Posted on 06/19/2007 6:40:54 PM PDT by SandRat
Global Warming is a subject of great concern, and many people are looking for ways to reduce their “environmental footprint.” There is much discussion about switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and hybrid automobiles. These changes will help, but they are only part of the picture. There is very little discussion of the enormous impact made by architecture and urban planning.
Tim Frank, a senior policy advisor to the Sierra Club on livable communities, will talk about “Cohousing and Global Warming” on Monday, June 25. The free presentation will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fair Oaks Community Library, 11601 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Fair Oaks.
As people work to fight urban sprawl, well-designed infill projects can make a huge difference in reducing traffic, improving air quality, fighting global warming and providing better housing and transportation choices for our neighborhoods. Cohousing combines private homes with generous shared facilities, thus creating the feeling of a small village where neighbors know and care about each other. Cohousing can create socially vibrant and environmentally sustainable communities, especially for seniors.
Frank will talk about the critical role that green building and good neighborhood design can play in reducing our global warming emissions. Green building practices employed in Orange-vale Cohousing will include shared walls, radiant floor heating and passive solar heating and cooling. These techniques can reduce home energy consumption dramatically, by more than 60 percent, as compared to a typical detached single-family home.
Cohousing also creates a more self-reliant community that doesn’t require numerous car trips. With onsite child care, shared common meals and a close-knit community, people have less need to drive their cars. In addition, they are more likely to carpool, to compost, to reuse and to recycle.
By supporting lifestyle and behavior changes that are good for the environment, cohousing integrates social sustainability with environmental sustainability. It has often been said that “community is the secret ingredient of sustainability.”
As an example, Dr. Kyle Christensen, chiropractor and former Orangevale resident, says: “When we (my wife, six children and I) lived in a single-family home in Orangevale, we drove the kids to several play dates every weekend. Since moving into Nevada City cohousing over a year ago, we haven’t had to plan any play dates.”
Frank has served as an environmental advocate and public affairs consultant for more than 18 years, and he has worked with the Nature Conservancy, NRDC and the Sierra Club. He has extensive experience in land use policy development and advocacy and has represented clients on the local, state and national level. He also serves on the core team developing the new neighborhood design standards for the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.
The presentation will be sponsored by the Sierra Club (Sacramento Group) and by ECOS (The Environmental Council of Sacramento). For more information, visit www.OrangevaleCohousing.org or call (916) 967-2472.
Well, we share a basketball hoop with our neighbors at the end of our cul de sac. Does that count as co-housing? Who would have guessed that we’re a gaia-friendly green family. Think I’ll turn the air conditioning down to 68 to celebrate!
No, they won't. They will have absolutely no effect whatever, as far as global warming goes. Why do people believe this crap?
YES, actually, they are.
Only the carbon-dependent part.
I have an old email from a Sierra Club staffer. Their leadership lives as well as Al Gore. They like the contributions from the enviro-suckers.
Where in the hell will I park my Kubota tractor, my SUV, and my motorcycle. And don’t even get me started on the ATV or the jet ski.
I tried Google buy I couldn't find it there either. I knew I had seen more than enough pictures of it here at FR, so I just searched for articles on "Edwards mansion" and found a good picture on one of those articles.
I tried Google buy I couldn't find it there either. I knew I had seen more than enough pictures of it here at FR, so I just searched for articles on "Edwards mansion" and found a good picture on one of those articles.
Ah. I wonder whether Google has purged that pic from their Google Images search index. If so, wouldn't that be interesting? I found the pic easily using mamma.com.
If you (or anybody else reading this) finds a link to a photo of John Edwards' house using Google Images directly, I'd like to hear about it. (It is possible to find the pic using a regular Google search that leads to blogs that happen to have the pic posted, but that's not what I'm wondering about.)
That sounds like the high school they built several years ago in Victorville. All that’s missing are the guard towers. Talk about demoralizing, it’s even built out of gray concrete :(
I believe those are called “compounds”. The Branch dividians tried it at Waco, but it did not work out too well.
Sounds like it came directly from Tom Clancey's "Rainbow-Six."
They’ll want to have us all driving Isetta’s.
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