highest possible standard of living for everyone.
The outer perimeters of the circular city will provide recreational facilities such as golfing, bike paths, and riding or hiking trails. There will be a circular waterway surrounding the agricultural belt, which will be supplied with indigenous plants that will remove contaminants and harmful bacteria from the water. The agricultural belt, with its transparent, enclosed buildings will be used to grow a wide variety of plants in a controlled environment without the use of pesticides. There will be eight sectors to provide and store clean, renewable enefgy through the use of wind generators, heat concentrating systems, and photovoltaics. In addition, readways, walkways, and bicycle paths will be specially designed to collect and store radiant energy from the sun, which will then be used for heating or cooling through a process similar to the "Peltier Effect." Along the edges of the roadways will be removable sections or gratings to permit new installations and upgrades without damaging the roads each time a new installation is made.
The residential belt will be beautifully landscaped featuring lakes and winding streams, and homes will be biomorphous with graceful contours influenced by nature to blend in with the landscape. A wide variety of innovative architectural designs will reflect the diversity and the preferences of the occupants. The exterior surfaces of these homes will be thermally activated so that the warmer it gets on the outside, the cooler it can become on the inside at a rate that is regulated by the occupant. The buildings will be prefabricated with a new type of foam-reinforced material that is strong and light-weight. Their heat-reflective external surface will be relatively maintenance-free, impervious to weather, and fire resistant. Insects will be repelled by sonic and other electronic means. With this type of construction there will be minimal damage from earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires.
Adjacent to the residential district will be the dining areas where one can find a wide selection of food, much of which will be organically grown. Next will be the apartments, design centers, and research labs. The eight domes surrounding the central dome will house the library, science, art, music, research, exhibition, entertainment, and conference centers. There will also be "access centers" where one will have access to a wide variety of products such as cameras, waterskis, recording equipment, boats, etc. in a manner similar to the public library. The only requirements necessary to obtain these items would be to familiarize oneself with the necessary information for the products' safe and proper use.
One of the major reasonsfor this energy efficient new social design is to allocate enough resources to meet the needs of all people so that there will always be more than enough equipment available at any time. The central dome, or "theme center", will house the core of the cybernated system, educational facilities, shopping centers, computerized communications networking systems, health-care, and child-care facilities.
The Venus Project
by Jacque Fresco
We feel that the present social institutions are incapable of dealing with the many problems that plague our nation today. The worlds present problems cannot be solved within the framework of today's social institutions. They cannot be solved politically or financially because they are technical in nature.
It is necessary for our nation's survival that we reorder our priorities to maintain dynamic equilibrium between humans and the environment.
We are now at a time when transitional decisions should be considered that could permit us to volve from our present culture of scarcity, waste, and environmental destruction to a caring society of ecological concern and abundance. This approach calls for a radical change in our methods of social operation. It would call for a total redesign in the way we conduct our social affairs.
We must update our culture to utilize the most sophisticated methods of science and technology applied to the cybernated age in which we live. It must be a system that surpasses the old monetary system and its inadequate code of ethics. Anything less than these recommended changes will have very little effect on solving the problems of our present day culture.
Before any such project as social redesign can be installed we must have available resources, technical personnel, and the equipment necessary to achieve the end goals. Accompanying this must be an ethical code that would be acceptable to the participants such as an end to war, hunger, poverty, scarcity, environmental destruction, etc.
The Venus Project is a non profit organization that offers a vision of a future society that is dedicated to human concern and environmental reclamation. It is an attainable vision of a bright and better future. It proposes the redesign of our social institutions by applying the latest technologies to benefit everyone. The uniqueness of our project is that it presents refreshing alternatives that offer practical solutions to our many problems.
With the advent of automation and cybernation, there will be an ever-increasing replacement of people by automated systems. It is only a matter of time until the purchasing power of the vast majority will be tremendously reduced, and finally eliminated. Automation requires no health insurance, pension plans, vacation time, or 'people problems'.
As a result of this, fewer people will be able to purchase goods and services even though the capability to produce an abundance exists. This may cause a breakdown of our present economic system and a reduction in the quality of life for most people. The statistical evidence of the rapid advance of these technologies can no longer be dismissed or ignored.
While at one time it could be argued that machine technology has created new jobs in the fields of computers, CDs, VCRs and so forth, all economic indications show that a drop in man-hours coincides with an increase in productivity. This trend will continue, and the myth of retraining is as short-lived as the immediate profits and low-wage jobs that come from shifting production to those countries where labor is relatively inexpensive. It is only a matter of time before cheap human labor is replaced by even less expensive automation that requires no housing, training, or feeding. Short-term prosperity will be reserved for automated future-oriented industries with good R&D programs.
Eventually, with the reduction in purchasing power, crime and social unrest will become difficult to manage, possibly resulting in a state of emergency which imposes severe restrictions on group and personal behavior. The Venus Project calls for a transitional solution to circumvent these social conditions.
The ultimate aim of The Venus Project is to ensure social and economic stability and enable everyone to participate in all aspects of the social spectrum and have access to all the amenities that a prosperous and innovative society can provide. With The Venus Project's approach and our new technologies, we can practically eliminate war, poverty, hunger, debt, crime, etc.
How can all this be possible? Who will pay for this vast undertaking? There is not enough money available to pay for the required changes, but there is certainly more than enough natural and technological resources. The real value of any nation is its developed and potential resources and the people who are working toward a more humane lifestyle through the elimination of scarcity.
All social systems, regardless of the political philosophy, religious beliefs of social mores, ultimately depend upon natural resources, clean air and water, arable land area, and the industrial and technical equipment and personnel for a high standard of living.
In any space voyage, they only carry the necessities supportive to life systems. Money or gold would be irrelevant to the mission. To further explain this concept consider this example: If 20 people were stranded on an island with enormous purchasing power including gold silver and diamonds, all this would be irrelevant to their survival if the island had little resources such as topsoil, trees, food, or clean air to sustain their existence. On the other hand, if 20 people were stranded on an island which was abundant with natural resources producing more than the necessary food for survival than a monetary system would not come about. It is when population exceeds the arable land area that problems such as crime and violence emerge.
A monetary based system evolved many years ago in an attempt to control population with limited resources in a primitive state of technology. We still utilize this some outmoded system which is responsible for most of today's problems. Through technology and innovation we can surpass the need for a money oriented society.
A resource-based economy utilizes existing land area and natural resources, physical equipment, industrial plants, etc., to enhance the lives of the total population. It not only adds to the well-being of people, but provides the necessary information to enable them to participate in any area of their competence.
We will outgrow the need for money. In an economy based on resources rather than money, we will make the necessities of life available to all. When education and resources are available, there would be no limit to the human potential. The measure of success will be based on fulfillment of one's life rather than the acquisition of wealth, property, and power. At present we have enough material resources to provide a very high standard of living for everyone. By overcoming scarcity, most of the crimes and even prisons of today's society would no longer be necessary.
Although there are those who believe that the rapid growth of population throughout the world will make it extremely difficult to provide a high standard of living for everyone, The Venus Project does not accept that data. We feel it does not allow for brilliant and innovative solutions which will be readily available when we direct our attention to finding solutions and methods of overcoming the difficulties of scarcity. For example, recently developed low- cost 70% efficient photo voltaic systems, utilization of heat concentration systems or fresnel lenses and a wide variety of heat concentrated devices offer new possibilities for clean energy sources. We have hardly touched the geothermal potential, wave energy systems and the untapped limitless potential of solar energy. It is unfortunate that we adhere so rigidly to statistical data showing the limitations of growth.
At the beginning of World War II, the US had about 600 first class fighting aircraft. We rapidly overcame this by turning out over 90 thousand a year The erroneous question at the start of World War II was, do we have enough funds to produce the required implements of war? No, we did not have enough money or gold but, we did have more than enough resources. It was the available resources that enabled the US to achieve the high production and efficiency required to win the war.
The Venus Project proposes the construction of a new dynamic experimental city. It would make available medical care, nutritional needs, housing, education, recreation, and all the amenities that a prosperous and innovative society can provide. The Venus Project would represent a true cyberculture, in which all of society's institutions are transformed by computers and automation. This cybernated system will link computers with automated machinery, coordinating all the services and functions of the entire city. One can think of this as an electrical autonomic nervous system extending into all areas of the society. For example, in the agricultural; belt the computer will automatically monitor and maintain the water table and soil chemistry and regulate the planting and harvesting of crops. In the residential sector, it will maintain environmental cleanliness and waste recycling. It will automatically control and maintain a constant inventory between factory and consumer. Production and distribution will be balanced to correspond with demand, eliminating shortages, overruns, planned obsolescence or inferior products.
As opposed to our present political economy, in which most statesmen and industrialists make decisions to serve their own interests, when cybernation is integrated into all aspects of this new and dynamic culture computers can then arrive at appropriate decisions to meet the needs of all people. No technological civilization can ever operate efficiently and effectively without the application of cybernation to the social system. The sole purpose of the existence of this new technology will be to provide not only for the physical needs, but to enable people to achieve the maximum expression of individuality and human accomplishment. This approach only acts to enhance people's lives; it does not monitor or dictate their activities. Monotonous and boring jobs would be phased out, and a high standard of living will be maintained for everyone. With an opportunity for constant growth and achievement people will have the time and freedom to choose the lifestyle they find most fulfilling.
Perhaps the greatest limiting factor of our present-day culture can be traced to our language, social customs, and values, which were conceived in earlier times. The proposals of The Venus Project will not only be applied to cities, industrial processes, and the environment, but also to education, where the majority of subjects presented will be relevant to the direction and needs of this new emergent culture. As we encourage individual initiative, creativity and innovation will flourish throughout society.
The technology and resources necessary for The Venus Project are available today. But to realize this vision, many people must act supportively. The Venus Project is neither utopian nor Orwellian, nor does it reflect the dreams of impractical idealists. Instead it presents attainable goals requiring only the diligent application of what we already know to the dilemmas of our time.
Phase One of The Venus Project is the 25-acre design center in still-pristine south-central Florida, where the future is taking shape now. The actual buildings, along with the models, illustrations, blueprints, and a 20 minute video presentation, are the first steps that have been completed to help one see, feel, and touch the future, to dream and strive to create a better life for all people.
The function of this new experimental city would be to test the validity of The Venus Project's designs and proposals. There is no doubt that there would be shortcomings and inevitable modifications during this transition, which we accept and expect. But the final test of the practicality of any system is simply how well it works.
Just as all new ideas go through a process of maturation and development, we expect our experimental city of the future to gain acceptance by fulfilling its promise as a highly successful. peaceful, and desirable place to live. As these newer communities develop and become widely accepted, they could evolve into the basis of a new society through evolution rather than revolution.
For more information or for the video contact:
http://www.thevenusproject.com/
Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.
Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.
The Earthship is a completely independent globally oriented dwelling unit.
The Eartship is made from materials that are indigenous to the entire planet.
The Earthship has been designed to reduce our impact on the planet and increase our connection to it
The Earthship utilizes recycled and low embodied energy materials, passive solar heating and cooling, photovoltaic power system, catchwater, solar hot water, gray water and black water treatment systems.
"self contained dwellings that will sail on the seas of tomorrow"
". . . the Earthship is probably the model of a sustainable home
unrivaled in the modern world."
Water: Earthships catch water from the sky (rain & snow melt) and uses it four times. Water is heated from the sun and/or natural gas. Earthships can have city water as backup.
Electricity: Earthships produce their own electricity with a prepackaged photovoltaic / wind power system. This energy is stored in batteries and supplied to your electrical outlets. Earthships can have multiple sources of power, all automated, including grid-intertie.
Sewage: Earthships contain use and reuse all household sewage in indoor and outdoor treatment cells resulting in food production and landscaping with no pollution of aquifers. Toilets flush with greywater that does not smell.
Comfort: Earthships maintain comfortable temperatures in any climate. The planet Earth is a thermally stabilizing mass that delivers temperature without wire or pipes. The sun is a nuclear power plant that also delivers without wires or pipes.
We must become more aware of how we use our energy.
Different climates around the world require different designs for the home to interact with these two sources of temperature.
The outer few feet of the earth heat up and cool off in response to surface weather. However, deeper in the earth, about four feet and beyond, the temperature is more constant (around 58 degrees). Here, the earth can be used to both cool and stabilize temperature if the home is appropriately designed.
Earthships are thermal mass homes first, passive solar homes second. Therefore, the layout and design of the Earthship can be completely customized to look like any conventional home, and still be sustainable.
The "generic" earthship designs are what works the best, both in terms of economics and energy efficiency.
Because of the way Earthships interact with the sun and the earth, little to no fossil fuels are required to maintain a comfortable, stable temperature in any climate.
Warmth
If you want heat, you admit the sun. The sun heats the mass, the mass stores the heat and the insulation won't let it escape. The more mass, the more storage capacity. When there is no sun, the heat stored in the mass radiates into the space, for heat travels to the cooler direction.
Coolness
If you want coolness, you admit the cooler earth temperature and block the sun. The cool mass of the earth connects with the mass of the shelter, is absorbed into the shelter mass and leaks into the living space. This is like hooking a big battery (the earth) up to a smaller battery (the shelter). The thermal mass of both the earth and shelter is a storage battery for temperature.
Insulation & Thermal Mass
In recent years humans have recognized the fact that insulation can help keep temperature in a shelter. Insulation, however, neither collects nor stores temperature. It simply blocks the passage of temperature from inside to out and visa versa.
Good insulation has millions of tiny air spaces. The presence of air spaces tends to slow up the movement of temperature by causing it to pass from air space to air space as opposed to moving easily through unobstructed dense mass.
Dense mass both collects and stores temperature like a jar holds marbles. Examples of dense mass are stone, water, compacted earth, or concrete. There is a major difference between mass and insulation and this difference is not very clearly understood. Dense means no voids or air spaces. The more dense the mass the more temperature it holds. This density actually acts as a conduit for temperature.
The people made shelter by assembling pieces one at a time. They put pieces together around themselves not upon themselves Soon they had created shelter around themselves They were in shelter The people also found happiness by manifesting it piece at a time They manifest happiness all around themselves not for themselves Soon they had created happiness all around themselves They were in happiness Both shelter and happiness can be achieved by focusing outside of self.
We are simply adapting our needs to the already existing activities of the planet.
Why pipe water long distances from a centralized community water system, or from an expensive well that needs significant electrical power, depletes aquifers and lowers the water table, when water fall from the sky?
Why have a corporate or political "middle man" between us and our energy needs? our vessel (home) must be designed to sail with the forces that exist beyond human control and exploitation.
An understanding of mechanical systems for most humans is limited to what is within reach of their fingertips. It is understood that when you flip a switch on the wall, a light comes on. when you turn on the faucet, hot water comes out. When you pull the handle on the toilet, it flushes. Little though is given to where the electricity comes from or what kind of nuclear waste was produced to generate it. how many of us even know where the power plant is that supplies our power. Few people ever wonder which water table is depleted to bring them water and what chemicals have been added to it. Where does the sewage go after it is flushed and which rivers and lakes are polluted by it?
Humans need comfortable temperatures, light, electricity, hot water, food, sewage treatment, etc. These necessities are all available within the framework of a certain "rhythm" in the Earthship. The more we are able to align our priorities and needs with the prevailing rhythms of the planet, the easier and less expensive (both in terms of economics and ecology) they will be to obtain.
If our lifestyles can conform more to the patterns of the planet than to our socioeconomic system, we can reduce the stress on both ourselves and the planet. This is easier said than done due to the "reality" and the "gravity" of mortgage payments, utility bills and the generally high cost of eating and living. Most of us have no choice. We have to be places at certain times looking certain ways in order to make the money needed to make those payments. However, many people have built Earthships themselves and ended up with little to no mortgage payment. They also have little or no utility bills and their ability to grow food year-round inside the Earthship has greatly affected what they have to spend on packaged, processed foods.
The condition of our planet tells us we must now begin to take responsibility for what happens beyond the reach of our fingertips. We must begin to reconsider the source of these utilities, our access to them, and how we dispose of the waste produced. The mechanical systems of the Earthship confront these issues directly. We call this direct living. Source, access and destination are all contained within the Earthship, within the reach of our fingertips. There is no mystery involved in Earthship electricity. There is no unknown source of water. There is no magical black hole that sucks up all our sewage. Instead, we work in harmony with the earth to deal with these issues - taking what it has to give us directly and giving back what it wants to receive. With this harmony ringing in our minds we evolve the Earthship Systems.
Earthship Biotecture, based in Taos, NM, USA is a global company offering proven, totally sustainable designs, construction drawings & details, products, educational materials, lectures / presentations, consultation & guidance toward getting people in sustainable housing.
From single family to colony / community / city complexes.
The Earthship is a completely independent globally oriented dwelling unit.
The Eartship is made from materials that are indigenous to the entire planet.
The Earthship has been designed to reduce our impact on the planet and increase our connection to it
The Earthship utilizes recycled and low embodied energy materials, passive solar heating and cooling, photovoltaic power system, catchwater, solar hot water, gray water and black water treatment systems.
Water: Earthships catch water from the sky (rain & snow melt) and uses it four times. Water is heated from the sun and/or natural gas. Earthships can have city water as backup.
Electricity: Earthships produce their own electricity with a prepackaged photovoltaic / wind power system. This energy is stored in batteries and supplied to your electrical outlets. Earthships can have multiple sources of power, all automated, including grid-intertie.
Sewage: Earthships contain use and reuse all household sewage in indoor and outdoor treatment cells resulting in food production and landscaping with no pollution of aquifers. Toilets flush with greywater that does not smell.
Comfort: Earthships maintain comfortable temperatures in any climate. The planet Earth is a thermally stabilizing mass that delivers temperature without wire or pipes. The sun is a nuclear power plant that also delivers without wires or pipes.
Different climates around the world require different designs for the home to interact with these two sources of temperature.
The outer few feet of the earth heat up and cool off in response to surface weather. However, deeper in the earth, about four feet and beyond, the temperature is more constant (around 58 degrees). Here, the earth can be used to both cool and stabilize temperature if the home is appropriately designed.
Earthships are thermal mass homes first, passive solar homes second. Therefore, the layout and design of the Earthship can be completely customized to look like any conventional home, and still be sustainable.
The "generic" earthship designs are what works the best, both in terms of economics and energy efficiency.
Because of the way Earthships interact with the sun and the earth, little to no fossil fuels are required to maintain a comfortable, stable temperature in any climate.
Warmth
If you want heat, you admit the sun. The sun heats the mass, the mass stores the heat and the insulation won't let it escape. The more mass, the more storage capacity. When there is no sun, the heat stored in the mass radiates into the space, for heat travels to the cooler direction.
Coolness
If you want coolness, you admit the cooler earth temperature and block the sun. The cool mass of the earth connects with the mass of the shelter, is absorbed into the shelter mass and leaks into the living space. This is like hooking a big battery (the earth) up to a smaller battery (the shelter). The thermal mass of both the earth and shelter is a storage battery for temperature.
Insulation & Thermal Mass
In recent years humans have recognized the fact that insulation can help keep temperature in a shelter. Insulation, however, neither collects nor stores temperature. It simply blocks the passage of temperature from inside to out and visa versa.
Good insulation has millions of tiny air spaces. The presence of air spaces tends to slow up the movement of temperature by causing it to pass from air space to air space as opposed to moving easily through unobstructed dense mass.
Dense mass both collects and stores temperature like a jar holds marbles. Examples of dense mass are stone, water, compacted earth, or concrete. There is a major difference between mass and insulation and this difference is not very clearly understood. Dense means no voids or air spaces. The more dense the mass the more temperature it holds. This density actually acts as a conduit for temperature.
The people made shelter by assembling pieces one at a time. They put pieces together around themselves not upon themselves Soon they had created shelter around themselves They were in shelter The people also found happiness by manifesting it piece at a time They manifest happiness all around themselves not for themselves Soon they had created happiness all around themselves They were in happiness Both shelter and happiness can be achieved by focusing outside of self.
We are simply adapting our needs to the already existing activities of the planet.
Why pipe water long distances from a centralized community water system, or from an expensive well that needs significant electrical power, depletes aquifers and lowers the water table, when water fall from the sky?
Why have a corporate or political "middle man" between us and our energy needs? our vessel (home) must be designed to sail with the forces that exist beyond human control and exploitation.
An understanding of mechanical systems for most humans is limited to what is within reach of their fingertips. It is understood that when you flip a switch on the wall, a light comes on. when you turn on the faucet, hot water comes out. When you pull the handle on the toilet, it flushes. Little though is given to where the electricity comes from or what kind of nuclear waste was produced to generate it. how many of us even know where the power plant is that supplies our power. Few people ever wonder which water table is depleted to bring them water and what chemicals have been added to it. Where does the sewage go after it is flushed and which rivers and lakes are polluted by it?
Humans need comfortable temperatures, light, electricity, hot water, food, sewage treatment, etc. These necessities are all available within the framework of a certain "rhythm" in the Earthship. The more we are able to align our priorities and needs with the prevailing rhythms of the planet, the easier and less expensive (both in terms of economics and ecology) they will be to obtain.
If our lifestyles can conform more to the patterns of the planet than to our socioeconomic system, we can reduce the stress on both ourselves and the planet. This is easier said than done due to the "reality" and the "gravity" of mortgage payments, utility bills and the generally high cost of eating and living. Most of us have no choice. We have to be places at certain times looking certain ways in order to make the money needed to make those payments. However, many people have built Earthships themselves and ended up with little to no mortgage payment. They also have little or no utility bills and their ability to grow food year-round inside the Earthship has greatly affected what they have to spend on packaged, processed foods.
The condition of our planet tells us we must now begin to take responsibility for what happens beyond the reach of our fingertips. We must begin to reconsider the source of these utilities, our access to them, and how we dispose of the waste produced. The mechanical systems of the Earthship confront these issues directly. We call this direct living. Source, access and destination are all contained within the Earthship, within the reach of our fingertips. There is no mystery involved in Earthship electricity. There is no unknown source of water. There is no magical black hole that sucks up all our sewage. Instead, we work in harmony with the earth to deal with these issues - taking what it has to give us directly and giving back what it wants to receive. With this harmony ringing in our minds we evolve the Earthship Systems.
Earthship Biotecture, based in Taos, NM, USA is a global company offering proven, totally sustainable designs, construction drawings & details, products, educational materials, lectures / presentations, consultation & guidance toward getting people in sustainable housing.
From single family to colony / community / city complexes.
Cohousing
What Is Cohousing?
Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods.
Cohousing residents are consciously committed to living as a community. The physical design encourages both social contact and individual space. Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes, but residents also have access to extensive common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground and a common house.
Old-fashioned sense of neighborhood
Cohousing communities are usually designed as attached or single-family homes along one or more pedestrian streets or clustered around a courtyard. They range in size from 7 to 67 residences, the majority of them housing 20 to 40 households. Regardless of the size of the community, there are many opportunities for casual meetings between neighbors, as well as for deliberate gatherings such as celebrations, clubs and business meetings.
The common house is the social center of a community, with a large dining room and kitchen, lounge, recreational facilities, children’s spaces, and frequently a guest room, workshop and laundry room. Communities usually serve optional group meals in the common house at least two or three times a week.
The need for community members to take care of common property builds a sense of working together, trust and support. Because neighbors hold a commitment to a relationship with one another, almost all cohousing communities use consensus as the basis for group decision-making.
What makes cohousing communities unique
The cohousing idea originated in Denmark, and was promoted in the U.S. by architects Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett in the early 1980s. The Danish concept of “living community” has spread quickly. Worldwide, there are now hundreds of cohousing communities, expanding from Denmark into the U.S, Canada, Australia, Sweden, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria and elsewhere.
In a cohousing community, you know who lives six houses down because you eat common meals with them, decide how to allocate homeowners dues and gratefully accept a ride from them when your car’s in the shop. You begin to trust them enough to leave your 4-year-old with them. You listen to what they have to say, even if you don’t agree with them at first, and you sense that you, too, are being heard.
Cohousing residents generally aspire to “improve the world, one neighborhood at a time.” This desire to make a difference often becomes a stated mission, as the websites of many communities demonstrate. For example, at Sunward Cohousing near Ann Arbor, MI, the goal is to create a place “where lives are simplified, the earth is respected, diversity is welcomed, children play together in safety, and living in community with neighbors comes naturally.” At Winslow Cohousing near Seattle, the aim is to have “a minimal impact on the earth and create a place in which all residents are equally valued as part of the community.” At EcoVillage at Ithaca, NY, the site of two adjoining cohousing neighborhoods, the goal is “to explore and model innovative approaches to ecological and social sustainability.”
Many other communities have visions that focus specifically on the value of building community. Sonora Cohousing in Tucson, AZ, seeks “a diversity of backgrounds, ages and opinions, with our one shared value being the commitment to working out our problems and finding consensus solutions that satisfy all members.” Tierra Nueva Cohousing in Oceano, CA, exists “because each of us desires a greater sense of community, as well as strong interaction with and support from our neighbors.”
What are the 6 Defining Characteristics of Cohousing?
1. Participatory process. Future residents participate in the design of the community so that it meets their needs. Some cohousing communities are initiated or driven by a developer. In those cases, if the developer brings the future resident group into the process late in the planning, the residents will have less input into the design. A well-designed, pedestrian-oriented community without significant resident participation in the planning may be “cohousing-inspired,” but it is not a cohousing community.2. Neighborhood design. The physical layout and orientation of the buildings (the site plan) encourage a sense of community. For example, the private residences are clustered on the site, leaving more shared open space. The dwellings typically face each other across a pedestrian street or courtyard, with cars parked on the periphery. Often, the front doorway of every home affords a view of the common house. What far outweighs any specifics, however, is the intention to create a strong sense of community, with design as one of the facilitators.
3. Common facilities. Common facilities are designed for daily use, are an integral part of the community, and are always supplemental to the private residences. The common house typically includes a common kitchen, dining area, sitting area, children's playroom and laundry, and also may contain a workshop, library, exercise room, crafts room and/or one or two guest rooms. Except on very tight urban sites, cohousing communities often have playground equipment, lawns and gardens as well. Since the buildings are clustered, larger sites may retain several or many acres of undeveloped shared open space.
4. Resident management. Residents manage their own cohousing communities, and also perform much of the work required to maintain the property. They participate in the preparation of common meals, and meet regularly to solve problems and develop policies for the community.
5. Non-hierarchical structure and decision-making. Leadership roles naturally exist in cohousing communities, however no one person (or persons) has authority over others. Most groups start with one or two “burning souls.” As people join the group, each person takes on one or more roles consistent with his or her skills, abilities or interests. Most cohousing groups make all of their decisions by consensus, and, although many groups have a policy for voting if the group cannot reach consensus after a number of attempts, it is rarely or never necessary to resort to voting.
6. No shared community economy. The community is not a source of income for its members. Occasionally, a cohousing community will pay one of its residents to do a specific (usually time-limited) task, but more typically the work will be considered that member's contribution to the shared responsibilities.
Hearthstone, an urban cohousing community in North Denver, CO, offers a nurturing environment in which to raise children.
http://www.cohousing.org/
Intentional Community & ecovillages
Intentional Community is an inclusive term for ecovillages, cohousing, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives, alternative communities, and other projects where people strive together with a common vision.
What is an Ecovillage?
Introduction
Ecovillages are urban or rural communities of people, who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life. To achieve this, they integrate various aspects of ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production, alternative energy, community building practices, and much more. |  |  |
| Findhorn, Scotland | HuehueCoyotl, Mexico | Thlolego, South Africa |
Background
The motivation for ecovillages is the choice and commitment to reverse the gradual disintegration of supportive social/cultural structures and the upsurge of destructive environmental practices on our planet.
For millenia, people have lived in communities close to nature, and with supportive social structures. Many of these communities, or "ecovillages", exist to this day and are struggling for survival.
Ecovillages are now being created intentionally, so people can once more live in communities that are connected to the Earth in a way that ensures the well-being of all life-forms into the indefinite future.
Ecovillages are one solution to the major problems of our time - the planet is experiencing the limits to growth, and our lives are often lacking meaningful content. According to increasing numbers of scientists, we have to learn to live sustainably if we are to survive as a species. The United nations launched its Global Environment Outlook 2000 report, based on reports from UN agencies, 850 individuals and over 30 environmental institutes, concluding that "the present course is unsustainable and postponing action is no longer an option."
Ecovillages, by endeavoring for lifestyles which are "successfully continuable into the indefinite future", are living models of sustainability, and examples of how action can be taken immediately. They represent an effective, accessible way to combat the degradation of our social, ecological and spiritual environments. They show us how we can move toward sustainability in the 21st century (Agenda 21).
In 1998, ecovillages were first officially named among the United Nations' top 100 listing of Best Practices, as excellent models of sustainable living.
Ecovillages typically build on various combinations of three dimensions:
Social/Community
The social dimension of an ecovillage
Ecovillages are communities in which people feel supported by and responsible to those around them. They provide a deep sense of belonging to a group. They are small enough that everyone feels safe, empowered, seen and heard. People are then able to participate in making decisions that effect their own lives and that of the community on a transparent basis.
| Community means: |
- Recognizing and relating to others
- Sharing common resources and providing mutual aid
- Emphasizing holistic and preventive health practices
- Providing meaningful work and sustenance to all members
- Integrating marginal groups
- Promoting unending education
- Encouraging unity through respect for differences
- Fostering cultural expression
"Among intentional communities, the more socially motivated ones are reacting to the alienation of the individual due to institutionalization of traditional support functions, the breakdown of the family, and the marginalization of the weaker members of society. They tend to emphasize re-establishing "community" and are closely associated to the co-housing movement. The latter is closer to the mainstream and represents the easiest first step for many."
Ecological
The ecological dimension of an ecovillage
Ecovillages allow people to experience their personal connection to the living earth. People enjoy daily interaction with the soil, water, wind, plants and animals. They provide for their daily needs - food, clothing, shelter - while respecting the cycles of nature.
Ecology means:
- Growing food as much as possible within the community bio-region
- supporting organic food production there
- Creating homes out of locally adapted materials
- Using village-based integrated renewable energy systems
- Protecting biodiversity
- Fostering ecological business principles
- Assessing the life cycle of all products used in the ecovillage from a social and spiritual as well as an ecological point of view
- Preserving clean soil, water and air through proper energy and waste management
- Protecting nature and safeguarding wilderness areas
Culture/Spirituality
The Cultural/Spiritual dimension of an ecovillage
Most ecovillages do not place an emphasis on particular spiritual practices as such, but in their own ways ecovillages respect and support - the Earth and all living beings on it; cultural and artistic enrichment and expression; and spiritual diversity.
Cultural and spiritual vitality means:
- Shared creativity, artistic expression, cultural activities, rituals and celebrations
- Sense of community unityand mutual support
- Respect and support for spirituality manifesting in many ways
- Shared vision and agreements that express commitments, cultural heritage and the uniqueness of each community
- Flexibility and successful responsiveness to difficulties that arise
- Understanding of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all the elements of life on Earth and the community's place in and relation to the whole
- Creation of a peaceful, loving, sustainable world
http://www.ecovillage.org/