Common Ground

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=170 BGCOLOR="#A6CAF0" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="35f77aa1eezzsc.jpg"> <div> <B>WindSong Cohousing Community</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WindSong Cohousing Community"><U><B>WindSong Home</B></U></A><B>  /  </B><A HREF="http://www.cohousing.ca" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.cohousing.ca"><U><B>Canadian Cohousing Network</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="social_life.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Social Life"><U><B>Social Life</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="neighbourhood.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Neighbourhood"><U><B>Neighbourhood</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="our_homes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Homes"><U><B>Our Homes</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="business.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Homebased Business"><U><B>Home-based Business</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="management.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Community Management"><U><B>Community Management</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="decisions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meetings Decisions"><U><B>Meetings & Decisions</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="construction.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Construction"><U><B>Construction</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="media.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Media"><U><B>Media</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="homes_sales.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Homes For Sale"><U><B>Homes For Sale</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="photos.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photos"><U><B>Photos</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="tours.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tours"><U><B>Tours</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="location.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Location"><U><B>Location</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id113.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Calendar"><U><B>Calendar</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="contacts.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contacts"><U><B>Contacts</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=80 BGCOLOR="#A6CAF0" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=292 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#A6CAF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div> -----------------------------------------------------------------------</div> <div> <A HREF="id115.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Province"><U>The Province</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id106.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WindSong Marks Its 10th Anniversary"><U>WindSong Marks Its 10th Anniversary</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CBC Radio Ideas"><U>CBC Radio - Ideas</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Canadian Geographic"><U>Canadian Geographic</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="National Post"><U>National Post</U></A>   |   <B>Common Ground</B>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SFU Peak"><U>SFU Peak</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vancouver Courier"><U>Vancouver Courier</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Swarthmore College"><U>Swarthmore College</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Georgia Straight"><U>Georgia Straight</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Real Estate Weekly"><U>Real Estate Weekly</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advance News"><U>Advance News</U></A></div> <div> <B>Common Ground</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> var sc_project=1576551; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=14; var sc_security="f451f53e"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/frames.js"></script><noscript><a href="http://www.statcounter.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://c15.statcounter.com/counter.php?sc_project=1576551&java=0&security=f451f53e&invisible=1" alt="best tracker" border="0"></a> </noscript>  <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-1871484-1"; urchinTracker(); </script></div> <div> This article appeared in the <B>April 2003 </B>issue of <B>Common Ground.  </B>The (full) original article can be found at <A HREF="http://www.commonground.ca/iss/0304141/dauncey.shtml" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.commonground.ca/iss/0304141/d"><U>commonground</U></A>.ca</div> <bR> <div> <B>Living in Harmony</B></div> <div> <B>Earth's New Season </B></div> <div> <I><B>by Guy Dauncey</B></I></div> <div> There may be war in Iraq, global warming all around us, and cruel poverty that persists in the world’s most prosperous nations and yet amid it all, we have to go on living. For as long as we have been mammals, humans have lived in close, neighbourly, mammalian villages, helping and supporting each other through life’s challenges. Today, a new movement is emerging that restores this sense of closeness, while preserving the privacy we have come to cherish. Among other things, it creates child-friendly, car-free spaces, and helps us to share many resources, living in closer harmony with nature on a smaller ecological footprint. I am handing my column over this month to people who share one of my many dreams for making this Earth a more beautiful, caring place. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Living in Community</B></div> <div> <I><B>by Gerry Kilgannon and Val McIntyre</B></I></div> <div> Several years ago, a group of people from different walks of life with no building experience formed a development company to oversee the design, financing, and construction of a five million dollar cohousing project in Burnaby. The result was Cranberry Commons, an urban village built to meet its residents’ needs, respect the Earth’s limits, and create a friendly, caring, multi-generational neighbourhood. Solar panels, in-floor radiant heating, rainwater collection, composting, recycling, reduced automobile use, and shared resources all contribute to making this a more environmentally friendly way to live.</div> <div> Cranberry Commons is one of five completed cohousing communities in BC, with more in development. Cohousing is not government subsidized, and tends to be slightly costlier than normal housing due to the added quality, environmental features and common amenities. </div> <div> Cohousing enthusiasts start by defining their vision of a good home and a good lifestyle. This often involves a desire for honest relationships, mutual support, sharing, and a respect for privacy. They translate their dream into reality using consensus to reach creative decisions that respect everyone’s needs. Along the way, they develop effective communication and conflict resolution skills, self-responsibility, and a strong feeling of community.</div> <div> Each community is unique, depending on its members, location and design. Urban communities tend toward apartment and townhouse designs, while rural communities may include clustered single family homes. They all tend to include jointly owned common amenities such as a dining room, kitchen, lounge, guestroom, playroom, workshop, laundry, office space and community gardens, within a pedestrian, car-free design. </div> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=18 BGCOLOR="#A6CAF0" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>