From the monthly newsletter of the Cohousing Association of the United States

http://www.cohousing.org/now

Report on the North East Regional Cohousing Conference

On July 16‑18, 2010, the North East Regional Cohousing Conference was held in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at the World Fellowship Center.

About 40 people [including three from the Mount Eden Ecovillage project] attended the well‑designed two day program led by Norma Wassel. Norma is a long‑time resident of Cambridge Cohousing (Cambridge, MA). About half the people attending already lived in cohousing and about half were members of forming groups. The program featured presenters and facilitators who were both well‑prepared and quite knowledgeable. Most workshops were highly interactive and helped bring the attendees together as the weekend progressed. Particularly valuable were the casual exchanges over meals, during breaks, and running late into the nights. There was a LOT of education happening in and out of the sessions!

This cohousing event took great advantage of the broader offerings of the World Fellowship Center, which also provided food, housing, and beautiful grounds. The cohousing program was just one of several recreational and educational programs ‑- so some who were attracted to the center for other reasons also attended parts of the cohousing conference, and people who came for the cohousing conference also took advantage of the folk music workshop, the Saturday night Contra Dancing, or the Talent‑optional Show. Including cohousing programs at venues that host multiple simultaneous events seems a way to help more people learn about cohousing.

In addition to the primary topics of developing community, green architecture, consensus, and marketing existing homes, two organizational topics were well discussed:

. The 2011 National Cohousing Conference planned for Washington, DC. Some hope to present and may get involved in the conference leadership. There was even talk of organizing van pools to lower the costs (economic and environmental) of travel from the Northeast to DC.

. Formation of a New England Cohousing group to facilitate more regional exchanges. Some already-established regional community groups include Mid‑Atlantic Cohousing (MAC), East Bay Cohousing (EBCoho), and the Northwest Intentional Community Association (NICA). All three of these vital regional groups sponsor both local and regional events