Trying to explain cohousing is tough at the best of times. This is a little video sponsored by the Canadian Cohousing Network. Enjoy! (Pass it on!)
The Village Tales
News and whimsy from Groundswell Cohousing at Yarrow Ecovillage
Showing posts with label In the news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In the news. Show all posts
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Seniors Cohousing Letter to the Editor
I'm pretty proud of this letter to the editor. It is in response to an article telling people to educate themselves about the choices for their seniors loved ones. I wrote this and was published withine hours of writing it!
Dear Editor,
I would like to respond to an article you published, headlined “Making the right choices, the costs of seniors’ care.”
A friend has sent me a clipping of this article in relation to work I am currently doing in the area.
This article is advocating that people educate themselves thoroughly on behalf of their senior loved ones.
The article seems to suggest doing this education once the individual involved has already lost some degree of ability.
Of course, this is important. We all want to take care of our loved ones.
But what about taking care of and educating ourselves before we come to the place of need?
Studies show that by making changes when we are in our 60s and even in our 50s, it goes a long way to increasing quality of life and the ability to age in place successfully.
Downsizing while you have the energy to do so, finding a community to age with and consciously deciding how the next 20 years will play out can possibly add 10 years to your life,
It will definitely increase the quality of life as we age.
We are offering a 10-week study group for people who are seriously considering making proactive changes in their lifestyle, before they lose whichever capacity might fail them first.
The problem we find is that while people are willing to consider their senior loved ones as they age, there seems to be a genuine resistance to considering our own needs in time to ward off extended care needs down the road.
I seriously urge your readers who are beyond the young age of 50 to take time to educate and plan for their own aging. While looking at such depressing subjects feels awkward when we feel fit, now is the time to do it.
Our aging in place study group is geared towards 50- to 65-year-olds who are interested in downsizing and working with others to design their own future residence.
By joining peers and going through this developer-assisted process, one assures oneself the ability to stay “young at heart” longer through a supportive community.
I’d love an opportunity to share our process with readers. I can be contacted via email at welcome@yarrowecovillage.ca
Vivian Vaillant
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Chilliwack Progress! Hot off the Press!
Wow! Check this article out! Thanks so much to Jennifer Feinburg for her talent and support!
"We didn't want to move into a normal, vinyl-sided neighbourhood," she said. "I had that back in Edmonton. It took me five years to get to know any of my neighbours."
Yarrow Ecovillage reaches the halfway point
The members of the Yarrow Ecovillage see themselves as "ordinary people" building an "extraordinary" neighbourhood on the western fringe of Chilliwack.
Ecovillage members Nevin Gavigan, Vivian Vaillant and Linda Jones took the Progress news team on a recent tour of the site, located just off Yarrow Central Road.
Resident Vivian Vaillant said moving in was the "best thing" her family of five has ever done.
"I've never felt more at home," she said. "There's always someone around with what you need, whether it's an onion or the time to watch your kids for a minute while you dash out to get something."
Phase 3 of the co-housing construction is now underway, with two- to four-bedroom units on offer.
The community is about half full now, with 50 residents in the ecovillage so far, of which 17 are children.
It's not a commune or a housing co-op, they hasten to add, nor are they affiliated with any particular religion.
The Yarrow Ecovillage is an intentional community, and its members do share a desire to live in a more sustainable way, and one that's more connected and engaged.
The Vaillant family arrived in November, with plans to rent one of the units until theirs is built and their other house is sold. Vivian immediately took over the ecovillage blog at www.yarrowecovillage.ca to give the world an online window into their lives, and share some of the enthusiasm she feels for the project.
"We didn't want to move into a normal, vinyl-sided neighbourhood," she said. "I had that back in Edmonton. It took me five years to get to know any of my neighbours."They started attending workshops and got to know some of the ecovillage members before they even moved in.
"What we found were some of the nicest, coolest, most sound-minded people you'd want to anywhere.
"And they all want to know their neighbours," she said.
The co-housing project has been underway in Yarrow since 2006, when Chilliwack city council approved an "ecovillage" rezoning designation for the 22-acre site, one of the first of its kind in Canada.
Several components make up the ecovillage from the Groundswell co-housing units, to certified organic farming operations, and future plans for mixed commercial/residential development on the two acres closest to the road.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Published in Communities Magazine
Today was a really great day. The weather was nice, and the meeting was short! Good things got done and we left in good spirits. At the end of the meeting Linda brought to our attention the article I wrote that was recently published in the Communities magazine. It is funny how these things work out. It was actually published in the September Edition, but I've been so busy that I haven't really shown it to anyone. The message after the meeting today seems especially relevant, even to me. A nice reminder, I suppose, of why we're really here.
Article text below has been taken from my computer. I have fought with the scans of the article long enough! I'm off to make popcorn with my husband. Enjoy!
How Recreational Therapy Helps Fun Happen
Vivian Vaillant
One of the greatest truths that I realized about joining cohousing came too late. Thank God.
"Let's just go." I remember saying. Still in my jammies while laying, exhausted, cuddling my oldest who was sedated by the TV, "I'm so sick of racing around to get nowhere. There has to be a better way. I'm so done with the rat race."
"Okay. Email them." My husband was bouncing the baby on one knee and my son on the other with his eyes closed. He was trying to nap. The clean laundry from last week piled beside him on the coffee table, yet to be folded.
I think I'd expected some sort of fight. Some sort of anchor from my conventional husband to stop me from firing off the email that changed everything. The truth is that if I was tired of Paul working all the time- he was more tired. We both craved a simpler life. We wanted to have energy for the fun parts of life. We were sick to death of working all the time. A handful of emails and some heart to heart conversations and we found ourselves in Yarrow for Yarrow Days, and the first of a series of workshops which eventually lead to us buying into our new neighbourhood; Groundswell Cohousing at Yarrow Ecovillage. (near Chiliwack, British Columbia)
The Yarrow Ecovillage, our answer for a simpler life, turns out to be far from simple itself. The Ecovillage Society has done a nice job of structuring itself as the umbrella organization that oversees three primary responsibilities; supporting organic farming, fostering cohousing communities, and building a commercial district to enable people to work close to home. The wonderous variety of people we have attracted have mixed interest in these three parts. Some are farmers leasing land, others run businesses waiting for new commercial space to rent. Most of us live, or will live in either the multigenerational Groundswell, or the yet to be named Senior's Cohousing planned for the near future. We feel blessed that we've come on board in time to help build and grow our little village. While we're all so different, we share a common thread. We came to the village to enjoy a simpler, fuller life, and we're working hard to get there.
And let me assure you there is always work to be done. Certainly it has been more fun working with our new neighbours than it ever was on our own, however here comes the great truth. Are you ready?
Living in Cohousing will not make me less busy. If I'm not careful I will be more busy than I ever was. And here is the kicker. It's up to me to make sure it stays fun.
Enter Kara Cooper; Recreational Therapist.
About three years ago I met this "mom friend". We started hanging out when our daughters were two. I learned very quickly that Kara was special. Specifically I learned never to say "We should do that!" about anything I didn't actually have the energy to do or I'd find myself a short week later in the throws of whatever activity I'd laid claim to. Kara never understood that "We should do that!" in the normal world really means, "I'd love to do that but the truth is I'm too tired and disorganized to bother trying.” It was with Kara that I found myself on a two week camping trip with four kids two and under. Within a week of me expressing interest, the site was booked, the car was packed, and we were off. It was one of the best trip of my life, and some how I came back refreshed and ready to take on the world.
I can't begin to relay the number of amazing days Kara has planned for us. Things that might feel like work become events, rainy days are opportunities for blanket fort cities and garden work becomes time for wheel barrow obstacle courses for giggling kids. The work still gets done but noone seems to notice how.
When you comment, and people always do, Kara attributes her success in activity planning to her carreer in Recreational Therapy. According to the Canadian Recreational Therapy Accociation, Therapeutic Recreation is a profession which recognizes leisure, recreation and play as integral components of quality of life. Service is provided to individuals who have physical, mental, social or emotional limitations which impact their ability to engage in meaningful leisure experiences.
Very soon after Kara began to show me how recreation is key to my existance I began to remember times in my life where a good night out dancing left me more invigurated than a twelve hour sleep. Gone are the days of spontaneous frivolity. The kids took well care of that. Now it seems like a struggle to get anything onto the calandar that we all have energy for. But I know deep inside it does us all good to get out of our daily routines. Oh but the exhaustion!
I know I'm not alone. Now that we have a village to build it seems like every spare moment needs to be multi-tasked. Everything has to be about the village. Work parties allow socialisation- but the projects have to get done. Meals allow social activity- but you still have to eat. Very soon you can find yourself completely surrounded by have to's, instead of want to's.
So how do you consciously keep a community from drowning in meetings and work parties? I find that every one needs at least one truly frivolous experience a week to keep going. For some people that can be board games and beer, others might need to get out into nature. I also find it very useful to drag community members out of the village for off-site activity. Truth be told there are so many ways to have fun and so many people who need to have fun we all need to work together to provide each other with mulitple outlets from which we can pick and choose. It doesn't always happen easily. Sometimes we have to very consciously create fun in our lives- the same way we have to make time to weed gardens and get laundry done. With time and practice everyone can become an event planner for their own community.
In Recreational Therapy there are three ways a person is thought to get somthing out of the experience of an event; looking forward to, participating in, and looking back on the experience. Each of these can allow people to get the most out the events you plan.
Don't know where to start? I have some sugestions inspired by my personal Recreational Therapist for you here. Not every community is lucky enough to have a professional Rec Therapist on hand, but we can all learn to incorporate these simple behaviors into our own lives in order to intentionally provide more fun in our lives.
Jump to the pump. The next time people are sitting around talking about how great it would be to do something, be the person to pull out the calandar and book it! Don't worry about the greater community just yet. Try and find a date that works for those of you in the initial discussion.
Record great ideas. If no date can be found, stick the idea into a “Fun Day Jar”. While we still await our common house, one of my great plans for the mail room is an easy to access jar with an attached pen and index cards. When an idea comes that we can use right away we can flesh out as much of the idea as possible on a card and stick it in the jar. Even as I write this I wonder if we'll ever use the ideas we collect, but it will give us a place to store our passionate ideas, and remind us to take a break. It will also be a great tool for our Social team.
Branch out. Once a date for the event has been planned, invite as many people as you can think of. It's in our nature to assume other people are too busy to come out and play. I've found that it never hurts to try. Email is not nearly as effective as in person. An announcment at a community meeting or on a billboard helps, but a knock on the door ensures more people will take time to come out. Another thing we all do is accidentally write people off before we've asked. If a family has never participated before, invite them anyways. One day they may surprise you and themselves.
Speak often about the event in positive light. Remind people that it is coming and discuss the parts you are most looking forward to. Try not to dwell on the work that it will take to make it happen, but rather the joy it will bring when the day arrives.
Let it be simple for your guests. If you are planning an event, people will naturally feel they should help. If someone has a specific contribution they would like to ad, welcome it and say thankyou- but otherwise be okay to answer the question “What can I do to help?” with, “Just come and have fun!”. Take joy from the fact that you are treating your neighbours to a work-free night.
Don't let busy people discourage you. Okay. You may not get the turn out you'd like. And some events like a thrift shopping trip may be designed for a small and specific group. The size of the group matters less than the fun the group has. If you have ten people interested and three people show up GO ANYWAY! Have fun and talk about it with others. Soon enough people will get the bigger picture and be more willing to drop the work and have a little fun.
Go the extra mile. Instead of just making Sushi, find some Japanese music and supply an oragami craft aswell. On a thrift shopping trip for the moms insist on starting with diner out and have a contest for the tackiest find. Try to have something for each of the fives senses; taste, sight, smell, touch, sound. While not every event will allow you to think this way it helps to start somewhere.
Take and post pictures. The internet has been a double edged sword for this step. In some ways it has made it so much easier to share photos with friends and family but it depersonalizes the experience. The best luck I've seen for this step is the old fashioned bill board. Take pictures, choose a handful and print them. Print doubles and give copies to the people in the photos. Kara has been doing this for me for years. I have so many of them I have taken to taping them into the insides of my cupboard doors. When I go to put things away- there we are smiling out from our adventures. It makes us remember to plan more.
Go to events planned by others. Say Thank you. I know more than once I would have preferred to stay home from any one of Kara's events. I go becuase I know she's worked hard to plan it. And you know? I always end up having much more fun with her than I would snuggling my remote control.
If meetings are the only way to get people's attention right now try having a guest speaker in for a quick ten minute participation session. Some great topics for this is Laughter Yoga, Belly Dancing, a synopsis of really cool seminar a community member took. Chances are that a number of people may enjoy themselves so much they'll respond when you invite them to a longer class.
Vivian Vaillant is a neighbour in waiting at The Yarrow Ecovillage, meaning she is an active member of the community still waiting for her home to be built. Vivian enjoys the one mile living aspect of the Ecovillage and expects her green-built home will be ready for occupancy January 1, 2012. www.yarrowecovillage.ca
Article text below has been taken from my computer. I have fought with the scans of the article long enough! I'm off to make popcorn with my husband. Enjoy!
How Recreational Therapy Helps Fun Happen
Vivian Vaillant
One of the greatest truths that I realized about joining cohousing came too late. Thank God.
"Let's just go." I remember saying. Still in my jammies while laying, exhausted, cuddling my oldest who was sedated by the TV, "I'm so sick of racing around to get nowhere. There has to be a better way. I'm so done with the rat race."
"Okay. Email them." My husband was bouncing the baby on one knee and my son on the other with his eyes closed. He was trying to nap. The clean laundry from last week piled beside him on the coffee table, yet to be folded.
I think I'd expected some sort of fight. Some sort of anchor from my conventional husband to stop me from firing off the email that changed everything. The truth is that if I was tired of Paul working all the time- he was more tired. We both craved a simpler life. We wanted to have energy for the fun parts of life. We were sick to death of working all the time. A handful of emails and some heart to heart conversations and we found ourselves in Yarrow for Yarrow Days, and the first of a series of workshops which eventually lead to us buying into our new neighbourhood; Groundswell Cohousing at Yarrow Ecovillage. (near Chiliwack, British Columbia)
The Yarrow Ecovillage, our answer for a simpler life, turns out to be far from simple itself. The Ecovillage Society has done a nice job of structuring itself as the umbrella organization that oversees three primary responsibilities; supporting organic farming, fostering cohousing communities, and building a commercial district to enable people to work close to home. The wonderous variety of people we have attracted have mixed interest in these three parts. Some are farmers leasing land, others run businesses waiting for new commercial space to rent. Most of us live, or will live in either the multigenerational Groundswell, or the yet to be named Senior's Cohousing planned for the near future. We feel blessed that we've come on board in time to help build and grow our little village. While we're all so different, we share a common thread. We came to the village to enjoy a simpler, fuller life, and we're working hard to get there.
And let me assure you there is always work to be done. Certainly it has been more fun working with our new neighbours than it ever was on our own, however here comes the great truth. Are you ready?
Living in Cohousing will not make me less busy. If I'm not careful I will be more busy than I ever was. And here is the kicker. It's up to me to make sure it stays fun.
Enter Kara Cooper; Recreational Therapist.
About three years ago I met this "mom friend". We started hanging out when our daughters were two. I learned very quickly that Kara was special. Specifically I learned never to say "We should do that!" about anything I didn't actually have the energy to do or I'd find myself a short week later in the throws of whatever activity I'd laid claim to. Kara never understood that "We should do that!" in the normal world really means, "I'd love to do that but the truth is I'm too tired and disorganized to bother trying.” It was with Kara that I found myself on a two week camping trip with four kids two and under. Within a week of me expressing interest, the site was booked, the car was packed, and we were off. It was one of the best trip of my life, and some how I came back refreshed and ready to take on the world.
I can't begin to relay the number of amazing days Kara has planned for us. Things that might feel like work become events, rainy days are opportunities for blanket fort cities and garden work becomes time for wheel barrow obstacle courses for giggling kids. The work still gets done but noone seems to notice how.
When you comment, and people always do, Kara attributes her success in activity planning to her carreer in Recreational Therapy. According to the Canadian Recreational Therapy Accociation, Therapeutic Recreation is a profession which recognizes leisure, recreation and play as integral components of quality of life. Service is provided to individuals who have physical, mental, social or emotional limitations which impact their ability to engage in meaningful leisure experiences.
Very soon after Kara began to show me how recreation is key to my existance I began to remember times in my life where a good night out dancing left me more invigurated than a twelve hour sleep. Gone are the days of spontaneous frivolity. The kids took well care of that. Now it seems like a struggle to get anything onto the calandar that we all have energy for. But I know deep inside it does us all good to get out of our daily routines. Oh but the exhaustion!
I know I'm not alone. Now that we have a village to build it seems like every spare moment needs to be multi-tasked. Everything has to be about the village. Work parties allow socialisation- but the projects have to get done. Meals allow social activity- but you still have to eat. Very soon you can find yourself completely surrounded by have to's, instead of want to's.
So how do you consciously keep a community from drowning in meetings and work parties? I find that every one needs at least one truly frivolous experience a week to keep going. For some people that can be board games and beer, others might need to get out into nature. I also find it very useful to drag community members out of the village for off-site activity. Truth be told there are so many ways to have fun and so many people who need to have fun we all need to work together to provide each other with mulitple outlets from which we can pick and choose. It doesn't always happen easily. Sometimes we have to very consciously create fun in our lives- the same way we have to make time to weed gardens and get laundry done. With time and practice everyone can become an event planner for their own community.
In Recreational Therapy there are three ways a person is thought to get somthing out of the experience of an event; looking forward to, participating in, and looking back on the experience. Each of these can allow people to get the most out the events you plan.
Don't know where to start? I have some sugestions inspired by my personal Recreational Therapist for you here. Not every community is lucky enough to have a professional Rec Therapist on hand, but we can all learn to incorporate these simple behaviors into our own lives in order to intentionally provide more fun in our lives.
Jump to the pump. The next time people are sitting around talking about how great it would be to do something, be the person to pull out the calandar and book it! Don't worry about the greater community just yet. Try and find a date that works for those of you in the initial discussion.
Record great ideas. If no date can be found, stick the idea into a “Fun Day Jar”. While we still await our common house, one of my great plans for the mail room is an easy to access jar with an attached pen and index cards. When an idea comes that we can use right away we can flesh out as much of the idea as possible on a card and stick it in the jar. Even as I write this I wonder if we'll ever use the ideas we collect, but it will give us a place to store our passionate ideas, and remind us to take a break. It will also be a great tool for our Social team.
Branch out. Once a date for the event has been planned, invite as many people as you can think of. It's in our nature to assume other people are too busy to come out and play. I've found that it never hurts to try. Email is not nearly as effective as in person. An announcment at a community meeting or on a billboard helps, but a knock on the door ensures more people will take time to come out. Another thing we all do is accidentally write people off before we've asked. If a family has never participated before, invite them anyways. One day they may surprise you and themselves.
Speak often about the event in positive light. Remind people that it is coming and discuss the parts you are most looking forward to. Try not to dwell on the work that it will take to make it happen, but rather the joy it will bring when the day arrives.
Let it be simple for your guests. If you are planning an event, people will naturally feel they should help. If someone has a specific contribution they would like to ad, welcome it and say thankyou- but otherwise be okay to answer the question “What can I do to help?” with, “Just come and have fun!”. Take joy from the fact that you are treating your neighbours to a work-free night.
Don't let busy people discourage you. Okay. You may not get the turn out you'd like. And some events like a thrift shopping trip may be designed for a small and specific group. The size of the group matters less than the fun the group has. If you have ten people interested and three people show up GO ANYWAY! Have fun and talk about it with others. Soon enough people will get the bigger picture and be more willing to drop the work and have a little fun.
Go the extra mile. Instead of just making Sushi, find some Japanese music and supply an oragami craft aswell. On a thrift shopping trip for the moms insist on starting with diner out and have a contest for the tackiest find. Try to have something for each of the fives senses; taste, sight, smell, touch, sound. While not every event will allow you to think this way it helps to start somewhere.
Take and post pictures. The internet has been a double edged sword for this step. In some ways it has made it so much easier to share photos with friends and family but it depersonalizes the experience. The best luck I've seen for this step is the old fashioned bill board. Take pictures, choose a handful and print them. Print doubles and give copies to the people in the photos. Kara has been doing this for me for years. I have so many of them I have taken to taping them into the insides of my cupboard doors. When I go to put things away- there we are smiling out from our adventures. It makes us remember to plan more.
Go to events planned by others. Say Thank you. I know more than once I would have preferred to stay home from any one of Kara's events. I go becuase I know she's worked hard to plan it. And you know? I always end up having much more fun with her than I would snuggling my remote control.
If meetings are the only way to get people's attention right now try having a guest speaker in for a quick ten minute participation session. Some great topics for this is Laughter Yoga, Belly Dancing, a synopsis of really cool seminar a community member took. Chances are that a number of people may enjoy themselves so much they'll respond when you invite them to a longer class.
Vivian Vaillant is a neighbour in waiting at The Yarrow Ecovillage, meaning she is an active member of the community still waiting for her home to be built. Vivian enjoys the one mile living aspect of the Ecovillage and expects her green-built home will be ready for occupancy January 1, 2012. www.yarrowecovillage.ca
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Does Consensus Make Sense?
Yep... We use Consensus to build our Ecovillage. We don't vote on things. We don't leave the powers that be alone in a room to make up their minds. We use this confusing, bizarre, admittedly-difficult-to-understand-at-first system they introduced to my husband and I as "Consensus".
We were given a ten page excerpt from a book to read by Diana Leaf Christian. I now know that she is the author of two amazing books; "Finding Community" and "Creating a Life Together". At the time I remember wondering how any of this mumbo jumbo could actually work. It seemed very unusual and (okay I admit it!) flaky. No one is the leader? Every one is the leader! Everyone will agree in the end?...! Sound powerful? Sound EFFECTIVE?????
Some days I have my doubts. Sometimes I think we're all sunk. We're regularly dealing with issues that have multi-facited points of view. No single answer ever satisfies everyone. We all admit wholeheartedly that we need to get better at Consensus. Hey! This is the first ecovillage any of us have ever built right? And aren't we all human? So I offer an insight into what Consensus can be when it is used with skill and passion.
I (my husband found it!) bumped into this video on the Wonderfully Wide Web and I realized that we aren't yet perfect... but our system sure might be. We all just need to learn more every day about how to use the darn thing, and we all need to remember that none of us have it all figured out yet. Being new at something isn't always my forte... But after seeing this video I'm a willing student!
My friends, and friends to be... I give you Consensus in a large scale setting.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
See OHM Organic Farm at the Abbotsford Farmers Market
Watch Shauna and Nevin showing off their farm wares at the Abbotsford Saturday market on this link: .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJxn32Thzqg
We're starting here ourselves with an Artisan's Market that we hope to grow into a comprehensive market like Abbotsford's. We're planting our seeds here .... Come to Yarrow Ecovillage on this Friday 4pm to 9pm for food, family fun and homemade and grown goodies of all sorts! And mark your calendars for July 29th for the next one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJxn32Thzqg
We're starting here ourselves with an Artisan's Market that we hope to grow into a comprehensive market like Abbotsford's. We're planting our seeds here .... Come to Yarrow Ecovillage on this Friday 4pm to 9pm for food, family fun and homemade and grown goodies of all sorts! And mark your calendars for July 29th for the next one.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Frontpage super models!
Maureen alerted us to our most recent appearance: the front cover of the Real Estate Weekly. Rumour has it that some realtors regard cohousing as the future of housing. If I can find a realtor to comment on this, I'll share.
It was quite a surprise to Maureen to find her half-built house (and Linda's and Cheryl's) on the cover when she got to that section of her local paper!
It was quite a surprise to Maureen to find her half-built house (and Linda's and Cheryl's) on the cover when she got to that section of her local paper!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Open House and Radio Show a HIT!
I can't tell you how good it felt to sit around an old radio with my neighbours to listen to Behind the Beaded curtain on CBC Radio One. Of course you know I'll try.
We had an amazing day. Myself and so many neighbours were up early in anticipation of the Open House. We set up tables and tents in case of rain. We put out flags and parking signs and garage sale items. People cleaned things and opened doors in anticipation of friendly faces that might come to see what we're about.
And they came! I think I can safely say we had over two hundred people through over the course of the day. There were farm tours, and home tours. For my kids a highlight was the treasure hunt hosted by one of the Dads. People had yummy smokies and Hot dogs from the deli. Every where you looked people were happy and relaxed. I was supposed to be at the Garage Sale table all day- but I got tied up in so many great conversations with fantastic people who really get what it is we're about.
I had to laugh at times as I answered questions I once asked myself. "Is this a Commune?" (no.) "Do you have to work on the farm?" (no.) "Is there some sort of religious affiliation?" (no.) "Can you own your own home?" (yes.) "Do you like it here?" (yes!) All good questions. Important things for people to figure out if they are looking for something they've never really seen before. That was my husband and I but a short year ago. It seems silly to me now to think I'd have asked these questions. We haven't even managed to move here yet (my house is next in the pipeline) but it feels so much like home here now that I can't imagine living anywhere else.
And then the day was nearly done when the radio came out. As people finished up with their clean up they slowly gathered in the bunker silo we use as a temporary Community Building. Tea in hand, we sat and listened. There were laughs, and knowing smiles while the (amazing) Hostess of the show Willow Yamauchi wove her magic. In the end we were proud. Shayne and Joel did an amazing job representing who we are; normal people from all walks of life who are willing to really know their neighbours.
If you've landed on this site because of the Open House- thanks so much for coming out! If you've come because you heard about us on CBC- I really hope you'll swing by and meet some of my neighbours! I have to say they're really great people, and an even better group.
I'll do my best to get the Radio Show link up soon and pictures will follow!
We had an amazing day. Myself and so many neighbours were up early in anticipation of the Open House. We set up tables and tents in case of rain. We put out flags and parking signs and garage sale items. People cleaned things and opened doors in anticipation of friendly faces that might come to see what we're about.
And they came! I think I can safely say we had over two hundred people through over the course of the day. There were farm tours, and home tours. For my kids a highlight was the treasure hunt hosted by one of the Dads. People had yummy smokies and Hot dogs from the deli. Every where you looked people were happy and relaxed. I was supposed to be at the Garage Sale table all day- but I got tied up in so many great conversations with fantastic people who really get what it is we're about.
I had to laugh at times as I answered questions I once asked myself. "Is this a Commune?" (no.) "Do you have to work on the farm?" (no.) "Is there some sort of religious affiliation?" (no.) "Can you own your own home?" (yes.) "Do you like it here?" (yes!) All good questions. Important things for people to figure out if they are looking for something they've never really seen before. That was my husband and I but a short year ago. It seems silly to me now to think I'd have asked these questions. We haven't even managed to move here yet (my house is next in the pipeline) but it feels so much like home here now that I can't imagine living anywhere else.
And then the day was nearly done when the radio came out. As people finished up with their clean up they slowly gathered in the bunker silo we use as a temporary Community Building. Tea in hand, we sat and listened. There were laughs, and knowing smiles while the (amazing) Hostess of the show Willow Yamauchi wove her magic. In the end we were proud. Shayne and Joel did an amazing job representing who we are; normal people from all walks of life who are willing to really know their neighbours.
If you've landed on this site because of the Open House- thanks so much for coming out! If you've come because you heard about us on CBC- I really hope you'll swing by and meet some of my neighbours! I have to say they're really great people, and an even better group.
I'll do my best to get the Radio Show link up soon and pictures will follow!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Ecovillage appears on CBC radio
Tune your radios on Victoria Day May 23rd between 4 and 6pm ( 4:30- 6:30 in Newfoundland) to hear a programme from humourous author Willow Yamiguchi about rediscovering back-to-the-land lifestyles. We'll make our appearance in the last half hour, I'm told. Willow wrote an hilarious book called Adult Child of Hippies and I can't wait to hear her funny take on our village.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Talking about us in Boulder, Colorado
Take a look here to see a session at the 2010 National Cohousing Conference which focuses on, well, us.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Both Chilliwack papers covered the public presentation to be given by Chuck Durrett on Friday
Both Chilliwack papers covered the public presentation to be given by Chuck Durrett on Friday:
Cohousing for boomers tackled at talk Friday by Jennifer Fineberg, Chilliwack Progress
Speaks on cohousing by Paul Henderson, Chilliwack Times
Its at 7:00 p.m. at Evergreen Hall (Slesse Room), 9291 Corbould St., in Chilliwack.
Cohousing for boomers tackled at talk Friday by Jennifer Fineberg, Chilliwack Progress
Speaks on cohousing by Paul Henderson, Chilliwack Times
Its at 7:00 p.m. at Evergreen Hall (Slesse Room), 9291 Corbould St., in Chilliwack.
Ecovillage, like the food it produces is organic
Brian Lewis of the province wrote an article about us here:
http://www.theprovince.com/business/Ecovillage+like+food+produces+organic/3089177/story.html
http://www.theprovince.com/business/Ecovillage+like+food+produces+organic/3089177/story.html
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Burning ears
I just found this blog post about our open house back in March. All of Rose's pictures are beautiful!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
A first visit to the ecovillage
Emily of Liberty Tree Photography came to visit us this weekend with her husband and toddler. There's a nice write-up of her experience on her blog.
I also like her link to the movie No Impact Man. Britta's been talking about hosting a "DocumenTEA" evening (documentary, tea, and discussion): maybe this would be a good movie to start with. (I'm also intrigued by Shayne's mention of a documentary called One Hundred Mile Building...we may have to have a few evenings.) If you're interested in joining us, you're always welcome to send an email to annclement1@yahoo.ca.
I also like her link to the movie No Impact Man. Britta's been talking about hosting a "DocumenTEA" evening (documentary, tea, and discussion): maybe this would be a good movie to start with. (I'm also intrigued by Shayne's mention of a documentary called One Hundred Mile Building...we may have to have a few evenings.) If you're interested in joining us, you're always welcome to send an email to annclement1@yahoo.ca.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Listen to recent radio interviews
Our blog is eventually moving back to the yarrowecovillage.ca site; we're just a little busy right now with site planning, housebuilding, and so many wonderful new people expressing interest and coming around. In the meantime, do keep looking at both the website and this blog. For example, Andrew has posted this link to yesterday's Mark Forsysth CBC interview at the main website. This morning's Bill Good interview can be heard here (the Chuck Durrett bit starts 6 min 42 sec into the clip and ends at 27 min). I'll add Rick Cluff's as soon as possible.
See you tonight at Chuck's presentation in Abbotsford!
See you tonight at Chuck's presentation in Abbotsford!
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