Three Groves Ecovillage

"Happy Movie" Screening Generated Interest in TGE

The screening of the Happy Movie at Dansko this last Saturday was attended by more than 70 people.  The uplifting and inspiring movie explores the relatively recent science of "Happiness."  The bottom line is that although 50% of happiness is genetic, only 10% comes from external factors such as money and prestige wherease 40% comes from internal factors that are completely in each individual's control. 

KEY POINTS

• Connectedness: strong relationships with friends, family and community make people happier.
• Generosity: giving increases happiness.
• Novelty: breaking out of routine makes people happier.
• Play: people who experience physical aerobic exercise are happier.
• Flow: engaging in a fully absorbing hobby makes people happier.
• Health and Longevity: people who are happy are healthier and even live longer.
• The formula for happiness is not the same for everyone, but research shows that almost everyone can become happier.

 

To top it off, the movie highlighted how living in a cohousing or ecovillage community helps people become happier by promoting many of the points above.

Afterwards it was fun talking to all the people interested in joining TGE!

 

February is going to be GREAT!

February is going to be Great! We can feel it in our bones...hey, you know it's not the cold we feel in our bones; we just haven't had much winter weather.

Yesterday evening, we got our Conditional Use Approval, and if you had only been there for this meeting, you would think it was an quick-and-easy process. In reality, we've been progressing towards this for a couple years now, working together with the township, and developing understanding. London Grove has been very fair, and a delight to work with, but as with all processes, it takes some time. This milestone is now behind us, and it is onward to Land Planning.

We also signed on our 10th member household yesterday evening. Welcome to Victor, Celeste, Sophia, Issac, and Xena. Get to meet them yourselves at the bottom of the page here, or at our next events.

Be sure to keep up with the calendar. We have a showing of The Happy Movie, and a Dessert at Greenable coming later this month. It's going to be busy...as long as winter doesn't show up!

 

To Build Community, an Economy of Gifts by Charles Eisenstein — YES! Magazine

"Wherever I go and ask people what is missing from their lives, the most common answer (if they are not impoverished or seriously ill) is "community." What happened to community, and why don't we have it any more? There are many reasons—the layout of suburbia, the disappearance of public space, the automobile and the television, the high mobility of people and jobs—and, if you trace the "whys" a few levels down, they all implicate the money system."

via www.yesmagazine.org

Hmmmm....maybe what we need is an Ecovillage. Seriously, there are some great ideas in this article that we can implement now, like the Gift Circle.

Home Ownership with a Friend

We know a lot of folks thinking creatively about how they can own a home in today's market. As with anything, you need a plan, and sometimes you need to think outside the box. Some folks have asked us if we would mind if friends purchased a home in Three Groves together. We think that's a great idea, but not knowing all the ins and outs in these situations, we did a little research.

We found an article that discusses some of the things one needs to think about when considering making a joint purchase with someone who is not your spouse. Not that we all like to think about these things, but what if one person dies, or wants to sell? We hope you find this article by Sirkin and Associates as informative as we did.

Winning the battle for the home of the future

European utilities may soon have to earn a growing share of their profits by helping households save energy rather than consume it. This interesting study outlines the changing dynamics of energy consumption that will create a new paradigm in the power industry in Europe. It will be interesting to watch what happens in Europe; the United States will no doubt experience similar challenges.

Download McKinsey Quarterly_ The Online Journal of McKinsey & Company