Altair in nearby Kimberton, PA now has zoning approval

Posted on Sunday, April 10, 2022 by Steve Welzer

It looks as if Altair will become the first ecovillage project to come to fruition in our area. It’s located about an hour’s drive west of Trenton:
https://AltairEcoVillage.org

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We have access to a parcel of land in Hillsborough

Posted on Thursday, October 21, 2021 by Steve Welzer

In October a group of us toured the property and started to brainstorm projects that could establish it as an environmental and cultural center promoting green lifeways.

At 3.5 acres it’s large enough that we could envision:
. community gardening
. drumming circles
. informal camping
. movie nights
. study groups
. mushroom farming
. musicales (around a campfire!)
. an ecological education center for children and others

In the long run perhaps an intentional community.

We’re considering sponsoring some “field trips” to visit existing ecovillages (suggestions: the Ecovillage at Ithaca (NY) and the Sirius Community in Shutesbury, MA).

In the wake of the pandemic, there’s much interest in overcoming the kind of isolation that’s endemic to our current society. People are looking for support, as well as ways to help each other live more lightly. Ecovillage Hillsborough has a land base and now will be working to mobilize the kind of resources that will enable us to realize our vision. Human resources are key! We invite you to participate.

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This Sunday – the Opportunity to Join a New Ecovillage/Cohousing Initiative

Posted on Friday, May 22, 2020 by Jonathan Cloud

Welcome, Fellow Founders

We’re launching an effort to create a new ecovillage/cohousing neighborhood in central New Jersey or Eastern Pennsylvania. We have some pretty definite ideas of what we want: (a) a site of 10+ acres that could be ecologically restored/enhanced with permaculture; (b) a variety of building styles; (c) agricultural potential; (d) a receptive local community (e) carbon-neutral (or “carbon positive”), (f) nondenominational (g) all of us being interested in both the natural ecosystem and the human one.

Who’s the “we” in this initiative? The core group consists of four individuals / households, combining experience, intention, and understanding of what it takes to establish a new eco-community. Some of us are focused more on the eco- part or more on the community; in reality both are needed, at the level appropriate to each.

Ecologically, our goal is to restore and enhance a degraded property, in such a way that the humans living on the land and its natural inhabitants can coexist for the benefit of the place and of all life. Socially, our goal is to build a cohesive, collaborative, and congenial community made up of individuals who are effective at living and working together towards common goals, and find a municipality that will welcome us and that we can contribute to. Join us online this Sunday to find out more about how you can become involved.

Building a Post-Pandemic Community

Sunday, May 24, from 2-4 pm

Please RSVP for this event.

Please note that this is not our regular Zoom meeting room. You must be registered to attend the event (limited to 100 participants).


If you’re not able to attend the event, but want more information, please email evnj@ecovillagenj.org. Thanks.

Posted in Agendas, Cohousing, Community, Dynamic Governance, Ecovillage, Education, Empowerment, Energy Efficiency, Investment, Organization, Properties, Renewables | 1 Comment

May 24 Virtual Meetup: What the Pandemic is Showing Us

Posted on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 by Jonathan Cloud

It is self-evident that a community of healthy, economically stable, and happy people can withstand the onslaught of a pandemic better than a group of sick and sad people. (Dr. Allen Weiss, Blue Zones)

We know from anecdotal evidence that people in ecovillages, cohousing neighborhoods, and other intentional communities live longer, happier, and more meaningful lives. Increasingly, though, there is concrete scientific evidence that some environments are better for our health than others.

Allen S. Weiss, MD, FACP, FACR, MBA

A recent article by Dr. Allen Weiss in Blue Zones[1] points out that some people and places are more susceptible to the coronavirus while others are much less so. In particular, Dr. Weiss argues that our ability to withstand pandemics has more to do with social determinants of health (“SDOH”) than with genetics.

Join us online on May 24  to learn more about how ecovillagers are coping with COVID-19:

EVNJ Virtual Meetup — Living in Cohousing
in the Midst of the Pandemic

Sunday, May 24, from 2-4 pm

Please RSVP for this event.

Please note that this is not our regular Zoom meeting room. You must be registered to attend the event (limited to 100 participants).

Continue reading →

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Sunday, May 24, 2020, 2-4 pm: EVNJ Virtual Meetup
— Living in Cohousing in the Midst of the Pandemic

Posted on Sunday, May 3, 2020 by Jonathan Cloud

Jordan Hopkins

We can meet up this month, but it will still have to be virtual!

April has turned to May, but in-person Meetups still might be a couple of months in the future.

There’s nothing like face-to-face interaction (that’s one of the reasons we want to create an intentional community!), but for the time being virtual is the way to go. So we’ll be hosting an online Meetup on Sunday, May 24, 2-4pm, on the topic of how cohousing and ecovillages are surviving the pandemic… what’s possible, what’s feasible, and what the future holds for eco-communities in the post-COVID-19 world.

There’s one thing we feel certain about: Change is in the air. The unusual situation we’ve all been facing clearly has ecological, economic, and social implications. Many feel this could be a turning point. There’s a sense that a more cooperative and communitarian lifestyle would provide the kind of support (and hope) people need during times like these when the global economic and public health systems demonstrate their unsustainability.

Continue reading →

Posted in Agendas, Cohousing, Community, CRCS, Ecovillage, Finances, Possible Planet, Properties | 1 Comment

How We’re Responding to the Pandemic

Posted on Friday, April 3, 2020 by Jonathan Cloud

Out of deference to concern about the spreading virus, we’re moving all events online — for now. Stay tuned!

* * * * * * * * *

Our movement advocates that humanity get back to living in more humanly-scaled communities. There are many, many reasons why this would be advisable.

Problematic trajectories of population growth and population concentration have led to the insane megalopolis densities we witness worldwide in modern mass society. And: from the standpoint of social change, if we desire a participatory form of democracy we’ll have to decentralize. Meanwhile, it may be pandemics that finally make it clear why we need to get back to living in more humanly-scaled communities.

https://www.amazon.com/Human-Scale-Kirkpatrick-Sale/dp/1897408064

Size matters. And “progress”—as it translates into sprawl, congestion, resource depletion, overpopulation, the decline of communities and the rise of corporate rule—is quite literally killing us. In his landmark work “Human Scale,” Kirkpatrick Sale details the crises facing modern society and offers real solutions, laying out ways that we can take control of every facet of our lives by building institutions, workplaces and communities that are sustainable, democratic, ecologically balanced, and responsive to the needs of the individual. As relevant today as when it was first published in 1980, this remarkable book provides a fascinating perspective on the folly of “growth” and anticipates by decades the current movement towards rejuvenation of local community life.

—Steve Welzer

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This Sunday 12-4: Joel Rothschild, Kathy Moser, & Community Progress Reports

Posted on Friday, February 21, 2020 by Jonathan Cloud

Sunday, February 23, Noon-4 p.m. (NOTE New Time)

We’ll be back at the IYCC in Princeton this Sunday, but note the time change: Noon to 4 this time, starting off with a potluck luncheon.

Joel Rothschild will be our featured speaker. He’ll tell us about the progress being made toward developing an ecovillage neighborhood in Lancaster, PA based on the Community Land Cooperative model. He’ll also have information about the upcoming series of study groups that will focus on practical issues toward establishing, funding, and governing a regional network of eco-communities. (For more information see https://ecovillagers.org)

Kathy Moser, who has performed at several of our fundraisers, will join us to relate some exciting news. She lives on a 100-acre property near Long Valley (Morris County) which has a complex of five houses located on it. Three of the five have now come up for sale. If one or several of us ecovillagers could purchase these houses we’d have controlling interest in the homeowners association and thus a chance to implement some of our green-living ideas for the full site. The current asking price for the three houses is $650K (or about $220K each). The location is in-between I-78 and I-80 (about 20 minutes from each). Kathy is looking for others to work with her to buy the houses. It’s not clear at this point whether the town would consider allowing construction of additional units, but that’s a possibility worth exploring. If you have a pioneering spirit, love the Earth, and are looking to live with friends, this could be your opportunity.

 

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Reclaiming Our Place as a Commons

Posted on Monday, February 3, 2020 by Jonathan Cloud

Sunday, February 23, Noon-4 p.m.

Re-taking the Land for the Commons,
Place by Place
with Joel Rothschild

Princeton Integral Yoga Community Center
301 N Harrison St #1E · Princeton, NJ

Joel Rothschild, Ecovillagers Alliance

“As Community Land Cooperatives gain ownership of land, neighborhoods gain security as a place for community. CLC holdings won’t be sold to speculators, developers, or gentrifiers. They won’t be ‘flipped,’ or suddenly cost double the price. Household and business equity in the neighborhood will tend toward more equitable distribution among members, without recourse to paternalistic state or philanthropic programs, and market shocks like the Great Recession won’t periodically liquidate the neighborhood’s real estate for the easy picking of outside investors.”

Joel is an ecovillage organizer with a social-change vision. Find out more at http://ecovillagers.org.

He’ll join us again at our February Meetup, with our usual fabulous potluck, and an update from our community leaders in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. Please let us know if you can attend!

 

 

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Jan 12, 2020 in Philadelphia: Regional conference on communities and cooperatives

Posted on Saturday, December 28, 2019 by Jonathan Cloud

Hosted by Roger Balson

Details
Sunday, January 12, 2pm to 7pm
Mt Airy Nexus, 520 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia

Hosted by Delaware Valley Co-Living Cooperative

http://delvalcoco.org/conferences/

Pot-luck dinner. Carpools available (let us know if you can drive or you need a ride).

Come hear about initiatives, proposals, and projects in the tri-state area:
* cohousing
* co-living
* house-sharing
* ecovillages
* co-working
* food co-ops
* credit unions
* workers cooperatives
* urban farming and community farms
* time banks
* land trusts
* community land cooperatives

Sign up here on our Meetup site, and also RSVP at http://delvalcoco.org/contact-us/ (with a note in the comments field “First Public Meeting”)

More details: http://delvalcoco.org/latest-news/ and https://www.facebook.com/events/2472444916300574/

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Saturday, Dec 14, 2-6 pm: Holiday Party & Fundraiser

Posted on Sunday, November 24, 2019 by Jonathan Cloud

You’re invited to our

 Join us for community, thoughtful discussion, and the opportunity to make a difference.

Saturday, December 14
2-6 p.m.
@ 8 Revere Drive, Basking Ridge, NJ

Bring something to share / BYOB
Bring your voices, instruments & holiday songs!

Meet people who care about restoring our communities and the climate.

Can’t Attend But Want to Support Us?

At the party, we’ll share our mission and initiatives, and you can contribute to the “mother ship,” Possible Planet, or earmark your donation to one of our initiatives:

Global Carbon Reward 
Ecovillage New Jersey 
Ecovillagers Alliance
New Jersey PACE / Regenerative Financing 
Possible Planet (General Fund)

Attend the Party

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