Earthsong

We stayed at a cohousing project last night (written on the 17th of July) - a first for me. Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood is half an hour or so from the center of Auckland, and comprises some 32 rammed earth residences, plus a beautiful "common house" containing a kitchen and large dining area for the communal meals (held twice a week), lounge, meditation/quiet room, children's and teenagers' rooms, guest room, and laundry.

We had a tour of the community, and were impressed with the forward-thinking that went into the design of the houses (for example, there is cabling for solar PV on each roof should the price of panels become affordable for residents), the can-do attitude and general friendliness of people, and the overwhelming positivity towards the project. While no project is perfect, this one seems pretty close, and the colour-card voting system they have in meetings apparently works very well. There is a food co-op, rotas and rosters for cooking, cleaning, gardening and the like; they have a "green dollar" scheme where people trade their time and skills for others', as well as good community outreach, a couple of beehives, and fruit trees.

What a good mix!

We borrowed a book called simply "Cohousing" (Amazon link) which was written in the 1980's, examining this kind of living in Denmark. It seems obvious to me, now, that this kind of living - which is perfectly compatible with city living - is much more healthy for people. Cohousing communities seem to be designed to keep cars on the outskirts of the development, leaving plenty of safe play space for children, and the fact that you know and eat with your neighbours regularly means you are much happier leaving your children in their care, and vice versa. It's a win-win scenario!

We are very grateful to Glenys for the tour, and to Robin, and especially Cathy and John, for taking the time to talk with us at great length about the project.