It's fun to think about the future, and we particularly like the predictions here. Rock bottom solar prices, people power, Net-Zero Energy buildings, and more. What are your favorite trends of the future?
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- February is going to be GREAT!
- To Build Community, an Economy of Gifts by Charles Eisenstein — YES! Magazine
- Home Ownership with a Friend
- Winning the battle for the home of the future
- Predicting the Future
- Conditional Use Hearing - So Far, So Good!
- A New Year's Greeting from Three Groves Ecovillage
- Three Groves Conditional Use Hearing -- Please Come!
- Cookies and Commissions
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01/12/2012
01/05/2012
01/04/2012
A New Year's Greeting from Three Groves Ecovillage
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12/14/2011
Cookies and Commissions
It has been a fantastic week so far. On Sunday, we had almost 30 people at the Potluck, including half-a-dozen brand new faces, and some folks we have met before, but hadn’t seen in a while. We hope to see them all again, of course. The children had a fantastic time making cookies with Margot. The stated purpose of the cookie exercise was to provide cookies for Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting, but there were plenty for the hungry bakers to eat some, too. Judging from the sticky faces, no one left with an empty belly. Be sure to click on the picture to see all of our bakers.
Tuesday evening we went in front of the Planning Commission (with plates of cookies in hand) to officially kick off the Conditional Use process. The township engineer had reviewed the plans and submitted a letter listing a number of concerns like moving the workshop out of the setback, potential glare from the solar array, ensuring adequate fire truck access, and ensuring adequate buffering. However, nothing seemed like it was insurmountable. Our counsel, engineer and developer were able to address everything wonderfully. After a few additional questions and a bit of discussion, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that we proceed to the Conditional Use Hearing with the Board of Supervisors. We’re sure the cookies helped, too.
Pencil in the evening of January 4 on your calendars for our Conditional Use Hearing. We’ll confirm that on the calendar as we get closer. We would love to have your show of support.
11/27/2011
11/20/2011
Artist at Work
Elise (age 8.5) struggled a bit, but has given us a new rendition of our logo. She was obviously struck by the trees in it...I wonder if she saw the house that is in it, too. Did you?
11/17/2011
11/06/2011
Plan Unveiling - What Fun!
Yesterday was inspiring, gratifying, and amazing. Over 125 people came to the land walk, to the talks at Dansko, or both. Some were old friends, some were recent acquaintances, and some were brand new faces. Whether talking to old friends, or newly-met ones, there was an energy to the air, and a sense that now is the time for an ecovillage.
For those of you who couldn't make it, or those of you who didn't grab a copy of the literature before it all vanished, follow this link for a complete downloadable copy of our Prospective Member Packet.
Many thanks to our two talented shutterbugs, Bonnie and Margot!
(Click on the thumbnails to get a larger image.)
11/05/2011
11/03/2011
11/01/2011
10/20/2011
10/16/2011
Three Groves Ecovillage Completes Design Phase, Unveils Plans
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
- Sharon Sweitzer, Purchasing Member of Three Groves Ecovillage. H: 610-857-5880, C: 484-288-0023, sweitzersb@gmail.com
- Anthony Aufdenkampe, Founding Member of Three Groves Ecovillage
484-748-0252, aufdenkampe@stroudcenter.org - Mandy Cabot, co-owner of Dansko and Purchasing Member of Three Groves Ecovillage, mandy.cabot@dansko.com
Three Groves Ecovillage Completes Design Phase, Unveils Plans
Net zero energy neighborhoods closer to groundbreaking in West Grove
West Grove, PA – October 14, 2011 –
Three Groves Ecovillage has completed the intensive schematic design phase of their project to build a net-zero-energy neighborhood near West Grove. To share images and schematics of their future homes and neighborhood, Three Grove Ecovillage will host an unveiling event at the corporate headquarters of Dansko in Jennersville PA, Saturday Nov. 5 from 2-5 pm. The event is an opportunity for people in the region to learn more and get involved in a project that will likely gain national attention as a model for smart residential development for the 21st century. Those interested in seeing the land are encouraged to join a land walk starting at 1 pm at the corner of State Road and Prospect Ave in West Grove. Homes in the neighborhood are still available.
“Our progress over the last year has been amazing” says Anthony Aufdenkampe, future resident of the Three Groves Ecovillage. “Last October, our proposed ecovillage zoning was unanimously passed by London Grove Township Supervisors, this winter we secured investor funds for the intensive design process, which we are just now wrapping up in preparation for conditional use approval later this fall.” Janet Hesselberth, another future resident, adds “Working through designs this summer with the architectural team and my future neighbors was really exciting and fun. We’re really looking forward to sharing these designs with potential neighbors, and of course moving in sometime early 2013!”
Three Groves Ecovillage is a group of local residents who has partnered with a nationally acclaimed green-building team to build the first net-zero energy neighborhood in the country. “Three Groves Ecovillage is being designed to integrate a smart array of the most effective green building principles and technologies,” says Sandy Wiggins, former Chairman of the US Green Building Council and a principal of Aye Partners. “We want to create beautifully functional and durable homes that produce all of their own energy and sell them at a price that any prospective home-buyer can afford,” continues Wiggins.
Margot Mohr Teetor, the project’s green realtor adds, “With no utility bills and very low maintenance costs, these homes will demonstrate the superior long-term economy and marketability of green design.” Not all homes in Three Groves Ecovillage have been pre-sold. Three Groves Ecovillage will be located just south of West Grove Borough, northwest of the corner of Prospect Avenue (Route 841) and West State Street, and across the street from the new 125 acre London Grove Township community park.
The venue, Dansko’s corporate headquarters (33 Federal Road, West Grove PA), is itself an attraction and educational component for the event. Dansko’s building was designed with many green building principles, and small group tours will be offered from 4:00-5:00 pm. The building was awarded a gold rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S. Green Building Council (www.USGBC.org). Gold is the second highest rating, after the relatively uncommon LEED Platinum rating. Three Groves Ecovillage will be seeking the LEED Platinum rating.
Media Coverage:
Media are encouraged to attend the public event but asked to pre-register by emailing ThreeGrovesEcovillage@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 and future residents.
Aye Partners, LLC (www.ayepartners.com), 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).
Figure Caption (DSC_3575-crop.jpg): Future residents of Three Groves Ecovillage sketch ideas on draft designs with the professionals from Re:Vision Architecture and Aye Partners. Photo Credit: Bonnie Dickson.
10/07/2011
10/05/2011
09/28/2011
08/18/2011
Designs!
After over 2 months of very intensive design workshops, or charrettes, we are very excited to finally have near-final design plans and sketches to share! Take a peek at our current site, unit and common house designs on our newly updated "The Plan" page. Click on this site plan below to see it all in one place, complete with detailed versions of our actual building designs, or go to The Plan page to see all eight drawings.
The effort, care and consideration that went into these plans can not be overstated. All TGE members met with our full professional design team about every 2 weeks since mid-May. We literally considered the placement of nearly every room, wall, and path, and we reviewed well over a hundred draft scetches. So if you have any questions about what you see, email us and we'll be sure to give you the full story. We're not yet 100% done, so we're also interested in hearing your feedback.
08/09/2011
3300 to 1260 (Square Feet, that is)
One of the big worries that we all have in moving to the ecovillage is the size of the homes. Will they be too small? Will Great Aunt Martha’s hutch fit? Do I need a guest room? Will I have to tolerate the kids playing computer games in the living room? What will it be like to have fewer bathrooms? For myself at least, I think I can now address this.
For the last 18 years, I have lived in a 3300 square foot, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home. It was 11 large rooms to heat, cool, maintain, insure, pay taxes on, and clean. The guest room was used 1-2 times per year. As I could afford it, I actually bought furniture to fill rooms that were empty, not because I desperately needed to use the rooms, but just because they were there. Generally, our stuff expanded to fill the space we had. I realize all of this in hindsight. At the time, it just seemed to happen without plan or reason.
I just moved to a 1260 square foot, 2.5 bedroom, 1 bath farmhouse with my two girls. It’s a rental, and the landladies know that we will leave when the ecovillage is ready. In our new home, the girls’ bedroom has an incredible set-up with a loft bed, regular bed, and a “fort” under the eaves. My bedroom has an adjoining alcove (the 0.5 bedroom) that serves as a study. Large closets and the ability to store a few things in a nearby workshop helped ease the transition. We have a few green amenities we couldn’t at the old house like a solar and wind-powered clothes dryer (aka clothesline) and “pig-cycling” (kitchen scraps go to the pigs on the farm instead of down the garbage disposal or in the trash). I’m really enjoying both of those, but come January, I think I may be glad for the indoor electric clothes dryer that is here, too.
Knowing the move to smaller quarters was coming, I spent the last many months cleaning out accumulated junk, and deciding which furniture had the most sentimental value to me. I made use of a consignment shop, FreeCycle, and the trash to de-clutter and reduce. If I had been more organized, Craigslist and the community yard sale would have been good opportunities, too.
The biggest challenge has been adapting to having only one bathroom. We all have had to learn proper shared-bathroom etiquette. (1. Don’t knock unless you really need either the person or the toilet. 2. Be prompt when it is your turn.) Otherwise, the house is great. Careful planning was key, but the space suits us well, and I now fully realize how poorly we used the 3300 square feet in the old house.
Just in case you were wondering, Three Groves is planning on 2 bathrooms in the homes with multiple bedrooms. That’s probably best for the girls and me, too. The teenage years are closer than I want to think about.
06/15/2011
06/08/2011
Design Charette Success
(Click each image for a larger view.)
The Design Charette conducted by ReVision was fantastic. We had our developer, architects, landscape architects, engineers, realtor, and a builder there in addition to TGE members and potential members. We reviewed two sets of sketches for floor plans and perspectives of 1, 2, 3, and 4-bedroom homes, and then 4 sketches of how the homes could be laid out on the land, taking into consideration exact set-backs and slope. As we reviewed each plan, we discussed the strengths and opportunities for improvement. The energy level was high, with wonderful ideas from all.
“Can we fit in an extra unit?” (from Jackie, the developer, who always watches the bottom line.)
“Where’s the natural swimming pool go?” (from Anthony, who is ready to dig the hole by hand if needed.)
“I’d like a straight run of stairs.” (from Steve who recounted trying to move a large mattress into a house via the window.)
“I like turned stairs so you can only fall down half a flight at a time.” (from Janet, who’s sister has a 2-story straight run of stairs with a plate glass window at the bottom.)
“We’re all avid gardeners. Weeding the native plantings won’t be a problem.” (from Anthony, who also wonders where we can fit in 1/4 acre of flowers for Bonnie to sell.)
“Rent-a-goat!” (from Janet, on the need to remove the invasive multiflora rose without herbicides.)
“Can we switch the kitchen and dining room?” (from Sharon, looking for practical solutions.)
"The kitchen has to be open. Everyone always ends up in the kitchen anyway." (from Mandy, who must entertain a lot more than some of us.)
Next steps are to reconvene in a couple of weeks via online meeting room to see revised sketches, and then to hold our next Charette at ReVision at the end of June. We can’t wait!
05/24/2011
05/17/2011
Liz Walker Book Signing and a New Member
We're declaring the Liz Walker Book Signing to be a great success, with attendance by about 70 very interested people. After introductory remarks from Anthony Aufdenkampe, Liz spoke about EcoVillage at Ithaca, and read a few passages from her new book, Choosing a Sustainable Future. Three Groves also got the pleasure of announcing our 7th new Member, Cathy Reimer, and then we broke for refreshments and conversation.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a lengthy essay by our favorite realtor and friend, Margot Mohr Teetor. Be sure to click on each picture to get a larger image.
05/06/2011
2011 National Cohousing Conference
Washington, DC - June 15-19
Creating Better Neighborhoods for the Future
Come learn, share and perhaps to volunteer. The conference will feature cohousing and community experts - and is a great opportunity to network with dedicated cohousing activists, supporters and residents from around the world. Presentations and workshops will address everything from the basics of cohousing, designing and building communities, living in community as well as how we can contribute to making cohousing more widespread, more sustainable and more affordable. Washington D.C. offers a great opportunity for thought leaders and policy makers at the national level to consider what the cohousing model has to offer in the goal of creating better neighborhoods for the future.
05/05/2011
05/03/2011
04/29/2011
04/27/2011
04/21/2011
04/14/2011
04/04/2011
03/25/2011
03/21/2011
03/10/2011
01/27/2011
01/23/2011
11/08/2010
11/01/2010
10/28/2010
The Land Conservancy - Volunteer Opportunities
Fall Volunteer Days
Every Saturday
October & November, 2010
8am-12pm, pop by anytime
Stateline Woods Preserve
818 Merrybell Lane
Kennett Square, PA 19348
Rain or Shine
Help The Land Conservancy maintain three public nature preserves and earn community service hours. Please come prepared with proper clothing and water to drink.
Volunteers will work on projects such as:
October & November, 2010
8am-12pm, pop by anytime
Stateline Woods Preserve
818 Merrybell Lane
Kennett Square, PA 19348
Rain or Shine
Help The Land Conservancy maintain three public nature preserves and earn community service hours. Please come prepared with proper clothing and water to drink.
Volunteers will work on projects such as:
- Enhancing the parking areas
- Building and setting up a native tree nursery
- Maintaining and blazing trails
- Weeding, mulching, landscaping
- Hanging bird boxes
For more information, call 610-347-0347 or email education.landtrust@
verizon.net
Our mission is to ensure the perpetual preservation and stewardship of open space, natural resources, historic sites, and working agricultural lands throughout
Southern Chester County.
Southern Chester County.
10/21/2010
10/13/2010
10/10/2010
10/06/2010
10/04/2010
09/14/2010
09/06/2010
Pool Party and Thunderstorms
It was summer, and we were feeling like kicking back a bit. We’d had minimal newcomers at Potlucks during the summer, so we decided that instead of a normal Potluck, we’d have a Potluck/Pool Party. One of our members has a great pool at their house, so we planned on rendezvousing there with our dishes. But then, the newcomers started calling and emailing. They wanted to see the land and meet members, so our Pool Party suddenly turned into a Newcomers’ orientation.
Without us advertising anything, suddenly we had six newcomer households visiting us that afternoon, from as far away as State College, PA, and New York City. The weather didn’t cooperate, and several of us worked between thunderstorms, ferrying the newcomers between the land and my house where we had the posters and literature. They asked a lot of great questions, but when it came time to go to the Pool Party and meet more of our members, they looked (as one) out the window, saw the sheets of rain, and kindly declined.
Brave (or foolhardy) souls that we are, all of the Three Grovers continued undaunted in the rain to the Pool Party. Amazingly, as we got there, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and we got to enjoy a lovely evening of eating, talking and swimming.
We think we’ll see some of our newcomers again soon, and hopefully get the pleasure of meeting more newcomers as we get our Zoning Amendment moving. (Stay tuned for the date—the Board of Supervisors has agreed to schedule another hearing for us.)08/12/2010
08/03/2010
New Certified Homes Command 18 Percent Price Premium in 2009-2010
Green Building News
Green Building News July 18, 2010
New Certified Homes Command 18 Percent Price Premium in 2009-2010
Green Building News July 18, 2010
New Certified Homes Command 18 Percent Price Premium in 2009-2010
While fewer new homes were built in the past year in the
Portland, Oregon metropolitan area than in the previous year, the market
share of third party certified homes increased. Twenty three percent of
all newly constructed homes in the Portland metropolitan area sold
between May 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010 received a third party
certification. This finding is based upon data reported by the Portland area RMLS to Earth Advantage Institute.
The term “certified home” refers to homes that received an Earth
Advantage, Energy Star, or LEED for Homes designation, or a combined
Earth Advantage/Energy Star designation. Certification and sales
information is reported by participating real estate brokers to RMLS.
The Portland metropolitan area region includes Multnomah, Clackamas,
Columbia, Washington and Yamhill Counties in Oregon and Clark County in
Washington.
This finding continues a three year trend in which the market
share of certified homes in the Portland region has increased. Please
see Table One below for detail.
Table One - Certified Homes in Portland Metropolitan Area, 2009-2010
| Number of certified new homes sold | Market share among all new homes | Price premium | |
| May 1, 2007 to April 30, 2008 | 833 | 14% | 21% |
| May 1, 2008 to April 30, 2009 | 674 | 17% | 12% |
| May 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010 | 403 | 23% | 18% |
Data provided by RMLS and compiled by EAI. Percentages rounded to nearest whole number.
Homes
with a third party certification sold for more than their non-certified
counterparts, both in the new home and existing home markets. New homes
in the six county Portland region sold for 18 percent more, while
existing homes with a certification sold for 23 percent more.
Table Two - Average price premiums for certified homes, 2009-2010
| New homes | 18% |
| Existing homes | 23% |
Data provided by RMLS and compiled by EAI. Percentages rounded to nearest whole number.
“As
energy efficiency and healthier homes gain more attention, builders and
homeowners increasingly place value on home certification,” said Sean
Penrith, executive director, Earth Advantage Institute. “It is very
encouraging to see the market share of certified homes continue to rise
over the past three years despite the difficulties in residential
markets.”
RMLS reports sales data by county. Table Three below provides
more detailed information on the range of price premiums observed in
different parts of the Portland metropolitan area. Clark County, WA was
the one area in the metropolitan region where newly constructed
certified homes did not sell for more. However, certified existing homes
in Clark County continued the trend. As a group, existing homes with a
sustainable certification in Clark County sold for an average of
$278,400 versus $234,100 for homes without such a certification, or 16
percent more.
Table Three – Average Sales Price Among All Homes and Price Premium for Certified Homes
New Homes
| New Homes | |||||
| |
Clackamas |
Multnomah |
Washington |
Yamhill |
Clark County WA |
| Non certified | $326,300 | $266,000 | $315,100 | $271,100 | $264,500 |
| Certified homes | $391,500 | $310,100 | $332,300 | $325,100 | $252,600 |
| Price Premium | 17% | 14% | 5% | 17% | -5% |
| Existing Homes | |||||
| Non certified | $328,000 | $282,400 | $274,000 | $221,800 | $234,100 |
| Certified homes | $365,000 | $416,800 | $388,300 | $308,000 | $278,400 |
| Price Premium | 10% | 32% | 29% | 28% | 16% |
The Portland area RMLS first began collecting information about
home certification in the spring of 2007. It is the first RMLS in the
country to do so.
