Three Groves Ecovillage

TGE Goes to our Zoning Hearing-- WE NEED YOU June 28, 2010!

If you support Three Groves Ecovillage, this is the single-most import thing you can do for us all year! Come to the London Grove Township Zoning Hearing on June 28, 7PM at the London Grove Township Building (372 Rosehill Road, West Grove PA).

We have reached a major milestone in all that behind-the-scenes paperwork that one must do when building a community. We have a Zoning Amendment in final form to go to a Zoning Hearing. We want to create an Ecovillage zoning definition that can be used by us and by any future Ecovillages in the Township. Some of the Key Highlights are that it would allow an Ecovillage to:

• Cluster homes to keep more open space to be used by the community.
•  Keep vehicles to the outside edges of the community to foster more interaction between neighbors as we walk to our homes and to create a safe space for children to play.
•  Construct a "Common House" or Clubhouse as a part of the community.
•  Set a high bar for building Ecovillages in a green manner (LEED Gold or better and HERS (Home Energy Rating System) 50 or better).
•  Use a higher density to make this financially feasible.

So where do you come in? On June 28, 7PM at the London Grove Township Building (372 Rose Hill Road, West Grove PA). We need all the supporters we can gather to come to the hearing and be willing to be counted amongst our fans. We especially need you if you reside in London Grove, but even if you don’t, please come. The more people present and in favor of our project, the better we think things will go. The Board of Supervisor (the folks who will be voting at the end of the Hearing) are elected officials, and as such, listen to the voices of their constituents.

We will be sending out reminders to our email distribution and Facebook as we get closer, but please put it on your calendar now. Your presence would help us out a lot.

In the News Again

Here we are, in the news again. The article very nicely describes our design concepts and plans. See us here at the Chester County Press page 3A, or a  copy stored on our own website.

Mount Eden Ecovillage -- Washington NJ

We're so excited to have another ecovillage starting up near here. If you have been following us, but think Chester County is a little too far away for you, Mount Eden might be the spot for you.

SAVE THE DATE!

 

The official introduction of the Mount Eden Ecovillage project will be held in conjunction with the Annual Kindred Spirits Fair and Music Festival, a two-day event:

 

Saturday, May 22 - 10:00am to 8:00pm
Sunday, May 23 - 10:00am to 6:00pm

 

Location: Mount Eden Retreat Center
56 Millpond Road, Washington, NJ 07882
(this is the proposed site of the ecovillage ... come see it!)

 

The website for our project has just been launched:

 

http://www.MountEdenEcovillage.org

 

 

Mount Eden Ecovillage is part of a growing global movement for a more sustainable human culture.

 

Ecovillages are communities which strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life. To achieve this, they incorporate various aspects of ecological design, cohousing, permaculture, green building, alternative energy, and much more.

 

The 189-acre Mount Eden property is located on the top of a bucolic hill, but it is by no means remote or inaccessible. It has good proximity to nearby Washington Township and is close to Interstate highways 78, 80, and 287 (so travel time is only about an hour to Newark Airport, the NJ Turnpike, and the Holland Tunnel into New York City).

 

Initial plans are to build 35 very green residences and an organic farm. In addition, there is room on the land for recreational facilities, an existing retreat center, and future expansion.

 

For more information about Mount Eden:
dlmounteden [at] gmail.com

 

(Delane)
ecovillager [at] msn.com  (Steve) 609-443-6782

 

*  *  *  *  *  *

 

The Kindred Spirits Fair and Music Festival brings in over 1000 people from all around New Jersey and the region. It has taken place at the Mount Eden Retreat Center for over 16 years. During that time it has grown into a remarkable and colorful celebration of life and a wonderful opportunity for networking, learning and sharing the pleasures of coming together in peace and harmony.

 

The two-day event features a full line-up of workshops, speakers, musical groups and hands-on demonstrations, including:
. 100 vendors offering quality hand-made crafted items, health foods, jewelry, mind-body-spirit services, and more.
. 189 acres of private grounds with trails to be explored.
. A variety of special children's programs.
. Delicious natural and organic food vendors serving from morning into the night.
. A ceremony of world peace with flags of nearly 200 countries represented.
. Music throughout the weekend.

 

For more information about the Fair:
Call: Experience Nirvana - 908-996-7536
Facebook under Kindred Spirits Fair

Groundbreaking at Goddard Park

Take a look who is pictured in this article by Nancy Johnson of the Chester County Press: it's our very own Steve Ford and his grandson. Click on the image, look carefully, and you will see that Steve is wearing his Three Groves T Shirt! This park will be located right across the street from Three Groves, and we will be helping with the park any way we can.

"This time next year you'll see an actual park here!" insists Mike Pickel proudly. As chairman of London Grove Township's Parks and Recreation Board he was among the group gathered on a dreary Sunday afternoon, April 25 for Goddard Park's groundbreaking ceremony at Wickerton and State roads.

The rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits though; as they were there to celebrate a goal that was finally realized through the hard work of many and generosity of others. London Grove Township's 125-acre community park, to be known as Goddard Park, will be developed in phases as funding becomes available. The Township received a $250,000 grant from Chester County and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that must be used before December 31, 2010. It is hoped in the first phase that the grant money will cover walking trails, a parking lot, and a playground. As more funds become available other facilities such as a dog park, amphitheater, pavilion, community garden, and playing fields may be added.

“We want the park to eventually have something for everyone,” explains Pickel. “We decided it should start with the kids. The playground is going to be really big!”

It took more than a decade of the collaborative efforts of community members, London Grove Township supervisors and the Parks and Recreation Board to make the park a reality. “An awful lot of the work was behind the scenes,” emphasizes Pickel.

In his introductory comments, Chairman of the London Grove Township Board of Supervisors David Eckerd acknowledged all those who have worked tirelessly on the project. “The supervisors give it direction, but it’s another group that puts the tires to the road – the Parks and Recreation Board.” He then noted, “But it would not be here if not for the fabulous gift of the Goddards.”

Connie Alegranti, a past Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, gave a brief history lesson on the birth of Goddard Park. Alegranti, who shows promise as both a negotiator and a comedian began, “When we first decided we wanted a park we had great needs, but no money.”

She relayed the story of how Steve and Marna Goddard approached her and another supervisor, Lou Kaplan, with a very intriguing offer. The Goddards promised to donate 40 acres to the Township for a park if they could accumulate another 40 contiguous acres. Alegranti had the crowd chuckling when she added, “Oh, and another thing, they told us we couldn’t tell anybody about it!”

Over a period of time, they acquired several parcels for the park, but ironically the most difficult to acquire was the smallest – a 6.5-acre piece between two of the other parcels. When they finally had the last piece in their puzzle, Alegranti went back to the Goddards who were true to their word and made arrangements to donate 40-acres.

Throughout the process, the Township has had expert guidance from consultants in a number of areas. Present at the groundbreaking were landscape architect Denise Husband, John Gaadt who was responsible for the park site master plan, and David Sweet who was involved with grants for the project.

“We owned land on both sides of the creek,” Marna Goddard explains. “We thought it would be a shame to have houses there and it certainly wouldn’t be a good thing for the creek. That’s when we first thought about offering the land to the Township for a park. But 40 acres isn’t enough for a park, so we came up with our plan.”

Steve Goddard concurs and adds, “One key word in our proposal was contiguous. The land the Township acquired all had to connect.”

This article is reproduced from the Chester County Press

New Green Mortgage Blog

One of our favorite bankers, John Lodise from Bryn Mawr Trust, has just started a Mortgage Blog. His first topic is the Energy Efficient Mortgage, also known as a Green Mortgage. How appropriate! I'll be sure to add this to our Resource Page, too. Follow along with John as he explores this topic that will be near and dear to all of us.

Three Groves Tee Shirts

As part of our effort to get the word out, we’re going to start having Three Groves Ecovillage tee shirts available. They are medium-weight organic cotton, grown in Texas, pieced in North Carolina, and printed in Florida. The dyes are vegetable dyes, and the cotton is unbleached. The best part was that when I opened the first box of them, there was no chemical smell. I’m the kind of person who can’t abide the smell of most new clothing and I have to wash it before I ever wear it. Not these.

We’ll be offering these at the fairs where we have a table, $10 cash or check only. This is our cost because in truth, our goal is to get you to wear and enjoy the shirt, not to make a profit….OK, OK, we want you to wear our advertising, too. Until we see how this goes, we’ll order small quantities of adult sizes (S – 3XL) to have on hand, but if there is demand for children’s sizes, we can order more of those in later batches. One thing I learned from my sister was that you should not order several hundred tee shirts at once without a good plan to move them. (On the bright side, no one in the family bought tee shirts for years.)
Please find us at our next event (check the calendar) and get your Three Groves Ecovillage tee shirt to wear often and proudly.

MAC Spring 2010 Cohousing Tour

Saturday May 15, 2010
In the Washington DC area.

Mid Atlantic Cohousing (MAC) is sponsoring a Spring Cohousing Tour of six MAC member communities in the metropolitan Washington, DC area.

Join us on a comfortable tour bus with knowledgeable guides while we tour Eastern Village, Liberty Village, Catoctin Creek Village, EcoVillage, Blueberry Hill, and back to Eastern Village. Residents of each of these communities will lead an on-site visit. Join us for an exciting day of real-life examples of neighborhood choices from urban, to suburban, to rural.

You must be 18 or older to be on the bus.

Date: Saturday, May 15th, 2010, starting at 9am, ending around 6pm.

Starting/Ending Location: Tour starts and ends at Eastern Village, near the Silver Spring Metro station. See Directions below.
Food: Included are morning coffee and tea, lunch around noon, and late afternoon snacks.
Cost: $80 per person until May 1st, $85 per person after May 1st.

Register Online.

Learn about MAC and the communities that will be visited.

Directions to Eastern Village: From 495S, go South on Georgia towards DC.  Turn right on Eastern Avenue, and EVC will be on your right. EVC is at 7981 Eastern Ave on the border between Silver Spring and DC.  It is in the section of Eastern Avenue between 16th street and Georgia Ave and more specifically on the block between Newell and 13th Streets.   It is a U-shaped building with a metal arch and a courtyard.  Walk through the courtyard to the entrance to the Common House.

Zoning change in West Grove accommodates youth center plan

Fresh off the presses at the Daily Local, the West Grove Borough Council has approved an amendment to its zoning code, opening the way for a youth activities center in midtown. This would be a great add to the community, and convenient to Three Groves.

Read More.

Membership in Three Groves Ecovillage

Now that things are well on their way, we are getting questions about what Membership in Three Groves involves. Since we are trying to build membership, it makes sense to provide a Reader’s Digest version of what is entailed. If you want the full legal document, please email us for it. Don’t worry, it’s written in English, not lawyer-ese. We do want you to read that and understand the whole thing if you are interested in becoming a member, but we’ll start simply. In addition to the Operating Agreement, we have a log of the Meeting Minutes and Decisions that is available for review.

The Financial Stuff

All Full Members of TGE become members in “Three Groves Ecovillage GP, LLC”, a Member-Managed Limited Liability Company. This membership entitles them to fully participate in decisions and design of the community and its bylaws. This entity will exist until we are ready to establish a Home Owners’ Association or Condo Association, and we will create that together. While we exist as an LLC, members will get K-1’s to apply to their personal tax returns. Since we’re not in this to make a profit, you get a loss to write off against your own income.

To apply for membership requires a Capital Contribution of $5,000, and if you want a position on the Lot Selection List, it is an additional $5,000. This is true until June 30, 2010. After that, it goes up to $8,000 and $7,000. Eventually, everyone needs to put in $25,000, but you can do that over time up until we are ready to break ground. Then it is all due. The money will be used to pay lawyers and other professionals, but at closing, the full $25,000 will be credited to you as your down payment on your home.

Other Highlights:

•    We use consensus-decision making and request that members participate actively in creating a sustainable community. We need your help.
•    We indemnify our members who are acting on our behalf.
•    We designate certain members to act as our bookkeeper and to sign contracts with outside consultants.
•    Memberships can be sold with the written consent of all other members.
•    Memberships can be terminated by the Company or the member. Capital Contributions (less $1500) may be refunded or may be treated as a loan at current Prime Rate at the discretion of the Company.
•    If we have to dissolve without building the community, loans are re-paid first and then the remainder pro-rated among members.
•    Some older members appear to have made minimal Capital Contributions to the Company. This is because they made Capital Contributions to our prior legal incarnations. We recognize this in our Meeting Minutes, but not in the LLC Operating Agreement since this money was never on the TGE LLC books.

•    Unlike a normal developer, our developer is not in this for vast amounts of profit. Monies left over at the end of the project will be split 50/50 between the developer and the homeowners. The homeowners will get rebates based on the amounts and timing of their Capital Contributions. Early money gets better rebates.

Again, If you have questions or would like the full copy, please email or call. TGE's phone number is 610-643-4411. Email link is at the top of the left margin.

TGE Open House at Dansko – What a Blast!

  We’re declaring the Three Groves Ecovillage Open House at Dansko a smashing success with almost 100 people in attendance. It was great to see so many old friends, and even more new faces. While I could wax poetically about how great I think it was, I think I’ll let Howard, one of our guests Saturday do it instead. In case you didn’t see his comment on the Invite, he wrote:

 “What a well organized, friendly and informative event! I especially liked Sandy's definition of sustainability: "a state of perpetual vitality supported by resources local to a place". His brief history of the world presentation gave the background to his point that if everyone in the world consumed the resources of Americans today, we'd need three more planets just to accommodate the population today. He did a nice job of showing how we need more good examples, such as ecovillages, for society to look to model more responsible development and consumption patterns. Sandy described how the costs have to be looked at in a broader context than just actual construction. He and Anthony did a nice job explaining how you may pay more for the unit initially, but with the goal of Net Zero Energy, it adds up to considerable savings in the long run. I was also interested when Sandy announced that his company will be starting a bank for mortgage lending to ecovillagers.

“Anthony gave an impressive description of the Three Groves Ecovillage project. Questions were answered honestly based on where the project is currently at. Add to that the great Dansko hospitality and tasty food and beverage, and it was a very impressive outreach event with a good turnout. We'll certainly be back to learn more.”

Special thanks to:
-    All the great folks at Dansko who helped with set-up, AV, food preparation and making sure the Open House ran smoothly. We didn’t even get to meet the ones hiding in the kitchen until the very end.
-    Twelves Grill for the delicious kettle chips, and platters of cheeses and hors d’oevres.
-    The Perfect Cup Café for the cookies, scones, muffins, and of course, the coffee.
-    All the friends of Three Groves for getting the word out, coming early, staying late, and putting in the extra mile to make this happen.
-    All of our guests. You asked great, thoughtful questions.
-    Howard, for unknowingly writing this blog entry, and for standing in last minute for a Q&A Panelist who had to leave before we got to the Q&A part.

OpEd in Local Papers: Who needs an Ecovillage? Perhaps many of us.

Janet recently wrote a very nice opinion editorial that was printed in the Avon Grove Sun and The Kennett Paper.  Read it at this link, or below:

Who needs an ecovillage? Perhaps many of us
Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010

By Janet H. Pelletier

As a founding member of Three Groves Ecovillage, I am one of many people working to build an Ecovillage in London Grove Township, on seven-and-a-half acres at the intersection of State and Prospect. Our group of future-homeowners has partnered with professionals to build what is not widely available on the market today: truly green residential construction. How green will our Ecovillage be, you ask? We intend to apply for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, the highest measure of green that there is. Our team of professionals is first class. Aye Partners consists of Sandy Wiggins, a leader in the Green Building revolution and expert in LEED, and Jackie O'Neil, a well-known Delaware Valley sustainability advocate. Our architect is Re:Vision Architecture, specializing in green and sustainable design. Our real estate agent is Margot Mohr Teetor of Re/Max Town and Country, a tireless dynamo with an amazing ability to connect land, homes, people and cookies. It is these people and many more who will make this Ecovillage a reality.

Who needs an Ecovillage? I believe we all do. An Ecovillage is a community that is both environmentally and socially sustainable. In many ways, it returns to the value set of an earlier generation when resources were used frugally, and you knew and supported your neighbors. Think of old-fashioned barn raisings and home-grown food. In today's era, we can apply modern technology and knowledge to using our resources wisely. And while we probably don't need to raise a barn in a suburban Ecovillage, we can still help each other in our daily lives. I would like to outline the benefits of an Ecovillage to the homeowner, the larger community, and to the environment.

Personal benefits

I care about the environment and want to "walk the talk" in my daily life, but this is bigger than that. There are real financial benefits and improvement in the quality of life to be had in owning a green home and living in a green community. In industry, where a building is often purpose-built for the future users of it, they have figured out that a small premium during construction returns huge dividends over the life of the building. For example, green buildings typically have better air quality, better use of natural light, and better noise control. In industry, a more comfortable and healthy environment translates to better employee productivity or higher tenant rates. Wouldn't I want my own home to be comfortable and healthy, too? In truth though, it still comes down to the bottom line, and green buildings are seen as being expensive.

While there can be a small premium to green construction, that has been whittled away as green becomes mainstream. With the premium minimized, homeowners should begin to think about the long-term costs of owning a home, just as industry thinks about the long-term costs of operating a facility. Costs for heating fuel, electricity, and water will all rise as the years go by. It simply makes financial sense to live in a well-insulated, efficiently heated and cooled home with water-saving fixtures. In fact, banks are beginning to realize the benefits to green homes, and some are offering "green mortgages" that are based on the idea that the monthly cost of living in a green home is lower than in a conventional home. That means that a homeowner can afford to spend more on a mortgage payment each month because things like power and water bills are lower. Our plan is to be Net Zero Energy. Quite simply, we will use solar panels to generate as much energy as we consume, feeding it the grid during peak cost periods and drawing it out at night during periods of lower cost. We anticipate getting checks back from PECO.

The last main benefit to living in an Ecovillage is more about the people, and is very exciting to me. I imagine a diverse group of people as the future owners of these homes, who are celebrated for their differences in age, income, race, religion, or anything else that makes them unique. The commonality between them all would be the desire to live in a community where people care about each other and the environment.

Think for a moment about curb-side recycling. We all know it is good to recycle-it keeps waste out of limited landfill space. But would you actually recycle if you had go to a recycling center yourself? Be honest. Many of us recycle simply because it has been made very easy for us; we have support to do it. Organizations like Weight Watchers or other support organizations also help their members to achieve a common goal. I look at an Ecovillage as being a support system for people who want to live sustainably, but can't quite figure out how to bring it all together. Would I have thrown those batteries in the trash if my community had a bin for them? Would I be willing to start a compost pile if my neighbor would help me? The possibilities build from there-rather like that old-fashioned barn-raising.

Community benefits

I believe that the community surrounding an Ecovillage can benefit by its presence, too. Besides the direct economic benefit brought by local contractors gaining work, there are indirect benefits, too. An Ecovillage like the one we envision will serve as a replicable model for green residential development. It will show the county and the country a new way of creating homes that are more comfortable, healthier, more cost effective, and beautiful. I see a village tucked into the hillside, surrounded by lush gardens of native plants. It will demonstrate an alternative to urban sprawl through wise use of clustering and open space. I think it also would help reinforce the reputation that London Grove is fostering of an environmentally-aware place to live. Finally, I think that the people who would live in the Ecovillage would also be active in the greater community, especially in support of the environment.

Benefits to the Environment

These are the benefits that have the greatest impact for future generations. An Ecovillage encourages wise use of limited resources such as land, water, and building supplies. It discourages urban sprawl by clustering homes and leaving a portion of the tract as open space. It manages storm water run-off naturally with the use of swales and permeable surfaces, keeping debris and pollutants out of our waterways. It discourages the use of toxic pesticides, cleaners or other substances that can contaminate the air, ground or waterways. The list could go on and on.

Who needs an Ecovillage? We all do.

Three Groves Ecovillage Open House at Dansko

OPEN HOUSE
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010
3-7 PM DANSKO HEADQUARTERS

Join us for an informative and fun-filled afternoon at Dansko (33 Federal Road, West Grove PA). We invite neighbors to learn about our project to build a green community, setting an international example of what sustainable living can be. We will seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, the highest LEED certification available. Come meet future residents and the developer.

• Keynote Speaker: SANDY WIGGINS
  NET ZERO ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIVE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT 4 PM
• Followed by ANTHONY AUFDENKAMPE
  THREE GROVES ECOVILLAGE PROJECT
• Q & A SESSION
  Moderated by BOB VANELLA
• TOUR OF DANSKO HEADQUARTERS
  LEED® Gold Certified Building
• WINE & CHEESE RECEPTION
• 10% DISCOUNT AT THE DANSKO COMPANY STORE

RSVP Requested: 610.643.4411 or threegrovesecovillage@gmail.com

Download and share our flyer, or use it as a poster.

Mid-Atlantic Cohousing Conference

Mid-Atlantic Cohousing and the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation present ...

Cohousing: Growing Smart Communities

A one-day conference for people passionate about community in the Mid-Atlantic Region on Saturday, March 20, 2010.

The conference is followed by Open House tours at local cohousing communities on Sunday, March 21, 2010.

Come rub shoulders, elbows and toes with the people who have created, are creating or helping others to create their cohousing community. This is YOUR local conference for those of you who are building cohousing, living in cohousing, interested in the idea, or who are professionals in the field.

When you are ready to register, go to the Registration Page.

The growing list of those committed to presenting include Zev Paiss (Keynote Speaker), Neshama Abraham, John Buck, CT Butler, Elana Kann (developer), Dene Peterson, Laird Schaub, Don Tucker (developer), Sharon Villines and Jack Wilbern (developer/architect.)

In these pages, you will find information about the upcoming conference, including presenters, workshops, time and place, how to register ... oh ... just everything!

Registration is handled through an event registration service. When you click on any of the Registration links in these pages you will leave this website. There is a link on the registration home page that will bring you back to this web site.

Please note: This is a work in progress. They are adding details to information that’s here already as well as new workshops, speakers, events, and more ... daily! Check back often here!

(Special Note: Three Groves will have a table at the Conference.)

January 2010: Paperwork, Planning and Meeting People

I know. We’ve been pretty quiet through the winter. As exciting as it is to be working our way towards building the first LEED Platinum Ecovillage in the country, there are some pretty dull parts, too. We have some excellent lawyers and civil engineers working hard on entitlements, but somehow I equate that sort of thing with doing my taxes…many pages of obscure rules, referring back to “subsection 23, paragraph 3” in a different manual that I can’t find. Our developer, who understands subsection 23 much better than I do, is pleased with our progress.

Until we can do more exciting things like design the homes or break ground, we will be working hard to meet our future neighbors and help everyone understand what Three Groves Ecovillage is. Mark your calendars now, and we will get you more information on the Open House as we have it:

March 27:  Three Groves Ecovillage Open House at Dansko. 3PM to 7PM We’re teaming up with our friends at Dansko to bring you some presentations, a tour of the Dansko LEED Gold facility, and a wine and cheese reception. Our developer Sandy Wiggins will be speaking on “Net Zero Energy and Environmentally Responsible Residential Development”, Anthony Aufdenkampe will be speaking on the status of the Three Groves Ecovillage project, and then we will have a Q&A Panel. We’ll be at the Dansko Headquarters, 33 Federal Road, West Grove, PA 19390. Free event, RSVP requested.

June 5:  London Grove Township “Green Fair and Community Day” 10AM to 2PM, Rain date is June 12.
We will be at this Educational Fair. Come learn about Composting, Lighting Pollution, Energy Efficiency, Recycling, Alternative Energy Sources, Water Conservation, Native Species, Alternative Cleaning Products and much more! Kid’s activities and Food/Beverages will be available. Free event open to the public will be held at the London Grove Township Municipal Field located adjacent to the Township Building at 372 Rose Hill Road, West Grove, PA 19390.

1/19 "LEED for Homes: Low Cost Pathways to Green w/Case Studies"

Register Now! 1/19 "LEED for Homes: Low Cost Pathways to Green w/Case Studies"

Please REGISTER NOW if you are interested to attend, to avoid disappointment.
 
If you are not yet familiar with presenter Sam Klein, he is a WEALTH of knowledge - don't miss this kick off event for the new year.   Also check out our Feb. 3 presentation by Laura Blau on Passive House.
 
"LEED for Homes: Low Cost Pathways to Green, with Case Studies"
 
5:30pm  Refreshments and Networking
6:30-8pm Presentation
 
Location:  Carpenters Hall, 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

This is a comprehensive overview of LEED for Homes including reflections from over 3 years of verifying LEED Homes. The presentation will include an examination of the costs of green building and will shed light on where the opportunities lie for low cost pathways to green. Sam will pull data from over 200 homes currently certified and over 3000 in the queue.

He will also provide an insider’s perspective on the challenges with LEED for Homes both from a process, cost, and feasibility standpoint. This presentation will be a fresh take on the rating system and is a great opportunity to get a first-hand insider’s perspective on the program.
Presenter:  Sam Klein, LEED AP, a local Quality Assurance Designee to the USGBC for MaGrann Associates. Sam has been involved with green building since 1998, including development of the Energy Star Qualified Homes program as a subcontractor of the EPA, and is currently an active member of the DVGBC Residential Circle.
 
For more details and to register: http://www.dvgbc.org/event

Design for Living, Home-Scale Permaculture -- Course offered at Heathcote Community

Design for Living, Home-Scale Permaculture Course offered at Heathcote Community

Heathcote Community, in Freeland Maryland, is offering a 7-day course in “Permaculture Design” with an additional 2-weekend Design Certificate option.  Beginning February 14th, the course meets every other weekend through June 2010.

Ecologists and authors, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, from the University of Tasmania, created the concept of Permaculture to infer permanent culture, and permanent agriculture.  The term implies a way a life that insures the survival of all earth’s species and natural resources.   Mollison’s theories evolved from childhood observations of traditional stewardship behavior of the neighboring aboriginal community. 

Using both ancient and modern knowledge, Permaculture Design mimics universal survival patterns found in nature.  As both a theory and practice, it is a system of designing human-initiated ecosystems that relate food production to other human needs (such as shelter, water, and community), bioregional resource flow and conservation. Permaculture is a frame of reference for analyzing specific human habitats and finding sustainable solutions to their inherent problems or needs.  A small-scale backyard, or large-scale farm, village or city, can be transformed into a healthy ecological human habitat.  Permaculture principles provide basic criteria for ecologically informed decision-making, suggesting limits to land development, and individual independence.

This course will appeal to anyone interested in living a more community-reliant, environmentally responsible life-style.  Class time will involve hands-on outdoor demonstrations, lecture and scale drawing (no experience necessary).  Students will apply sustainable concepts of biological diversity, water harvesting, food production, renewable energy, natural building, ecological waste management, and wilderness conservation in a design exercise for a familiar property of their own choice. 

Heathcote Community, a School of Living land trust, provides a focus for interdisciplinary study and research, illustrating practical applications of sustainable living.  To register see http://www.heathcote.org/cms/content/home-scale-permaculture-design-course-2010

For more information call 410-357-9523 or email education@heathcote.org.

Leed Materials

LEED introduces a more intricate process for dealing with energy savings.  LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, expands the opportunities to secure energy related protections. It identifies many of the interior and exterior materials in home construction. In addition it encourages the use of “green products”.  These products are manufactured in a way that minimizes impact on the environment. Or, through long-term use, will not affect the surroundings in the way standard products might. Some of the products mentioned under the Energy Star list can be found in LEED homes.  The difference is that not all Energy Star products apply, if they do not have the "green” aspect which comes from how they are manufactured or used. Many products on the market have an “environmental benefit code”, which gives information on the products relationship to the environment.  The codes seen on these materials are as follows:

(RC)recycled content, post consumer-Products that use recycled materials reduce impacts on the environment, by reusing instead of extracting and processing new materials.

Building materials using recycled content are:

Carpeting-uses old carpeting, creating new and beautiful flooring
Tile-that uses old tile or recycled glass, creating less trash in the landfills
Countertops- use recycled glass from bottles and windshields, also recycled concrete create great looking countertops
Wood- used in manufactured products such as cabinets, casework and flooring
Gypsum-can used recycled paper for manufacturing

(ES)energy savings-Products that increase the opportunity to save energy and prevent air or water infiltration.

Building materials that contribute to energy savings are:

Caulking and Sealants-Items such as sealing bathroom tile penetrations, caulking windows, doors, exterior penetrations promotes energy efficiency.
Insulation-seals air penetrations.  Insulation can be installed in fiberglass, spray foam, cellulose and recycled newsprint, sealing the thermal envelope.
Compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs-puts out high wattage but uses less energy and creates less heat.

(WS)water saving-Water efficiency products that reduce water bills, lowers sewage volumes and uses less hot water.

Building materials that use less water are:

Low flowFaucets/aerators- decreases the amount of water each time the water is run
Toilets-The newest family of high efficiency toilets now only uses about 1.3 gallons per flush
Showerhead-adds air to the water so uses less water, but feels like older showerheads with full flow.

(MC)moisture control-Moisture control products prevent water infiltration and mold spores.

Building materials that help with controlling water permeation and minimizing mold are:

Tyvek/Green Guard house wrap-increases air and water resistance, prevents moisture intrusion
Window/door wrap-eliminates leaks around windows and doors, reduces air infiltration
Caulking-close up gaps in buildings and other structures against air, water, insects and dust

(SH)sustainably harvested forest products-Promotes responsible production and consumption of forest products, protecting natural habitats.

Building materials that uses wood materials that are socially and environmentally conscious are:

Flooring-wood floors add beauty, and comfort, and bring a sustainable benefit to it. Alternative choices would be Bamboo or Cork flooring.
Lumber-products such as finger jointed lumber, glue laminated beams, wood I joists, and prefab wood beams. Wood comes from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified forests.
Trim, casing, doors- uses wood from FSC certified forests.  

(AQ)air quality products that promote indoor air quality/OF-ozone friendly-Reduces indoor air contaminants that are irritating or harmful to the occupants.

Building materials that promote less off-gassing at room temperature are:

Carpeting-manufactured using chemicals that will not create irritants.
Paint,Varnishes,Stains-these products can be found under codes, such as air quality, low toxicity, and ozone free, and many manufacturers offer a variety of alternatives to the standards. They are low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), which have no smell and no chemical irritants.

Cohousing Newsletter - Fall 2009

Periodically, I get a Newsletter from the Coho Association. I started reading, and thought I should share with you all. Enjoy!

Cohousing Now! #14

Cohousing Now! provides timely information on Cohousing... Now! It's from the Cohousing Association of the United States, highlighting new information from Cohousing.org. This email is assembled at www.cohousing.org/now for those who prefer to web browse its content.

IN THE NEWS

The Boston Globe (MA) - 11/22/09
A model for the future with an eye to the past

Learn about the relatively new cohousing community in New Hampshire, Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm, and how they have created a community close to the land and close to each other.

OregonLive.com (OR) - 11/20/09
Northeast Portland cohousing group blends sustainability and sociability

Read about how one early cohousing group created their own sustainable community on a small scale.

The Durango Herald (CO) - 11/17/09
Senior cohousing gains initial interest from residents  The turnout was unexpectedly high at a recent meeting held to gauge interest in a senior cohousing community in Durango, CO.

San Diego GreenLife (CA) - 11/16/09
Growing Green Communities: Eco-villages & Co-housing Read about how some cohousing communities and eco-villages have used green technology to lower their carbon footprint.

Trendhunter Magazine (National) - 11/14/09
Detached Accessory Structures: Garden Cottages Add Residential Capacity in Portland A housing ordinance provision for cohousing creates new options for Portland, Oregon, homeowners.

Serialized Cohousing Books

Recent installments of our Online Cohousing Books.

Reinventing Community

 

• What I Learned from Children about Giving and Receiving
   
  
  
• Sharingwood Stories
   

2010 National Cohousing Conference - Featured Speaker: Dave Wann!

We're pleased to announce that Dave Wann will be a featured speaker at the 2010 National Cohousing Conference (June 16-20 in Boulder, CO)

 

. In addition to being a widely sought after public speaker, Dave authored Reinventing Community; Stories from the Walkways of Cohousing

 

. This fine book is published serially on Cohousing.org (see above) - the stories are a great way to help people understand Cohousing on a human level.

Green Construction using Energy Star Program

ENERGY STAR PROGRAMS

 
The building industry accounts for up to 1/3 of the consumption of energy, water, and materials.  In addition, it contributes the same percentage towards pollution. Trees are used to manufacture framing material, but a high percentage of this material ends up as waste. Construction materials, such as drywall, adhesives, and plastics end up in landfills and their ultimate breakdown is destructive to the surroundings. For this reason programs like Energy Star and LEED, although voluntary, are becoming more popular when homeowners are looking to have a house built.  Both programs offer a list of energy saving materials for use in the home.  Others items in the program are protective of the environment in the way they are manufactured, or in the materials used to make the product, therefore contributing twice to energy conservation.  There are many products in each category that can be addressed, which some are listed below.  The first blog will be the products that are best known under the Energy Star label.  Following Energy Star, a future blog will be a list of products used in LEED.   Each list includes the type of product and why it is compliant. While Energy Star compliance is required for LEED certification, not all the products listed have to be used to meet the compliance.
 

Thermostats: Normal thermostats have to be manually adjusted for the lifestyle changes during the day in the home.  Programmable thermostats offer energy savings, since they can be set to meet your lifestyle requirements.  For instance, you can have them turn up the heat before arriving home from work, or before waking in the morning. By adjusting your heat, or air conditioning to operate at a lower setting when you are not home, saves on energy bills.
 

Heaters:  Energy Star Water heaters now have a quicker recovery rate to produce available hot water.  Units are triple insulated, to keep the water hot when installed in unconditioned spaces, such as the basement.  Some models offer additional items, such as self cleaning tubes, to fight lime deposits that decrease the operation of the elements.  Gas units have energy conserving pilots for lower input.  All of these items lead to additional savings on utility bills.

 
Washing Machines:  Washing Machines meeting Energy Star requirements use less water than standard washers to achieve the same cleaning effect. In addition, some reduce the amount of drying time in the dryer, by creating a faster spin cycle, and leaving less water in the clothes.  Clothes last longer when washers use a tumbling cleaning method, in lieu of agitation, which how some models are designed. And many use less electricity per load, some as little as 135-watt hours per load versus the standard 600-watt hours on a non Energy Star appliance.

 
Dishwashers:  The same concept holds true in this appliance.  It uses less water to get the job done, and uses less soap product when washing.  Controls allow the user to choose heat for drying, or energy saving cycles for drying.

 
Refrigerators: Energy Star refrigerators use ½ as much energy as they did back in 1993.  They now have high efficiency compressors, improved insulation and precise temperature and defrost mechanisms to improve energy efficiency.  Statistics actually state that replacing a refrigerator made before 1990, with a new, Energy Star model could save enough energy to light an average home for over 4 months.

 
Ranges: Ranges are more efficient in the way they cook food, using front controls to adjust the heat or flames.  In addition, they give better control thru the panel, to allow the user to use the unit more efficiently. Control options available, such as self cleaning, without the use of harsh chemicals, is one way ranges have become more environmentally friendly. Ranges are insulated better, to keep the oven heat from escaping.

 
HVAC: Many manufacturers offer products in both heater and air conditioners that offer energy savings.  This is where a homeowner can realize a large portion of their yearly savings, so HVAC systems are a critical area for both Energy Star and LEED homes.   Systems need to be perfectly balanced, and provide the best comfort and highest efficiency.  In addition, they add improved indoor quality and ultimately result in lower energy bills.  The approved ones range from 13-18 seer (seasonal energy efficiency ratio), and gas furnaces are 90% + AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency). In addition, ductwork installed in unconditioned spaces is insulated, trapping the flow inside the ductwork.  Installing ductwork within insulated spaces controls the loss of energy.

 
Insulation:  Lack of insulation is another one of the biggest factors that contributes to the loss of energy in a home.  Both Energy Star and LEED identify this, and most of the insulation products available are rated Energy Star. Those meeting the “green effect” are items, such as recycled newspaper. Standard insulation products available are wall insulation, dropped ceiling insulation, blown in, and air wrap. Wrap, such as TYVEK, is a product that is water and air resistant, yet vapor permeable. It increases air and water resistance, which leads to lower heating and cooling costs.
 
Wall and ceiling insulation controls the loss of heat.  Most of the type used for walls is batt insulation, although spray foam, or rigid form is used also.   The attic is usually a shredded, blown-in insulation product. All these products are used in conjunction with the others, creating a tighter house envelope.


Caulking, Foam Aerosols: Caulking or foam are products used to seal openings where air enters or escapes. This is usually done around penetrations, such as HVAC, or electrical, thru either outside walls, or into unconditioned spaces, such as basements and attics.  Aerosol is one of the newer products used to seal ductwork, where energy costs can be achieved by keeping the heat or air conditioning from escaping en-route to rooms in the home. Many on the market are labeled with the Energy Star logo, and some have the levels required for LEED installation.

 
Windows,Skylights: Energy Star windows and skylights have glass that act like a sunscreen for your home.  They allow the light in, but protect your furniture, carpet, and wood floors from sun damage.  Homeowners want the warming affects in the winter, to help cut down on energy costs, without sacrificing the damage.  All energy rated efficient windows have 2 panes, although not all 2-pane windows fall into this category.  Most of the Energy Star products are know as Low E, and are Argon or Krypton gas filled or are High performance glass windows. Many manufacturers now offer these windows, and they can be bought in materials from vinyl, to wood, giving the homeowner a great choice.  Many of the Energy Star products can also be used in LEED construction.

 
Doors: Doors are critical, since they are one of the areas thru which a great amount of heat could escape.  Doors rated Energy Star are better sealed doors, giving the homeowner greater comfort, and helping to lower energy bills. Doors with glass that are rated Energy Star have Low-E glass.  Fiberglass doors are insulated 5 times greater than wood doors.  In addition, they will not shrink or swell, keeping a tighter seal against the outside elements.
 

Resources

www.greenbuilding.com

www.greenbiz.com

www.oikos.com
 
www.energystar.gov

www.progresslighting.com

NYC's First Cohousing Community

Do you like your neighbors? Do you wish you knew their names? Would you want to make dinners with them, live with your door open, and vote on every group decision using a system of color-coded cards? These friendly people are building New York’s first co-housing community. Care to join them?

Read about NYC's first Cohousing Community in "New York Magazine".

When Are We Breaking Ground?

That’s a question I get a lot lately, right after “Are you going to allow pets?” (Yes, my cats insist on it.) There are still a lot of tasks to accomplish before we ever put shovel to earth, and I think it would help if I outline some of the big ones, and the rough time line for them.

September 2009 – September 2010

We’ll be working on zoning approval as one of our primary tasks. Most zoning does not allow the arrangement of homes that we envision. Overall we feel that we have received positive feedback from the Planning Commission and others, but we still need to follow the rules as to what can be built on the land. We have contracted a lawyer experienced in zoning regulation in this area to assist us.

Our second major task during this time frame is to build our membership. We’ll be doing more presentations and more outreach in general to find those special people who want to live in a community where you actually know your neighbor, and where we demonstrate that living lightly on the planet can be comfortable and beautiful, too. Just in case you are contemplating joining, now is the time to come meet us. Early members get early selection of lots, get to help design the Common House (Clubhouse) and the homes, and can participate in the myriad decisions needed to create this community.

Our third task is to educate the community at large about who we are and what we want to do, and to start getting involved in the local community. It’s important to us that our neighbors are comfortable with the development we plan in their backyards. Cohousers/Ecovillagers tend to be more active than average in the local community, and we hope to start partnering with local organizations to educate local children about the environment, or to hold other events that are beneficial to the community. At the Cohousing Symposium this month, we learned of a coho group who moved into a less-desirable portion of a town, stopped illegal dumping of trash, improved neighborhood safety, and then moved on to eliminating a corrupt school board. We won’t have such Herculean tasks in front of us, but we still think there is a lot we can do for the West Grove/London Grove area.

October 2010 – March 2011

We will be continuing the efforts to build membership and reach out to the community, but the effort to adjust the zoning should now switch to getting planning approval and permitting. We will also be finalizing financing for construction.

April 2011 – September 2012

If all has gone well, we will break ground in April 2011. We will construct in phases, with the first phase built by summer 2011. We will build homes first, and the Common House will be in the last phase.

Someone saw my license plate many months ago, and thought it was a vanity tag for “Ecovillage – July 2011”. I promise that it was just the letter and number combination that the state issued…but maybe there’s something magical to it.

Quick Poll!

Greenhouse Cohousing in Baltimore

The Baltimore Sun has an article about the Greenhouse Cohousing group here.  They have land under contract in Anapolis, MD, and are an Elder Cohousing group. As Baby Boomers age, they are starting to realize that they don't want to be isolated in the 4-bedroom home they raised their kids in. They also don't want to move to a traditional retirement community. One alternative that is becoming available is cohousing for senior citizens.We're thrilled that another cohousing group is trying to get a start in the area, and wish them the best of luck.

Moore College does More for Cohousing

Yesterday was the Cohousing Symposium at Moore College, and if you missed it, you missed something special. Cohousing proponents, professionals, and the curious gathered from at least 5 states for 8 hours straight of learning and networking. It was incredibly inspiring, energizing, and exhausting.

The keynote speaker was Chuck Durrett, a well-known name in cohousing circles as the person who brought the concept of "bofaelleskab" or cohousing from Denmark to the United States. Other speakers included Laura Fitch, Tom Bath, Don Tucker, Jackie O'Neill and JP Brokken. This illustrious group presented a broad variety of workshops after the keynote talk:
    - Cohousing as Community and Urban Renewal Option
    - Cohousing: A Green and Sustainable Approach to Development
    - Design Components and Characteristics of a Cohousing Community
    - The Common House as the Heart of the Community
    - The Economics of Cohousing

Apparently Don Tucker, the presenter for the last topic was worried that the subject would be so dry that no one would attend the workshop. As it turned out, so many people showed up for it, they had to move it from a small conference room to the auditorium. A pleasant surprise for him, but it makes sense to me. In the end, we all need to ensure our projects are financially viable.

Besides the obvious benefit of hearing some very knowledgeable experts in the field, it was just as valuable to network with everyone who attended. We re-discovered old acquaintances from three nearby cohousing communities: Altair Cohousing, Harmony Green Village, and Liberty Village. Of those three, only Liberty Village is built. Altair has land, and Harmony Green continues the difficult quest to find it. We met professionals, students and potential future homeowners and exchanged ideas.

For our part, we brought an armload of handouts and business cards. It was an opportunity to get the word out that we have land, that we are moving forward, and that we need more committed members. We now know of at least a dozen more folks who are interested in finding a community to call home, and we hope to see them again at a Potluck or the next time we do a presentation.

It sounded like the organizers were contemplating doing another Symposium next year, and I can assure you that we'll be back. In the meantime, don't forget that I will be presenting at Downingtown Library on Wednesday, October 14, 6:30PM. I will be giving an overview of Cohousing and of the TGE project.

RELEASE: Three Groves Ecovillage Grows in West Grove, PA

Growing group of residents and local elder take more steps towards a dream.

London Grove, PA – September 18, 2009 – Local residents seeking to build the first net-zero energy Ecovillage have made major strides in past months in realizing their goal. In July, two more households joined the growing group, and just this month, the group purchased their dream property from Edna Lamborn, longtime resident of West Grove. The 7.5 acre property is located on the corner of Prospect Avenue and West State Street, across the street from the proposed 125 acre community park, and is within walking distance of many restaurants, the library, and other businesses of downtown West Grove.  The group proposes building 34 modestly-sized attached homes clustered around a pedestrian walkway, with organic gardens, native plantings, and architecture designed to complement the surrounding architecture.

New members Peter Kjellerup and Mandy Cabot, the owners of Dansko, are clear. “There are so many wonderful communities like this in Europe, that it is time that we demonstrate that an environmentally and socially sustainable community can be built here, as well. How wonderful it will be to have a community where people know and care about their neighbors, and at the same time, can live lightly on the planet.”

Sandy Wiggins, former Chairman of the US Green Building Council and a principal of Aye Partners, explains “Choosing pedestrian-oriented smart locations in close proximity to community assets is a key factor for long-term sustainability.  One of our country’s greatest challenges is changing our past patterns of development that make inefficient use of land and infrastructure and that are entirely dependent on the automobile.”

Steve and Joyce Ford, owners of The Perfect Cup Café in Hockessin, Delaware are enthusiastic about making Three Groves Ecovillage their new home. “We live right down the road from where the community is proposed to be built. We look forward to downsizing our house and pulling a few weeds in the community gardens right here in West Grove."

Edna Lamborn, who owned the property for many decades and donated 42 acres for the northern portion of the community park, was equally pleased.  “West Grove has been a major part of our family’s life for many years and we all love the town and the people” said Mrs. Lamborn.  “I would be pleased to be part of the first LEED Platinum community in Pennsylvania.  Three Groves Ecovillage sounds like an exciting concept.  I look forward to seeing the successful completion of the project and more new families enjoying life in West Grove.”

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED provides a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.  Three Groves Ecovillage will be seeking the highest rating of LEED Platinum.

Land stewardship is a core value for future residents and partners of Three Groves Ecovillage. “Two-thirds of this site was degraded by previous use” says Jackie O’Neil, the other principal of Aye Partners.  “We are looking to preserve the site’s assets, such as large trees and south-facing slopes, and restore the site’s soils, vegetation and hydrology, in order to demonstrate that smart neighborhoods of the future can actually enhance the health of the land and the greater community.”  Another future resident, Janet Pelletier adds “I would like to become an active steward of the tiny stream that runs along the property to the pond in the park.  We hope to work with neighbors and the park to plant native vegetation and trees to clean it up and provide habitat for wildlife.”

Public Events:

To get involved or just learn more, interested potential residents and public are encouraged to attend a variety of events:

• The next monthly Three Groves Ecovillage Potluck is at 4:30 Sunday, September 27, at the West Grove Friends Meeting, 153 E. Harmony Rd, West Grove PA. The potluck will be followed by a land walk on the property (weather permitting), and a Q&A session.
• Moore College is holding a free Graduate Symposium entitled “Cohousing: Building Sustainable and Intentional Communities” from 9:00AM to 5:00PM on October 10 at Moore College in Philadelphia. The concepts and practicalities of cohousing in the United States will be discussed. Charles Durrett, architect and author of the seminal text on cohousing, will deliver the keynote presentation. Several shorter presentations by leaders in the field will follow, each of which will briefly discuss specific components and aspects of cohousing communities. The afternoon will consist of two sessions of workshops expanding upon the morning presentations.
• Janet Pelletier will be presenting at 6:30 Wednesday October 14, at the Downingtown Library, 330 E. Lancaster Ave. Downingtown, PA 19335-2946. She will give an overview of cohousing and ecovillages, and the Three Groves Ecovillage project. The presentation is free.

 

Media Coverage:

Media are welcome to attend the public events but asked to pre-register by contacting Three Groves Ecovillage (email using the link in the margin, or call 610-643-4411).  Photos of the site and residents are available on request.

Three Groves Ecovillage is an organization of local people seeking to build and reside in an environmentally and socially sustainable neighborhood. They are actively growing and seeking new members.

Aye Partners, LLC, are leaders in sustainable development and green building, and have commissioned Re:Vision Architecture, a leading green design firm, to create the plans.

Margot Mohr Teetor, Realtor with Re/Max Town and Country, has worked as the Buyer’s Agent for Three Groves Ecovillage and will act as Seller’s Agent for Ecovillage homes listed online with the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

About Dansko.  Established in 1990, Dansko has been a leader in providing innovative comfort footwear while standing at the forefront of sustainable and ethical business practices. Dansko is an employee owned company based in Pennsylvania, still operated by its founders, husband and wife team Mandy Cabot and Peter Kjellerup. Dansko shoes and boots are distributed to over 2,500 premium U.S. and international retail locations.  For more information on Dansko’s footwear collections as well as their global responsibility initiatives, please visit: www.dansko.com

 
 #  #  #

Yes Folks, We Have Land!

It's true, it's true: we own the land now! This post is just to let you, our faithful readers, know that it really did happen. Anthony is preparing a formal Press Release, and will give you all the details. Last I spoke to him, he was swamped at the day job, and wondering if he would ever catch up on sleep.

 

L to R, in the lobby of Dansko: Mike Jenkins of Jenkins Land Transfer, Jackie O'Neil of Aye Partners, Margot Mohr Teetor of ReMax Town and Country, Neil Land of Law Offices of Brutscher, Foley, Milliner & Land, LLP, Mandy Cabot and Peter Kjellerup of Three Groves Ecovillage, Edna Lamborn - seller, Janet Pelletier of Three Groves Ecovillage, Ann Pewelow - Edna Lamborn's daughter, and Anthony Aufdenkampe of Three Groves Ecovillage.

Moore College Graduate Symposium on Cohousing

It's always a good idea to learn about new ideas, especially when those new ideas are yearning to happen in your own community. Moore College is offering a great chance to hear from professionals in Cohousing and Sustainable Communities, including a presentation from our own developer, Jackie O'Neil. Moore College is in Philadelphia, within walking distance of the 30th Street Station, and the Symposium is free. What could be easier?

-->  Download Symposium Interior Design 2009 Brochure

Moore College of Art and Design

Graduate Symposia I: Cohousing: Building Sustainable and Intentional Communities

October 10, 2009 9:00 am - October 10, 2009 5:00 pm

COHOUSING: BUILDING SUSTAINABLE and INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES

A day of discussion and discovery about the history, theories and practice of creating and living in cohousing

The Interior Design Graduate Program at Moore College of Art & Design will sponsor a day-long symposium on the concepts and practicalities of cohousing in the United States. Charles Durrett, architect and author of the seminal text on cohousing, will deliver the keynote presentation. Several shorter presentations by leaders in the field will follow, each of which will briefly discuss specific components and aspects of cohousing communities. The afternoon will consist of two sessions of workshops expanding upon the morning presentations.

Cohousing communities can best be described as neighborhoods created with the future residents to best represent their needs, wants and desires for a mutually beneficial environment for raising children or growing older. Enhancing quality of life and living lighter on the planet are two of the prominent goals – among many more – achieved by cohousing communities. With its roots in Denmark in the early seventies, cohousing has developed into an intergenerational housing option appealing to young families, single parents, singles and retired couples. Since 1972, nearly 400 projects have been completed in Denmark. Since 1990, nearly 100 intergenerational communities and three elder communities have been created in the United States.

Creating comfort in a green home

According to the U.S. Greenbuilding Council, approximately 75% of U.S. energy is generated from fossil fuels.  Fossil fuels are byproducts of oil, coal and gas.  When processing or using these fuels, there are impacts that affect our environment. Burning these fuels releases pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide into the air, leading to conditions such as smog and global warming. The goal of building a LEED certified green home is energy and resource efficiency, which in turn will minimize the use of these fuels. Using less energy in the home will have a trickle down affect on the environment. Burning less oil or gas to heat a house will lead to reductions in smog and greenhouse gases. In addition, green homes are less expensive to heat, cool and light, so they also become less expensive to operate. Designing the best systems for the home’s mechanicals, such as heating, cooling and plumbing become one of the most important long term features for continuing energy savings. There are many ways of achieving this.

 In the case of heating and cooling equipment, there are no certified “plug and use” systems that have a green label.  Systems are designed as a result of a homeowner’s desire for comfort and savings and their unique ideas to combine systems. Green building design means good engineering design, including taking advantage of the natural resources.  Siting involves careful evaluation of solar access and vegetation.  Southern facing windows will generate passive solar heating during the winter days, reducing the demand for a heating system. Deciduous trees (trees whose leave drop in the fall) will block these windows from the summer sun, allowing the house to remain cool.  Evergreens will remain green all year round and block the northern side from cold winds.  Passive solar, deciduous trees and evergreens will all be used to complement the solar panels being proposed in Three Groves Ecovillage.

The alternatives for heating or cooling savings result in using a combination of passive measures and active ones.  Passive measures can be achieved, as stated, through southern facing windows.  Or, techniques such as natural ventilation, which do not provide the entire cooling load, but reduce the intensity of the HVAC system.  Active measures are the load produced from the solar panels.

 Even if you use solar, you will have some heating system for backup or an air conditioning system for days the natural ventilation is not used.  For heating and air conditioning systems, a few important terminologies need to be defined. 
SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) ratings are an indication of the efficiency on air conditioners.  According to the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders), the national minimum is 13.0 seer - the lowest rating on a system.  The higher the rating, such as 14.0 or 18.0, the more efficient the system.  For central furnaces, AFHU (Annual fuel utilization efficiency) is an indicator of how efficient a system is in using fossil fuel or electricity over the course of a year.  The national minimum is 78%, but systems can be as efficient as 97%, converting nearly all the fuel to useful heat.  In the design process, the system should not be over sized for the house.  A larger system does not make it more efficient. Efficiency and size work together for savings. In addition, ductwork should be installed within the thermal envelope of the house and not on outside walls. Cold outside walls convert to heat loss as it flows through the ductwork. Sealing the system with approved mastic diminishes the problems of leaking.  Joints in sections of ducts, if not sealed properly, can leak as much as 30% of the air being moved by the blower.   

 “Greening” your plumbing is an opportunity to realize important water and energy savings that quickly payback on your investment.  Basic plumbing and new integrated systems offer high efficient technologies for opportunities to reduce and/or recycle water in a home.  Integrated systems pay off in reduced water usage.   Integrated systems allow for the capture of “graywater”, which is water from sinks and showers, to be recycled and used in toilet flushing or treated for landscape watering.  It further keeps water out of the sewage system, reducing the facilities burden.

 Faucet and showerhead aerators and pressure assisted toilets are alternatives to replace older fixtures that use less water in the process. Also, plumbing fixtures that use less water often require smaller plumbing lines or less plumbing over conventional fixtures, leading to increased savings on installation. Major water using appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, should bear the ENERGY STAR® label, which cut energy costs drastically over those without this rating. Heat recovery, positioned properly, is an opportunity to use the heat from waste water, as it transfers heat from drain lines into nearby areas, such as closets.   Items such as on-demand pumps get hot water to taps faster, eliminating running water while waiting for it to become hot. One technology used since the 1960’s has been perfected, called a Radiant slab systems.  This can be used in heating a home, thru a process called conduction.  Conduction is the movement of heat thru a solid material, with floor finishes in this application being either tile or wood, both good conductors of heat. 

 Choosing sustainable materials for the actual pipes installed in the home reduces pollution in the groundwater, drinking water and the air.  Materials such as cast iron, concrete and plastics such as HDPE should be used.  PVC should not be considered as it has serious environmental problems, such as the release of toxic dioxin, one of the worst known carcinogen and pollutants, and it is not recyclable.

 One of the least expensive energy saving techniques is insulating water pipes and the water heater, which are usually contained in an unconditioned space, such as the basement. For the pipes, it prevents hot water from cooling off and cold water from heating up.  An insulated blanket keeps the water heater from losing heat thru the tank walls, therefore keeping the water hot longer. 

There are many items that can be chosen when building a green home.  Not one item is the single answer, but may play an intricate part in the whole picture.  By combining these features, they produce energy efficiency, resulting in lower utility bills.  The goal at Three Groves Ecovillage is to reach “net zero energy”, meaning no utility bills.  Our purpose is to share as much information as we can and to enlighten others as to what we are choosing for our homes and what makes them different.

August Update

We’re on the final countdown to acquiring the land, so things are getting very exciting here. We have completed our Due Diligence, and are awaiting the results of one final test. (The preliminary report was favorable, so we don’t anticipate a problem there.) The finances are lined up, and we are simply…..WAITING….. until September 1. The landowner is coming in to town to sign the paperwork live-and-in-person, so it should be a fun day. She is so excited that her land will be used in such an innovative way.  I can’t wait to have the pleasure of meeting her.

We are planning a Neighbors’ Dessert and Coffee this Fall so we can meet the surrounding neighbors, get to know them, and address any questions or concerns they might have. We also hope to have a dedicated Township Meeting to do the same, but in a more formal setting.  We encourage anyone with questions to come to one or both of these events. We’ll put things on the calendar as we get a firm schedule.

Kingdom of Morning

By Kira Pelletier (age 9), Illustrated by Elise Pelletier (age 6.5)

The grass is green and juicy

And does sparkle with wet dew,

They’re scepters by the dozen
By three, by four, by two.

The palace is the play set
All shiny with night rain,
Its wooden boards are now smooth stone
With no more beauty to gain.

Our swings are quick, white horses
Their coats are warm and moist,
They’re young and handsome, smart and fast
Their perfection can’t be voiced.

The palace is kept spotless
I treat everyone with care,
So when I go about business
The birds trumpet a lovely fanfare.

Gold sun has just now risen
And lit two grassy lawns,
Good-bye, my kingdom, see you later,
When tomorrow dawns.

Building a Healthier Home

Building a LEED certified green home is done with two primary purposes.  Energy savings is the first thing that comes to mind, but just as important is creating a healthy and safe home.
Energy savings can be achieved in a variety of ways, by using environmental factors to advantage, and using the energy that is consumed in a frugal manner.

• Providing natural daylighting to replace the need for electrical lights during the day. You can improve the effect of daylighting by using light finish colors, too.
• Using Passive Solar design to capture the sun’s warmth through south facing windows to decrease the need for heat from a furnace.
• Using Passive Cooling design to increase ventilation and retention of coolness within the building components. This can reduce the need for air conditioning.
• Using materials such as an attic radiant barrier installed across the roof trusses to reduce the heat going through the ceiling insulation and into the house.  Reduction could exceed 40% less infiltration.  This in turn will save approximately 10-15% of the cooling costs in a typical home.
• Using LED or fluorescent lights, Energy Start appliances, low water flow fixtures and other measures to reduce consumption to a minimum.   

Creating a healthier home is just as important, and the types of materials chosen need strong consideration. Reducing the strain on resources, reducing the health risks to the occupants of the home, and creating a comfortable surrounding must all be emphasized.

• Using recycled materials diminishes the strain on resources.  For example, engineered lumber uses leftover materials, therefore reducing the need to harvest more trees.
• Using sustainably harvested wood, reclaimed wood, or wood-alternatives reduces impact to our forests. Bamboo flooring uses the split and flattened culms of the plant and is an alternative to the limited supply of hardwood.  It is as strong as red oak and also provides a material that is a conductor when installed in areas that get sun.  Cork flooring has excellent thermal and sound insulation qualities, making it also a great finish material in spaces where conduction is of value. Strawboard or wheat board are both are excellent materials for cabinetry and interior doors, and are non-toxic and biodegradable.
• Using locally-manufactured materials reduces the impact of transporting the materials.
• Using radiant floor heating so that warmth from the floor can create a more comfortable feeling.
• Improving air quality in the home is important to the occupants’ health. Poor air quality is related to “off gassing”, which is the release of toxins over a period of time into the air. For instance, formaldehyde is found in many insulations or carpets, and can be gradually released into the air for up to 10 years. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen.  Natural-fiber carpet, tile, hardwood flooring, cork, and bamboo are better choices in this respect.
• Selecting low or no-VOC paints and finishes improve air quality.  Paint and stain also “off gas” and create allergy and health problems. When choosing a paint or stain, use materials that do not emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Paints, stains and adhesives should be non-toxic and biodegradable to minimize indoor air pollutants.

 
Green homes incorporate many ideas for building, such as choosing environmentally friendly products over the standard materials.  The most important thing is that these choices are being made in an effort to produce a home that is both aesthetically pleasing and healthy.  Future posts will highlight the choices being made in the homes in Three Groves Ecovillage.  These choices are innovative and make a conscious decision to protect the environment, the local communities, and the occupants.

Site Planning for the Home

When building a sustainable home, such as the ones proposed for Three Groves Ecovillage, looking at the process using green building practices becomes one of the most important decisions for choosing the construction materials. A "Green" home may cost more up front, but saves thru lower operating costs over the life of the home. Green products could be as simple as looking for zero or low gas emissions from HVAC equipment or water heaters. It could be looking for zero or low toxicity from materials such as carpet, paint and stains.  Or, it could mean using materials that have reused or recycle content. Water usage can be minimized using low flush toilets and low flow shower heads.  Rainwater could be captured for lawn irrigation. But first, siting the house is the most important step, which will determine the list of materials needed.  This one step created the decision in purchasing the current property. It is the catalyst for many of the other items chosen to be included in the homes, as outlined above.   

Developing the home in the proper position contributes to the support of vegetation, water and wildlife habitat. Materials used can have a positive or negative effect on the surroundings. The land, its topography and vegetation, fulfills many cycles in the circle of nature. It cleans the air, holds moisture, and creates zones for productive plants, insect and animal life. Building green not only affords the opportunities for the use of conservation friendly construction materials, but also allows for the introduction of energy alternatives. Items such as solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, and wind power offer unique ways to save energy. If these are ever to be a consideration, the importance of positioning the house increases.

The greatest efficiency in solar space heating is gained by designing the home to act as its own collector, in addition to supplying the home with the energy collected from properly positioned solar panels.  Position the house so it gets the best angle for the sun, to heat the building.  Using the correct windows increase the opportunity to derive the most heat in the winter. Landscaping is also an important part.  In the summer, the house may be shaded by deciduous trees.  In the winter, the leaves drop and the bare trees allow the house to benefit from sunlight.  Planting evergreens on the opposite side of the house protect the home from cold winds. In addition, a well insulated building, along with the correct doors and windows, act as the best heat storage for solar heat.

In addition, positioning the house on a slope provides wind shelter. The house should be oriented south to Southeast for the best sun collection.  It should be sheltered from the North and West sides for reduction of the impact of winter winds.  Even though the house is protected from the harsh winds, harnessing that same wind to reduce energy costs is an added highlight.

On a positive note, property values have been found to increase when the home is equipped with a renewable energy system (U.S. Department of Energy, www.energy.gov). This is something that should be of major consideration in today’s fluctuating real estate environment.  

As noted, the siting serves the purpose for many ideas when constructing the home. From windows used, to building materials needed, it is an element that drives the construction techniques. Whether it is decided initially to use solar panels, or future need for wind power, or Geothermal Heat Pumps, keeping these in mind when positioning the house leaves future opportunity to add them. Any areas identified for “Green” products may seem to make minor differences, but long term, the environment suffers less when they are used and your investment can increase in added house value.

Three Groves Ecovillage Grows by 50% (wish my stocks would do that)

In just the last few weeks, Three Groves Ecovillage has gone from four Member Households to six. I am pleased to announce that our fifth household is Peter Kjellerup and Mandy Cabot, while our sixth household consists of Joyce and Steve Ford. Peter and Mandy are the owners of the Dansko footwear company, while Steve and Joyce own the Perfect Cup Café in Hockessin, DE. If you are in need of a pair of great shoes or a delicious meal, now you know where I think you should go.

 There are a number of other households studying the legal documents carefully right now, and I expect more members to join before the end of the month. In case you missed it, the price of Membership (with the right to participate in our decision-making) and the price of getting on the Lot Selection List both go up at the end of the month. These fees apply to home downpayments. If you need copies of the documents, let me know using the email link in the margin or if you already have them, my personal email or phone number. As always, if you have any questions, direct them my way and I will give you the answers I have.

It has occurred to us that as the group starts to grow quickly, it will be harder to get to know each other. To help resolve that issue, we are working on a series of little interviews. We’ll post those to the website as we finish them so that you all can get to know us better, too. It kind of reminds me of being back in college and joining a new club. The new members had to study profiles on the older members, and then sit down with them for a little chat and feed back to them what they had learned about them. It’s a great way to build the community before we build the buildings.

Ecovillage Find - A - Word 2

Presenting another Find-A-Word by Kira. Enjoy.

New Report Shows Green Homes Sell for More

Green Building News - July 1, 2009

Earth Advantage Institute, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, recently released a report documenting superior market performance of third-party certified homes over non-certified homes. The findings are based on an analysis that directly compares homes that were certified with appraiser-approved comparable homes. Home certifications included Earth Advantage^®, ENERGY STAR^®, Built Green^®, and LEED^® for Homes.

Certified homes in the four-county Seattle metropolitan area sold for 9.7 percent more than non-certified homes. In the five-county Portland area, homes achieved a price premium of 3 to 5 percent more. Homes with an Earth Advantage or comparable certification also sold more quickly in the Portland metro area by about 18 days.

"This investigative research demonstrates the clear value of certified homes to homeowners and professionals in the home construction and sales industry," said Sean Penrith, executive director of Earth Advantage Institute. "The results of this study will help us in our certification outreach efforts by supplying our constituents with specific data on the value of sustainable home standards."

The report, Certified Home Performance: Assessing the Market Impacts of Third-Party Certification on Residential Properties, also features home builder interviews and consumer surveys.

Certified Homes Sample
The comparable property analysis was based on a sample of 92 certified homes in Portland and 68 certified homes in Seattle. For each certified home, two to seven comparable homes were identified. Taylor Watkins of Watkins & Associates was the project appraiser. The comparable home methodology allowed researchers to identify sustainable certification as the primary factor impacting market performance.

The majority of the homes in the Oregon sample (90 percent) were built between 2005 and 2008, and sold for an average of $474,000. All of the homes in the Washington sample were built in 2007 or 2008, and sold for an average of $523,000.

Green Building Leaders' Efforts
This investigative study is part of a larger regional effort conducted by nonprofit and local government organizations. These efforts have involved some of the leading green building organizations in the Pacific Northwest, including Built Green Washington, Cascadia Region Green Building Council, Earth Advantage Institute, Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, Master Builders Association of Pierce County, the Northwest Eco-Building Guild, Olympia Master Builders and Washington State Department of Ecology.

In the coming weeks, the report will be followed by the release of related research reports, including a commercial case study report to be published by Cascadia Region Green Building Council and a residential case study report to be published by the Northwest Eco-Building Guild. The commercial case study report is available on the Cascadia Regional Green Building Web site and the residential report will be available on the Built Green Washington site.

Ecovillage Find a Word

Now presenting my word puzzle:

This word puzzle has its words vertical, across, and diagonal. To begin hunting for words, click on the puzzle to enlarge it. Print out the word puzzle and start hunting!

Presentation to London Grove Township Board of Supervisors

What an exciting night it was on June 3rd.  The concept of the Ecovillage, which had been shown to the London Grove Township Planning Commission on previous occasions, was being presented at the London Grove Township Board of Supervisors meeting for the first time.  With a preliminary drawing and power point presentation, Anthony Aufdenkampe, a three groves eco-village future homeowner, started the overview of what the homeowners are expressing to be a LEED platinum village. This community will be in the heart of Southern Chester county.   The drawing shows the concentration of the houses, accessible to neighbors using a wandering pathway thru the center of the homes.  It encompasses a central meeting place for all to share.  It embodies a respect for the surrounding property both on and off the site.  The community will also have a large garden, sustaining itself with fresh vegetables in the summer.  In addition, it will host a greenhouse for winter time edibles.  Parking will be on pervious materials, allowing rainwater to infiltrate back to the underground water-table. There is even the probability of a natural, chemical-free swimming pool.

Discussions and questions arose on what LEED actually is and what it means to the community.  As explained, LEED is a green guideline used in conjunction with a set of plans to construct a home.  When you choose LEED, it becomes the handbook to building sustainable home.  For instance, the community should be within walking distance of a town, promoting local businesses.  Its construction practices are cognizant of sensitive surroundings, such as wildlife habitats.  The actual materials are from local suppliers, to cut down on emissions from trucking in supplies.  Scraps are recycled instead of filling a landfill.  Homes are constructed to be energy efficient. It becomes a conscious effort to construct responsibly.

It seems that this community has sparked an interest, as it is different.  It is being driven by a group of future homeowners, something unheard of in a new community.  The group is anxious to supply the township with information, as the process moves forward.  We feel that this is an exciting opportunity that will spot light the local area, with something in today’s world that is complimentary to the surroundings.

Constructed Wetland Wastewater Systems

Below is an slightly expanded excerpt from our recent Community Blog, describing the State-of-the-Art wastewater system that we would like to build for our Ecovillage:

We don’t want to use septic systems; we want to do better than that. Modern plumbing is really cool and I won’t live without it. You sit in comfortable and private surroundings, finish your business, flush, and the “problem” goes away…right?  In truth, a septic system simply re-locates the “problem” to an underground tank where the solids settle but the liquids drain into the earth via a “leach field”.  In principle, pollutants and germs are removed by biological activity in the few feet before the waste water reaches the shallow ground water, but in practice septic sytems have contributed to highly polluted groundwaters throughout the country. Public sewer mixes the “problem” with a lot of water, pumps it across town, treats it biologically and chemically, and then typically dumps it into the nearest stream or river.  The direct economic costs of municipal sewage treatment are considerable, but the indirect economic costs of polluted streams and rivers is probably higher. 

We want to be responsible for our own “problems”. Just as the septic system was a vast improvement over the outhouse, constructed wetlands are a vast improvement over the septic system.  These professionally designed systems drain the liquid waste from a settling tank through a series of lined, gravel-bed rooting zones of wetland plants, where naturally occurring “good” microbes and plant roots break-down wastes and take up the excess nutrients.  The wastewater is always 1-2 feet below ground and can not leak.  There is no smell. 

Figure:  Diagram of subsurface constructed wetland wastewater system, from http://www.natsys-inc.com

The result is that water is purified to levels that are cleaner than local streams and groundwater (it’s nearly drinkable) before it is released, usually via subsurface irrigation to landscaping. No septic system, and few municipal sewage treatment plants, will match that; we are setting our standards very high. We are aware that most people are not familiar with this technology, but the State of Pennsylvania is advocating it, as are many other states.  In fact, PA has given a grant to the Stroud Water Research Center to build the first one in our area.

We understand that we will need to gain local approval by the Township and the County before getting a State permit, but we’re willing to go to bat for the area’s groundwater.

Please Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Nearly every ecovillage or cohousing neighborhood has experienced it, and now we have too – neighbors who fear the worst.  Last week sometime a sign was put on our proposed land with the following message:

Wake Up London Grove
No Ecovillage, No Septic? No Commune
It will co$t London Grove!!
Not here!

A friend and supporter of ours pulled it out of the ground and brought it to us, knowing that the accusations were far off target from what we plan.  We’re fine with open dialog and debate with anyone who doesn’t understand or even disagrees with our approach to building a neighborhood. Seeing this sign, however, was really discouraging. We have a detractor who doesn’t understand what we are planning or what we are about, yet who has imagined and fears the worst.

The bottom line is that we want to be good and helpful neighbors to all of West Grove and London Grove.  In fact, we’re very interested in feedback from the community.  One future neighbor on Thistle Court expressed concern about the “Natural Pool” (naturally filtered swimming pool) that was shown against his property line in our earliest Concept Sketch. He didn’t specifically request it, but we moved it away from his property. No problem.  Also, partially because of concerns about obstructing views to the homes north of the property, our plan is place all of our homes further down the hill, preserving the pristine meadow to the north.  Not everything will be so easy, but we do want to work with our future neighbors to create a win-win solution. We’re not a typical big-wig development company who wants to sell big houses, make big profit, and move on to the next town. We’re future residents who would like to be friends, neighbors, and supporters of the community.

In that neighborly spirit, and knowing that the negative reaction is based on misunderstanding, now is a great time to clarify what we plan. Since the creator of the sign didn’t discuss his or her concerns directly with us, I will have to assume that his/her concerns are similar to other conversations or questions we’ve had. Let me try to address them based on the phrases in the sign.

“No Septic?” OK, this one is true. We don’t want to use septic systems; we want to do better than that. Modern plumbing is really cool and I won’t live without it. You sit in comfortable and private surroundings, finish your business, flush, and the “problem” goes away…right? In truth, a septic system simply re-locates the “problem” to an underground tank where the solids settle but the liquids drain into the earth via a “leach field”.  In principle, pollutants and germs are removed by biological activity in the few feet before the waste water reaches the shallow ground water, but in practice septic sytems have contributed to highly polluted groundwaters throughout the country. Public sewer mixes the “problem” with a lot of water, pumps it across town, treats it biologically and chemically, and then typically dumps it into the nearest stream or river.  The direct economic costs of municipal sewage treatment are considerable, but the indirect economic costs of polluted streams and rivers is probably higher. 

We want to be responsible for our own “problems”. Just as the septic system was a vast improvement over the outhouse, Constructed Wetlands are a vast improvement over the septic system.  These systems drain the liquid waste from a settling tank through a series of lined, gravel-bed rooting zones of wetland plants, where naturally occurring “good” microbes and plant roots break-down wastes and take up the excess nutrients.  The wastewater is always 1-2 feet below ground and can not leak.  There is no smell.  The result is that water is purified to levels that are cleaner than local streams and groundwater (it’s nearly drinkable) before it is released, usually via subsurface irrigation to landscaping. No septic system, and few municipal sewage treatment plants, will match that; we are setting our standards very high. We are aware that most people are not familiar with this technology, but the state is advocating it, and in fact, has given a grant to the Stroud Water Research Center to build the first one in our area. We understand that approvals will have to be given, but we’re willing to go to bat for the area’s groundwater.

“No Commune.”  If I thought a Commune was moving in next door, I’d be pretty frightened, too. Images of unemployed hippies, tin shacks, free love, rampant drug use, loud music, and hordes of mud-covered children come to mind. However, even if we use less imaginative definitions of Communes, and simply talk about pooled resources, shared labor, and commonly held property, it’s still not a model that we’re interested in.  To reiterate specific points that we’ve made before:

• Homes will be privately owned, either as Fee Simple or using a Condominium model. Projected house prices are comparable to or higher than the surrounding houses, starting at about $175,000 for a 1-bedroom, and going up to about $385,000 for a 4-bedroom. The price points obviously necessitate gainful employment or other resources.

• The Club House and most of the land will be owned by a Home Owners’ Association, just like many developments in the area.

• Paychecks will be retained by those who earn them.  A quarterly fee will be paid to the Homeowner’s Association for maintenance of the Club House, insurance, and other expenses.

• As we generally state in our presentations: “No shared houses, no shared spouses.” Although we’re positive that none of our future neighbors had to assure others on their choice of hobbies, we’re clearly stating for the record that we’re not interested in “alternative arrangements”.

• We do anticipate gathering in the Club House for community dinners a few times a week, and rotating responsibility for cooking those meals or other duties. However, this is not a requirement.  Rather, it is a way to help us get to know people and to re-create that sense of community that our pioneering forefathers had, but that seems gone from much of today’s world.  I’d be delighted if our future neighbors in the surrounding community joined us for dinner, too.

“It will co$t London Grove.”  This one is a little harder to figure out, but I think it is related to the hordes of mud-covered children produced by the hippies practicing free love. The question of whether we wanted to attract families with children did come up at the last Board of Supervisors meeting, and there is legitimacy to the question.  School taxes are assessed based on the value of the home, and each child in the home costs a certain amount to educate.  If a low-value home has many children, it produces a loss in the budget for London Grove. The most profitable thing for London Grove is to only allow high-end 50+ or retirement communities, where the number of children is limited and the homes have high value.

How many children do we expect to have in our community? Let’s put on our Statistician Hat for a moment. If we look at Census records we find that Pennsylvania averages 0.83 children per household, or 1.85 children per household with children. That is, any randomly selected household has 0.83 children, but once it is established that a household has children, the average is 1.85 children. Setting aside visions of partial children, if we build our desired 34 homes, that would work out to 28.2 children in the community. However, because our Ecovillage wants diversity of incomes and ages, we will be offering 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom houses. It’s my personal theory that families with children would be attracted at average rates to homes with 3-4 bedrooms, and at much less than average rates to homes with 1-2 bedrooms. If we assume 0.83 children for each of 22 larger homes, and .2 children for each of 12 smaller homes, we come out with 20.7 children.  That’s only about 75% of the children that would be expected in the typical neighborhoods around us.  Furthermore, because our home values will be higher than the median home around us, we’ll be paying more in school taxes.  In truth, I think our Ecovillage would be a benefit to the tax base as far as home value and school taxes go.

I’ve gotten a bit long-winded, but I hope that I’ve addressed some concerns that seem to be out there. Please let me know if I haven’t!

• We want to do better than septic systems.
• We’re really not hippies or a commune.
• We probably would be a plus to the tax base rather than a minus.

So, as Mr. Rogers sang, “Please, won’t you be my neighbor?”

Potluck Recipes

Whenever we have a Potluck, we never know what we will be eating. Sometimes there is a run on salad or bread, but there is invariably a dish or two that really stands out. Here are some of the recent recipes that folks have requested.

Leslie's "Egg" Salad

1 lb. tofu
1/2 c. mayo
2 T prepared mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
optional:
1/2 c. diced scallions
1/2 c. diced celery
1/2 c. dicd carrots
Drain tofu and mash well w/ ork, mix w/ spices & mayo. Add choppe veggies & mix.
Serves 4


Melanie's Toasted Quinoa & Eggplant
1/2 lb tofu, cubed
4 teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce, divided
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons walnut or olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed well (see Tip) (i used a combo of red and white quinoa, but all white or all red is fine)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium eggplant, unpeeled, sliced, salted, drained, and cubed (about 2 cups)
1/2 sliced poblano pepper
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1 Tb. toasted sesame seeds

1. Toss tofu with 2 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce), vinegar and sesame oil in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Place a large, high-sided skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until the quinoa begins to color, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Stir once, cover and cook over medium heat until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. (Do not stir.) Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, the remaining 2 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce), in a large bowl. Add the quinoa; toss to coat.
4. Meanwhile, remove the tofu from the marinade. Heat a large skillet over medium-high until hot enough to evaporate a drop of water upon contact. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons  oil and cook the tofu and the eggplant until golden and just firm, about 5 minutes total. Add the poblanos and cook for 2 more minutes. Gently stir the tofu/eggplant mix into the quinoa salad. Serve garnished with tomatoes, pecans and sesame seeds.

TIP:  you must wash quinoa before cooking. Rinse twice to rid it of the saponin that naturally coats the grains.


Janet's Soft Pretzel Rolls
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Pretzel salt

Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a ball and press a starburst pattern into it with an apple cutter or a knife.  Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the rolls into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. (This is the step that will make them browner and chewier than a regular roll.) Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Walking the Land

As we started to walk the land that will be the future home of Three Groves Eco-village, the prospect of an environmentally sound developed community brought some thoughts to mind. In conversation with friends the night before, who are not knowledgeable of LEED, we started on the subject of what it would mean to them to live here.

I explained to them that the community itself embodies a respect for a number of things near to our hearts. Not only is the community built with regard for its own land, but that of its surroundings. It has a harmony with the wildlife, such as birds and butterflies, something that my friends found very attractive. What will be nice is that you can sit back and watch the stars at night, and actually see them. As it is constructed, it not only meets the local zoning ordinances, but thru achieving LEED as a guideline, exceeds it on many levels. It looks to allow water infiltration back to the ground and the surrounding stream, thru the use of materials that expedites this process (unlike paved parking lots that create runoff). The construction practices will return debris to the recycling centers, where it will be better for the environment.

The homes themselves will surround you with comfortable features such as good air quality, well insulated walls, windows, doors and floors. Most importantly, it will be energy efficient. They will use solar panels to harness the sun, in essence, “free” electricity. This means, no utility bills...also known as “net zero energy”. (Something that I was excited about, as I have an all electric home and the high bills to go with it)!

The Eco-Village itself will be a community within a community.You can co-exist with neighbors who embody the same ideals and where you children can roam safely.  It is looking to have a community center for central gatherings and a space for the gardener in all of us.

As I explained this to them, the anticipation of such a community took on a life of its own. They could see the possibilities of such a place to live.

The excitement is that it is here, in our own backyard.

Early Membership has its Rewards!

In the wild ride that we've had in the month since getting land under contract and splitting Concord Ecovillage into two legal entities, there has been a lot of time spent on legal documents. Creating a new legal structure for Three Groves Ecovillage was really the easy part, but in addition, we had to revise the Membership Application. While the Membership Application for Concord Ecovillage had to deal with abstracts and fuzzy timelines, all of a sudden, we had the privilege of dealing with concrete realities like real land and a real ProForma (budget).

The Membership Application not only creates part of the legal union between us all, but it also defines many of the privileges and obligations of membership. The Agreements of Sale for our homes will come much later. I'll outline the important points in the Membership Application for you here, and if you want a full copy of it, (or the LLC and LLP documents), please just email us using the Email link in the margin.

1. Each household needs to make a $25,000 downpayment on their house. (A larger downpayment is welcome, too!) The money can be paid over time, up until about Ground-breaking and the signing of the Agreements of Sale (anticipated at August 2010). At that point, it is all due. This money is not escrowed, but instead, is used during development to pay various professionals for their services. The money is therefore at risk.

2. To make up for the risk, there is of course, reward. Early contributors get to participate in our Rebate Program. At the end of the project, money that would normally be profit in the developer's pocket will be split 50/50 with us, the new homeowners. Our half will be rebated to households based on how early they made their downpayment. Earlier downpayments get larger rebates. Later downpayments get no rebate.

3. To further provide incentive for getting money into the project early, placement on the Lot Selection List costs less now, but will soon get more expensive. For example, right now, $2000 is due with the acceptance of a Membership Application, and an additional $3000 means that an applicant is placed in line to select the location and size of his or her home. After July 31, 2009, $5000 is due with the acceptance of a Membership Application, and an additional $5000 is needed for placement on the Lot Selection List. In either case, the full $25,000 downpayment on the home is eventually needed, but the initial sums needed to participate in decisions as a member and to get on the Lot Selection List are less. Amounts go up again after January 31, 2010.

The Membership Application has other information about participating in decision-making, reading assignments, and legal clauses about deaths, dissolution, disclaimers and such. The LLC and LLP documents are hefty tomes drafted by the lawyer and are more about legal structure and doing business as a real estate company. Again, I'm happy to send whatever documents you would like to review. New members are asked to sign the Membership Application and to become Limited Partners of the LLP. Eventually this all turns into a Homeowners' Association, but that is much further down the road.

If you've been contemplating membership, now is the time to join! Again, send us an email if you want to review the documents, and remember that the sooner you join, the better lot and house selection you get. Don't be left behind!

The New York Times: "To Your Left, a Better Way of Life"

It's wonderful to see that even mainstream publications are picking up on cohousing. Bonnie spotted this article that outlines a recent tour of cohousing communities.

Pervious Materials

Some of the more successful new green products are pervious pavers or pervious concrete. As you travel to the malls, walk into county courthouses or even land in a plane, these can be seen around you, but most people are not aware of the extent these products are used in the world.

Standard concrete or asphalt driveways are known as impervious surfaces. This means they prevent the infiltration of water back into the ground, forcing rainwater elsewhere.  The more impervious surfaces a project has, the more there is a need for stormwater management thru gutters and basins. Impervious paved surfaces cause the land underneath it to be useless for capturing rainwater so vital to our surrounding streams and rivers, and in fact, often carry pollutants such as car oils, grease and lawn chemicals into gutters and out to the streams.

Pervious material allows the infiltration of rainwater, while still effectively serving its purpose and in some cases, providing a longer lasting surface than their impervious counterparts. There are many types of pervious materials such as grass pavers and pervious versions of the more familiar concrete and asphalt.  Like their impervious counterparts, they help to stabilize the soil from erosion, and are strong enough to support the weight of traffic and pedestrians. They are structurally sound and used for public parking lots, fire lane access for emergency vehicles, pedestrian walkways, and golf cart paths to name a few.

Grass pavers are often seen in overflow parking areas of companies and malls. They are made of concrete or recycled material, and are usually laid in a hatch pattern. The center of each paver is open, allowing grass, mulch or stones to be installed. This creates an open area for the water to seep down into the ground while giving a greener and more natural appearance than vast areas of pavement. In addition, grass pavers can reduce what is known as “heat island” effect. Asphalt and concrete can create its own warmer microclimate near the product.  Not only does this reflect back to nearby buildings, increasing the need for air conditioning, but it also affects the surrounding wildlife who cannot sustain the increase in temperatures.

Pervious concrete or pervious asphalt are fundamentally the same as their sister products, but do not contain some of the smaller particles. This creates open pores, allowing water to seep thru the product and into the ground. Aesthetically, they provide a neater appearance than grass pavers while still allowing absorption and retention of rainwater by the underlying soil.

Green building guidelines such as the LEED program promote the use of these products over the standard construction paved surfaces. Their advantages in managing stormwater, reducing run-off pollution in local streams, reducing the need for stormwater basins and gutters, and reducing heat islands should give them a place in more and more development projects.

Daily Local News Describes Our Innovative Development Plans

On Friday Anne Pickering interviewed Janet, and posted a nice article in Saturday's paper.  Read it online here:

Ecovillage to open in London Grove
    By Anne Pickering, Daily Local News, Serving Chester County
    Published Saturday, June 6

Nature, Nature

by Kira Pelletier (age 9)

LONDON GROVE--A mysterious poem about nature has been unearthed. Read it for yourself:

Hidden beneath the wiry grass,
Soaked in sunlight, golden brass,
Tunnels down to mystic mirth,
Tunnels down to Mother Earth.

Cherry blossoms pay a visit,
She says, ‘How lovely, how exquisite!’
To apple bud’s facial looks,
‘You can’t find that smooth face in books!’

She can cure creature depressions
By sympathy and kind expressions,
With the help of walnut pills
For colds and wounds and constant chills.

But tell me something, if you may,
Who, of all people, who will pay?
For every service has a price
Whether it is harsh or nice.

Yes, my people it is true,
All of us including YOU!!!

Presentation to the Planning Commission and Financial Commitments

It’s been another busy week, when it becomes difficult to find the time to update everyone. I’m recruiting other bloggers in the group, so hopefully we will be able to give more frequent updates as things start to really hop.

On Wednesday this week, we presented our plans to the London Grove Township Planning Commission. We presented a very preliminary sketch to them to give an idea of the layout and density we want, and overall, they were very receptive. While there are some points that need further clarification, there was a lot of thoughtful nodding going on at the meeting. We discussed forming a committee with them to create an Ecovillage Overlay to address the zoning challenges, and they ended our portion of the meeting by confirming their desire to have us present to the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday next week.  One future neighbor also came to express some concerns and we had a long discussion with him after the meeting to re-assure him on a few points.  It was great that he came so that we can start early to address any issues and keep communications open with all of the neighbors to our future homes. All told, we couldn’t have asked for a better meeting.

The other very exciting news for the week is that we met again with key early investors for the project. At this point, we have enough financial commitment to be able to purchase the land outright at the end of July. To say it so concisely makes it seem like a trivial thing, but understand that this is a huge step forward in making this project work.  Not only does this enable us to purchase the land, but this capital in the project will also be an important factor that banks look at when they determine whether to give us construction loans. We’re off to a great start on the financial aspect of the project, although we know it will still take a lot more capital.

RELEASE: Residents Acquire Perfect Site for "Ecovillage" Neighborhood near West Grove

Local elder sells site across from new London Grove Community Park

London Grove, PA – May 19, 2009 – Local residents seeking to build the first net-zero energy “Ecovillage” neighborhood ended their search for the “perfect property” last week when they signed an agreement of sale with Edna Lamborn, longtime resident of West Grove, for her property on the corner of Prospect Avenue and West State Street.  The proposed neighborhood will be called Three Groves Ecovillage, in honor of the location in London Grove Township, bordering West Grove Borough, and within Avon-Grove School District.  The future residents and development partner, Aye Partners LLC, will present site plans to the London Grove Township Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors at their May 27 and June 3 meetings at the Township Building and to the public on June 7 at 5:30 at West Grove Friends Meeting House.

“This property is perfectly situated within walking distance of many restaurants, the library and other businesses of downtown West Grove, a short stroll from the excellent public middle school and high school, and across the street from an incredible 125 acre community park

 ” states Anthony Aufdenkampe, future resident of Three Groves Ecovillage.  Sandy Wiggins, former Chairman of the US Green Building Council and a principal of Aye Partners, explains “Choosing pedestrian-oriented smart locations in close proximity to community assets is a key factor for long-term sustainability.  One of our country’s greatest challenges is changing our past patterns of development that make inefficient use of land and infrastructure and that are entirely dependent on the automobile.”  Janet Pelletier, another future resident continues “I have this vision of walking with my kids down to the library or to school, of strolling to a restaurant with friends, and of early-morning bird-watching in the park.  I can't wait to move our family there.  All the hard work to find a perfect spot for our ecovillage has really paid off."

Edna Lamborn, who has owned the property for many decades and donated 42 acres for the northern portion of the community park, was equally pleased.  “West Grove has been a major part of our family’s life for many years and we all love the town and the people” said Mrs. Lamborn.  “I would be pleased to be part of the first LEED Platinum

 community in Pennsylvania.  Three Groves Ecovillage sounds like an exciting concept.  I look forward to seeing the successful completion of the project and more new families enjoying life in West Grove.”

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (www.USGBC.org), LEED

  provides a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.  Three Groves Ecovillage will be seeking the highest rating of LEED Platinum.

Land stewardship is a core value for future residents and partners of Three Groves Ecovillage. “Two-thirds of this site was degraded by previous use” says Jackie O’Neil, the other principal of Aye Partners.  “We are looking to preserve the site’s assets, such as large trees and south-facing slopes, and restore the site’s soils, vegetation and hydrology, in order to demonstrate that smart neighborhoods of the future can actually enhance the health of the land and the greater community.”  Pelletier continues “I would like to become an active steward of the tiny stream that runs along the property to the pond in the park.  We hope to work with neighbors and the park to plant native vegetation and trees to clean it up and provide habitat for wildlife.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing more details on the Three Groves Ecovillage plan for this site” said Bob Vanella, member of the Board of Supervisors for London Grove Township, at the Township’s Green Fair this last Saturday. 

Public Events:

To get involved or just learn more, interested potential residents and public are encouraged to attend a presentation and discussion of design and development plans starting at 5:30 pm on Sunday, June 7 at the West Grove Friends Meeting, 153 E. Harmony Rd, West Grove PA (http://www.westgrovefriends.org.) The public is also welcome to Three Groves Ecovillage’s monthly potluck, starting at 4:30 pm just before the meeting. 

Media Coverage:

Media are welcome to attend the public events but asked to pre-register by contacting Janet Pelletier (janet.h.pelletier@gmail.com).  Photos of the site and residents are available on request.

Three Groves Ecovillage (www.ThreeGrovesEcovillage.org) is an organization of local people seeking to build and reside in an environmentally and socially sustainable neighborhood. They are actively growing and seeking new members. It is a sister organization to Concord Ecovillage, which seeks to build an ecovillage near Kennett Square PA or Newark, DE.  In the fall of 2008, the groups optioned a 6.2 acre property on Willow Street in West Grove, but decided to continue the search for a more appropriate site.

Aye Partners, LLC (www.ThreeGrovesEcovillage.org/project-team.html), are leaders in sustainable development and green building, and have commissioned Re:Vision Architecture (www.revisionarch.com), a leading green design firm, to head up the plans.

Margot Mohr Teetor, Realtor with Re/Max Town and Country (http://www.margot.your-move.com), has worked as the Buyer’s Agent for Three Groves Ecovillage and will act as Seller’s Agent for Ecovillage homes listed online with the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

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Community News Notes We Have Secured Land

Our exciting news about securing an excellent property was described in this week's Community News.  Read the article:

West Grove Ecovillage acquires land for ‘green’ housing
    By Adam Zewe, Community News
    Posted May 12, 2009 @ 5:54 PM

A Kid’s Perspective--special edition!!!

ECOVILLAGE PROSPERING!!!

By Kira Pelletier, age 9

LONDON GROVE—A new group has captured the attention of many eco-concerned Americans. Concord Ecovillage, aka Three Groves, has found at last a promising piece of land priced (at what they think) is affordable. They want to build the houses in a cluster so they can go visit their friends without a car. “We’re all very excited, I’m sure,” says Kira Pelletier, age 9. “There’s no reason not to be.” Pelletier is going to be one of the oldest children in Three Groves. “Southern Chester County has got to have an Ecovillage someday. Perhaps this is the time, and it should have a tree house.”

“A big, strong tree house with lots of big, strong branches for lots of big, heavy tire swings,” said young Pelletier, “and there should be a fort and a big scary rope ladder. There will be lots of grown-ups to help the smaller ones and to admire me climb up and down all by myself. That’s what I want in the Ecovillage.”

There will be a small clubhouse near the dwellings where all the people of the Ecovillage can meet. “We will have dinner and dessert,” Pelletier informs. “No meal is complete without dessert. Surely you know that.”

There will be a room for kids in the clubhouse. “It will have stuffed animals, toy vehicles, balls, fake cell phones, crayons, paper, and a big Sony T.V.  All for us with lots of movies for the T.V.,” Pelletier states. We don’t know about that, but we know Pelletier and all her younger friends are anxious to adapt to their second life.

P.S. So are the adults!!!