The nine-day training will be held at the Virginia Housing Center in Glen Allen, VA over 2 sessions.

Go to http://www.passivehou… for more information and to apply to the training.  

Dates: Phase I: February 20-24, Phase II: April 9-12; Exam on April 12, 2012

Place: Virginia Housing Center, 4224 Cox Rd, Glen Ellen, VA

Course Highlights:

Learn to implement Passive House principles in residential, commercial, and retrofit scenarios.

1. Learn from instructors who have designed and built Certified Passive Houses.
2. Courses offered in locations across the United States.
3. Study built examples—including mechanical systems—for each North American climate zone.
4. Learn about local materials suited for Passive House applications
5. Perform cost optimization and economic feasibility tailored for the U.S. market.
6. Work with custom climate data sets for North America.

NEW in 2012: Students have the option of taking the certification exam on the last afternoon of training.

Watch the construction of a Passive House in Arlington, VA here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99FC7jKS9Tg&feature=youtu.be

A Self-Governance & Decision-Making Method to Raise Morale and Help Your Community Thrive    

Time: 9 am to 5 pm each day

Place: The Grove, 71 Orange Street, New Haven, Connecticut

Cost: $175 (includes all workshop materials and lunches)

Is consensus decision-making not working as effectively as you would like? Do forceful personalities sometimes dominate your meetings? Do you want your community meetings to run more efficiently and productively?

“You are invited to attend a powerful and affordable weekend workshop for people starting or living in cohousing and other kinds of intentional communities!

It’s about how to use the Sociocracy (also called “Dynamic Governance”) method of governance and decision-making specifically in cohousing and other kinds of intentional communities.

The workshop will be led by John Buck, the man who brought Sociocracy to the English-speaking world and the primary Sociocracy trainer in the US (and co-author of the book on Sociocracy, We the People). 

John’s co-trainer will be Jerry Koch-Gonzales, a member of Pioneer Valley Cohousing and a Sociocracy trainer in the Northeast (and NVC trainer too).

I now advocate Sociocracy instead of consensus because I no longer think consensus decision-making is effective enough for cohousing and other kinds of intentional communities.

At the workshop, I’ll share why and how I think Sociocratic governance and decision-making helps people in communities feel more satisified in and empowered by their more effective meetings. Higher morale and better meeting attendance occurs than when using consensus. In terms of honoring effectiveness, efficiency, and widespread empowered participation, Sociocracy is a real win-win.“

Diana Leafe Christian

Here’s Green Haven’s website with more information & how to register: http://www.greenhavencohousing.org/sociocracyworkshop.php

Has your community found a great solution to a common cohousing challenge? Do you have expertise in a particular area of cohousing development or community living? Is there a burning question or issue that you’d like to discuss in a forum with other cohousers? Submit your idea to the 2012 National Cohousing Conference program committee!

The 2012 National Cohousing Conference will be held June 13-17th in Oakland, CA. The theme is: Creating Sustainable Neighborhoods: learning from the cohousing experience. We’ll be giving a little extra attention to the social and economic aspects of the sustainability triad. Attendees will include cohousing residents, members of fledgling communities, professionals, and folks completely new to the idea. Presentations, workshops, and roundtable discussions will range in length from one hour to two days.

Some areas we are particularly seeking submittals and suggestions:

1) from members of established communities, both on general topics of interest to you and also topics that you wish to discuss more in-depth with other folks in established communities.

2) the Round-Table discussions were very popular last year. We are looking for new burning questions and folks interested in facilitating those discussions.!

3) We are adding a series of 60 minute sessions after lunch on Saturday, oriented to participatory activity and movement. These could be short examples of different meeting formats – icebreakers, singing, etc. – to get us through the post-lunch energy lull.

To submit a proposal, fill out the online form at  http://conference.cohousing.org/2012/proposals by January first. (We don’t need the full presentation at this point, just a short description.) The program committee will review proposals and finalize the schedule in February.

Pass it on!

Eris Weaver
2012 Conference Program Planning Team

——————————
Eris Weaver, Facilitator & Group Process Consultant
Author, “Let’s Talk About Money: A Conversation Guide for Intentional Communities”
eris@erisweaver.info
707-338-8589
http://www.erisweaver.info

Time: 7:00 PM

Place: Arlington Central Library, 2nd floor meeting room

1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA (map)

SELECTED BY: JUDITH TREESBERG

Join us at the Arlington Central Library on January 11 at 7:00 for a slide presentation and conversation about the practical and ethical underpinnings of the movement to make all new housing visitable. Examples from other communities as well local efforts will be addressed. If you are not familiar with the concept of visitability, Sandra Fleishman’s article in the Real Estate section of the September 2, 2011 edition of the Washington Post is an excellent introduction. As she explains, visitability means that “if Grandpa’s in a wheelchair or junior has broken a leg in a football game, either one can come to dinner without a lot of fuss.” It also means that you, the owner, will be able to continue to live at home without extensive, expensive renovations as you age. Especially for co-housers who are intentionally working to develop community, including visitability in the discussion affirms a commitment to diversity and a welcome to people of all abilities.

You are invited to check out the info at http://concretechange.org

We’ll provide some  goodies and additions are welcome. There is free parking at the Library which is a 5 – 10 min walk from the Ballston metro.

CONTENT TOPIC:  CHALLENGING PERSONALITIES

A workshop with Laird Schaub and Ma’ikwe Ludwig

Thursday, Jan. 12 (6 pm) – Sunday, Jan. 15 (5 pm)

Hosted by Hundredfold Farm, Gettysburg, PA

Do you dream of meetings where the group feels energized, engaged, and solid decisions get made?  Learning the art of effective meeting facilitation can enhance both energy and product from your meetings.  This experiential training can help you build your facilitation skills and transform your group into a more dynamic and successful entity. 

Participants in the training will:

• Learn about an aspect of the facilitator’s skill set through an in-depth content session.
• Facilitate live meetings under the guidance of Laird and Ma’ikwe.
• Share insights through prep and debrief sessions before and after the live meetings.

Instructors: The husband and wife duo of Laird Schaub and Ma’ikwe Ludwig are professional facilitators and have been involved in forming intentional communities and nonprofits.  These experiences inform their unique, whole-person approach to meeting dynamics.  Ma’ikwe has worked for 19 years as an organizer, director, teacher, and consultant.  She has been working with consensus for 6 years.  Laird has a national reputation in Integrative Facilitation, conflict management, and consensus.  He has been a process consultant for 20 years and has worked extensively with cohousing groups across the country. 

Cost of weekend workshop: Full student – $350; Auditor – $275

This is the seventh weekend of a two-year Integrative Facilitation Training Program.

New students are still welcome to join the class!!

For details about the program and to register see:

http://www.heathcote.org/cms/content/integrative-facilitation-training-program-laird-schaub

For more information, email education@heathcote.org or call 410-357-9523.

1.) Game Day and Potluck Event

Date: Sunday, October 30, 2011

Time: 2 pm to 9 pm

Place: Eastern Village Cohousing

You are welcome to bring your games and your potluck contribution and join in the fun. We have board games, Euro games, party games, card games, and almost anything you can think of. One of our guests will be demonstrating several new games that were contributed by the game developer itself, so it should be an enjoyable time. You do not have to stay for the entire time, just come for an hour or two, if that is all the time you have. Supervised children are welcome to come as well. There is always something for every skill level to play.

2.) Annual Anniversary Party

Date: Saturday, November 5, 2011 

Time: 7 pm

Place: Eastern Village Cohousing

We started moving into our building in November 2004, and this will be our seventh anniversary party. Our theme will be Lucky 7, so be on the lookout for a casino theme, or possibly a roulette wheel. The Community Life team has not finalized the details yet, but it will definitely involve a potluck meal. We will forward more details as they are announced. Directions will be sent out after we receive your contact information. We would like to know how many adults and how many children will be joining us, so please respond to: events@easternvillage.org (subject = party)

TGE Completes Design Phase, Unveils Plans and Prepares for Groundbreaking in West Grove, PA.

Landwalk: 1-2 pm at TGE site, at corner of State Road and Prospect Ave in West Grove, PA.

Presentation and Reception:  2-5 pm at Dansko Headquarters, 33 Federal Road, West Grove PA.  Tours of Dansko’s LEED Gold facility start at 4 pm.

Three Groves Ecovillage invites you to preview their plans to build a net-zero-energy co-housing community in West Grove, PA.

Meet the members, see the land, and hear more about this 37-unit neighborhood, which will be diverse, multi-generational, and environmentally and socially sustainable. Homes in the neighborhood are still available.

Learn more at:  http://www.threegrovesecovillage.org/press-room/

RSVP to 610-643-4411 or threegrovesecovillage@gmail.com

Place: Hundredfold Farm, Orrtanna, PA

Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visit Hundredfold Farm this Saturday 10/15 for our last event of 2011!
 
Enjoy home and greenhouse tours, nature walk, conversation with community residents, and snacks at the farm house from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
 
There will be a community orientation from 2 – 3 p.m. for visitors who are interested in joining the community by purchasing or building a home.
 
Get directions and more information at http://www.hundredfoldfarm.org.
 
Hundredfold Farm is an eco-community that is located just west of Gettysburg in Orrtanna, PA. Ten energy-efficient, single-family homes are clustered on six acres of a 75-acre organic Christmas tree farm, with the remaining land preserved for the farm, woodlands, open space, community facilities, and gardens; when completed, the community will consist of a total of 14 homes.

Join our monthly e-newsletter mailing list at this link:
http://hundredfoldfarm.org/mailinglist.htm

 …  AND DISCUSS THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR FALLS CHURCH COHOUSING COMMUNITY.

Date: Thursday, October 13, 2011

Time: 7:00 pm

Place: Open Kitchen’s Bistro in Falls Church, VA

We will be gathering for dinner at Open Kitchen’s Bistro in Falls Church (7115 Leesburg Pike #107) on Thursday, October 13th at 7:00 p.m.  You can check out the restaurant, its menu and prices at:  openkitchen-dcmetro.com

This will be a prime opportunity to get to know one another and to chat in a relaxed atmosphere.  We hope you will plan to join us for dinner on the 13th.

For more information, please go to: http://www.meetup.com/Washington-DC-Area-Cohousing