Posts Tagged ‘California’
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
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The NBC Today show did a feature on the top 5 friendliest cities in the country and Davis, California made the list in part due to being the home of cohousing and the first city with a city-wide network of bike paths. The article doesn't say much about cohousing but the video does.
Davis is where cohousing was founded, where the first young hippies wanted to live in a circle around a community center and love each other and that tone has permeated that whole city and housing market.
Ok so its not the most accurate description of the birth of cohousing in the US but at least its positive.
Read the article
See the video (Davis starts around 2:45 in)
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Related Posts Tags: California, cohousing, Davis
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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
NPR recently did a three part series on a spiritual community from the 60s called The Source. The Source originated as one of the first natural foods restaurant and grew into a spiritual commune with an ex-marine turned charismatic leader called Father Yod.
Founded by ex-Marine Jim Baker nearly four decades ago, the restaurant quickly drew Hollywood's creative elite; John Lennon, Warren Beatty and Paul Mazursky were regulars. Other young men and women from across the country flocked there in search of something "cosmic," and many never left.
Before and after hours, in meditation classes, Source employees were becoming a spiritual family.
Eventually, around 30 staff members and regulars moved into a mansion together in Griffith Park. In their first year at the "Mother House," the family expanded to nearly 200.
Baker, too, was transforming, from his old self to spiritual leader Father Yod. It was the dawn of a new way of life.
The three part series includes over 20 minutes of audio as well as a slideshow and some interesting notes from the reporter who got swept up in the Source reunion:
Even after the Source reunion I'd attended was over, I couldn't wake up after sunrise. Alone at home, I took up the predawn meditation routine Father Yod developed in the '70s: breathing exercises, followed by chanting and a carefully brewed cup of coffee. After a few weeks, I started noticing a shift in my mental state. Father Yod's teachings unexpectedly began to resonate. Suddenly, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to stop eating meat. So I did.
All in all a fascinating look at communal history.
Listen and read the NPR story on the historic commune The Source.
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Related Posts Tags: California, communes, NPR, The Source
Posted in News Articles, Podcasts | No Comments »
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
The Sacramento NewsReview reports that Sycamore Village Cohousing is facing some resistance from neighbors as it tries to get its plan approved by the local authorities.
Despite its impeccable transit-oriented, environmentally friendly green design, plans for Sycamore Village were rejected in January 2007 by the Orangevale Community Planning Advisory Committee following complaints from area residents.
When it comes down to it, the real problem may be an entrenched Not In My Back Yard philosophy that has little to do with rational argument. Rick Mockler, of Cohousing Partners, likens the NIMBY attitude of cohousing detractors to the way many people feel about mass transit—they support the idea of public transportation, so long as they can continue driving their cars.
Sacramento already has one completed cohousing community with others in nearby Davis. Sycamore villages plan have a lot going for them:
Cohousing is usually situated within walking distance to schools and centers of commerce, and sustainability is at the center of its design. Within a quarter mile of Sycamore Village are a school, grocery store, fire station, fitness center, medical facility, dentist, restaurant, gas station and bus stop. The houses will be built with bamboo flooring, cellulose insulation and recycled decking; the grounds will include organic garden patches, permaculture landscaping and compost heaps. In other words, this project is the very definition of smart growth with a limited carbon footprint.
It sounds like they are working closely with neighbors to resolve concerns and we are hopeful they can work it all out to everyone's benefit.
Read the article.
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Related Posts Tags: California, cohousing, NIMBY, Sacramento, Sycamore Village Cohousing
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Friday, December 14th, 2007
Well they aren't using the term ecovillage yet but San Francisco is debating what to do with Treasure Island, a human made island in the SF Bay with a now-defunct naval base. One idea is to turn it into a sustainable city. The plan calls for a car-free island with organic farms and natural waste water treatment.
Read the article at GreenDaily.
Read an article at gliving.tv.
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Related Posts Tags: California, San Francisco, Treasure Island
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Saturday, December 1st, 2007
A woman from The Family community near San Diego, CA lost custody of her 5 year old son after she was accused of being part of a "notorious sex cult".
Read the article and watch the video.
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Related Posts Tags: California, custody, San Diego, The Family
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Wednesday, November 21st, 2007
According to an article in the Auburn Journa;, the city council of Auburn, CA is proposing to set aside some property for cohousing.
This is likely the work of Auburn Cohousing but the article never mentions them.
Read the Article
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Related Posts Tags: Auburn, California, cohousing
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